Days 20 and 21

Well, joining the great 'bloggers' that have gone before me, I thank you for reading some of my humble thoughts and feelings on the Relay as it winds its way through Georgia and North Carolina. My name is Eric Waller and am glad you joined us on this leg of the Relay, if not in person, then at least through this blog! April 20th began in Roanoke, Alabama, just on the border of western Georgia. We met with Mayor "Spec" Bonner and his gracious staff along with a fellow alum, Elizabeth Brown. Elizabeth is of the class of '56 and living in Ohio, but was raised up in Roanoke for a good part of her life. In fact Mayor Bonner and his staff remembered Elizabeth's father and brother! Of course, there were two other great alumni beside me, Sonja Williams and Amy Harmon. After we presented Mayor Bonner and the City of Roanoke (yes, named after the original city in Virginia), with a Proclamation and Berea College history book, he then returned the favor. Mayor Bonner presented us with a Proclamation of Appreciation for the 'journey' that we set out on and our mission; as well as the Key to the City of Roanoke!

As for today, April 21st, (well it is probably early morning the 22nd as I write this) we were honored with the company of the Governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, (the second picture above is of me, Governor Perdue and Sonja Williams) as well as the staff of the Mayor of the City of Atlanta. Both offices treated us as honored guests and were happy to receive our Proclamations, gifts and sharing of thanks for their commitment to education, equality and the betterment of mankind. Of course, this is particularly special because of Atlanta's deep history with the Civil Rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, himself, having lived and grown up there.
From Capitol Hill, we made our way down to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and were reminded of the recent past with the history memorialized there. To see the reflecting pool, Dr. King and Coretta's (his wife) tombs, and the words and images of the man and the Movement, it really gave me a deep appreciation. An appreciation for visionaries, men and women willing to take a stand, willing to die, if necessary, for a hope they could only see dimly.
Well, to put it simply, it was an honor to share the time with Sonja Williams, an African American woman, and myself, a Caucasion American man, standing together in honor of the Movement and representing the College- Berea College. Both entities (the Civil Rights movement and Berea College) steeped in the tradition of opportunities for all, black and white, rich or poor, man or woman.
As a side note, as we drove past the King Center to find a parking space, a man suddenly ran up to the passenger side of the van and motioned for Sonja to roll down the window. His name was "Silva B" Richardson and was bringing attention to the ring he was wearing. Would you believe the ring was inscribed with, "Berea College grad, Class of '78"!?! Mr. Richardson was visiting the King Center with some young people from his community in Ohio and just happened to be there the same day and time that Sonja and I came to visit! (He is pictured in the first picture above, he is the gentleman on the far right) He was very excited to see our wrapped van with images of Berea College and was happy to see us, as well. We took pictures and shared stories and we were all so in awe of the "coincidence." Mr. Richardson didn't think of it as coincidence though, instead, he said our 'meeting was arranged by God.' God's doing, supreme guidance from Above. May we have more of that guidance on this trip! ---Eric