Posted on Dec 22, 2022
She made civil rights history in Selma. Now, she guides visitors through its past
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https://www.npr.org/2022/12/18/ [login to see] /meet-the-woman-who-guides-visitors-through-selma-and-was-part-of-its-civil-right
JoAnne Bland wants to welcome you to Selma, Ala. The 69-year-old was born in this small city, and except for time away for college and the Army, her hometown has defined her work, purpose and, possibly, her very soul. It's a calling, one she wants to share with all Americans.
When you meet JoAnne Bland, you're told to expect a "bossy grandmother who is totally awesome." That's how Deborah Douglas, the author of a travel guide to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, describes Bland anyway.
Bland has been giving tours of Selma for 33 years. She's direct and gets right to the point when explaining how things work on her tour.
"I talk, you listen," she says with a laugh. And that laugh is a cue to her storytelling style, a mix of humor and no "sugarcoating." Underneath her jacket, she wears a T-shirt with a one-word message: "Kindness."
JoAnne Bland wants to welcome you to Selma, Ala. The 69-year-old was born in this small city, and except for time away for college and the Army, her hometown has defined her work, purpose and, possibly, her very soul. It's a calling, one she wants to share with all Americans.
When you meet JoAnne Bland, you're told to expect a "bossy grandmother who is totally awesome." That's how Deborah Douglas, the author of a travel guide to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, describes Bland anyway.
Bland has been giving tours of Selma for 33 years. She's direct and gets right to the point when explaining how things work on her tour.
"I talk, you listen," she says with a laugh. And that laugh is a cue to her storytelling style, a mix of humor and no "sugarcoating." Underneath her jacket, she wears a T-shirt with a one-word message: "Kindness."
She made civil rights history in Selma. Now, she guides visitors through its past
Posted from npr.org
Rights
Racism
American History
Selma
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."A painful past and present still in Selma
The legacy of slavery and the Civil War era as a whole remains very much present in Selma. Inside the city's Live Oak Cemetery, the tall oak trees tower above graves and are draped in Spanish moss.
"This cemetery. I have a love/hate relationship with it," says Bland. "The trees are magnificent." She chuckles and says that in the spring, when the azaleas are in bloom, it's like "God just threw up pink."
The cemetery predates the Civil War and includes a monument to Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard. You might think the monument is old, like the cemetery, but it was put up after Selma elected its first Black mayor in 2000.
"It says to me, you may have a Negro mayor, but I'm still here," Bland says. "We gotta find a way to change hearts. And the people who think like that are still here. And they're still fighting this war."
Bland points out the Confederate flags, all around the cemetery, and said she always brings her school groups to Live Oak.
"I use this as a teaching tool to let young people know it wasn't that long ago — that this is still here."
Bland knows that given the growing debate around education and race — namely how critical race theory has galvanized some on the political right — that there are those who might feel that teaching this history risks making white children feel bad about themselves. But that's not what she's setting out to do, she says.
"Well, one, you can't let a child leave thinking you're blaming them. No, you're not even blaming their parents," she explains. "Hopefully, I'm inspiring that white child with the stories of the past to join with the children of color to make sure this never, ever happens to another people."
Bland ends her tour back near the bridge where her life — and America, really — changed back in 1965. The bridge is still named after that civil war general and KKK leader, but she wouldn't change it.
Bland was just 11 years old on March 7, 1965, the day now known as "Bloody Sunday."
..."A painful past and present still in Selma
The legacy of slavery and the Civil War era as a whole remains very much present in Selma. Inside the city's Live Oak Cemetery, the tall oak trees tower above graves and are draped in Spanish moss.
"This cemetery. I have a love/hate relationship with it," says Bland. "The trees are magnificent." She chuckles and says that in the spring, when the azaleas are in bloom, it's like "God just threw up pink."
The cemetery predates the Civil War and includes a monument to Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard. You might think the monument is old, like the cemetery, but it was put up after Selma elected its first Black mayor in 2000.
"It says to me, you may have a Negro mayor, but I'm still here," Bland says. "We gotta find a way to change hearts. And the people who think like that are still here. And they're still fighting this war."
Bland points out the Confederate flags, all around the cemetery, and said she always brings her school groups to Live Oak.
"I use this as a teaching tool to let young people know it wasn't that long ago — that this is still here."
Bland knows that given the growing debate around education and race — namely how critical race theory has galvanized some on the political right — that there are those who might feel that teaching this history risks making white children feel bad about themselves. But that's not what she's setting out to do, she says.
"Well, one, you can't let a child leave thinking you're blaming them. No, you're not even blaming their parents," she explains. "Hopefully, I'm inspiring that white child with the stories of the past to join with the children of color to make sure this never, ever happens to another people."
Bland ends her tour back near the bridge where her life — and America, really — changed back in 1965. The bridge is still named after that civil war general and KKK leader, but she wouldn't change it.
Bland was just 11 years old on March 7, 1965, the day now known as "Bloody Sunday."
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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