November 8, 2025
King Center & Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel called Shabbat a “palace in time,” an opportunity to escape from the tyranny of things that occupy the other six days of the week. This Shabbat/sabbath day was certainly a gift. We exited the bus both Friday evening and Saturday morning singing.
“When I was a child in elementary school we read a psalm everyday. The person who was to read got to select the psalm. The 23rd was popular as was the 117th due to it being so short. But psalm 100 was one I liked but found perplexing. It begins (KJV) ‘Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.’ We did the singing but it was rarely ‘joyful.’ After college I had occasions to go to an AME church and finally did find the ‘Joyful Noise.’ And last night, we all enjoyed the spirit of psalm 100, continued with this snippet of song as we exited the bus. Shabbat Shalom.” - Roger Keller, SCC
We began this morning at the King Center, Freedom Hall, and surroundings, a cluster of indoor and outdoor spaces including both the historic and present day Ebenezer Baptist Church (where Martin Luther King, Jr. served as co-pastor with his father - and it’s parsonage, where Martin Jr. was born), a park with a rose garden filled with children’s poetry on the theme of dreaming, the burial site of both Rev. and Mrs. King, and exhibits featuring the principles of nonviolence, the work of Coretta Scott King, and the relationship and influences shared between the Kings and Gandhi.
“Rose roots split concrete, thorns rust. Petals float on gunpowder winds - doves drink from craters. Silence blooms in throats where screams once took root. Peace: a fragile bud grafted onto truth.” - Jillian Ma, Grade 10, Jinan City, Japan; poem in the I Have a Dream World Peace Rose Garden
“I too have a dream, that we should all be a team. My dream is no gun violence. Guns shall be silenced, no matter what school hall. What I want is peace for all.” - Zanzillus McBride, Grade 4, Fayetteville, GA, USA; poem in the I Have a Dream World Peace Rose Garden
Our final museum stop was the Center for Civil and Human Rights, which has been closed since January and reopened today! The first floor of the Center is dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement, with powerful exhibits including footage from the march on Washington, a space to sit in a pew and hear Dr. King’s own words about what he’d want said at his funeral as images of his funeral played on screen, his handwritten notes on speeches, and a lunch counter simulation in which one sits with hands on the counter as recorded voices yell and name call, and the chair even moves when “kicked.” Overall, a powerful portrayal of the movement.
“If these people can show the bravery over difficult and devastating consequences, why can our current leaders not find the courage to pushback against the current state of affairs? Even as their possible penalties are small.” - Roger Keller, SCC
The second floor was dedicated to universal human rights and making change, including an exhibit to “walk a mile” in the shoes of another, and a quiz that tells you what sort of change maker you might be. Between our group, we might have all the types covered, so we have lots of gifts to call upon as we make change together!
During and after dinner, we shared many words of thanks and reflection. Here are some reflections from a bit earlier in the trip as well:
Nancy Small notes, it’s as if MLK Jr were speaking these words today: “When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” MLK Jr, “The World House” 1967
“In thinking about the past days, I could not help but think of the contrast between the gloominess of yesterday’s weather and the darkness of the exhibits and the sunshine of today and the hope the MLK center embodies, and watching our youth run to the door… May we all take these rays of hope and sunshine with us as we return home remembering to shine our lights on those injustices we encounter.” - Ruth Roy, SCC
“The Interfaith Civil Rights History trip has been deeply meaningful. John 8:32: ‘You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ We have visited sites like the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham where 4 little girls were killed in a 1963 bombing perpetrated by the KKK during church. Sites like the Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery where Martin Luther King Jr inspired thousands to peaceful protest segregation through bus boycotts in 1955. We met many inspirational people, one who walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama as a little girl in 1965 for Black voting rights, long denied. This amazing Interfaith community has broken bread, prayed, sang songs, shared stories, laughed and cried together. We pray for healing, equity and peace for all of our brothers and sisters regardless of anything that might separate us. We are all one under God.” - Amy Cobaugh, SCC
Bob Keynton (JCOGS) reflected on the resonance between words Rabbi David shared from Rabbi Heschel about indifference and a quote from King’s letter from Birmingham Jail:
“Indifference to evil is more insidious than evil itself; it is more universal, more contagious, more dangerous. A silent justification, it makes possible an evil erupting as an exception becoming the rule and being in turn accepted.” - Heschel, Thunder in the Soul
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.” King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail
After dinner, we observed the end of Shabbat together, wishing one another Shavua Tov (good week). In the above picture, we are seeing the Light of the Divine reflecting between our fingers and in ourselves, shining in our fingernails.
In our closing reflection, we noted: one gift we will carry in our heart from this trip, one thing we learned, one thing we want to share with someone else, and one action we will take. Together, our collective gifts, learning, speaking, and action will make a difference!
It sounds like a trip with all the feels, as it should be!