Montgomery
During the end of last month, I had the privilege of participating in a “trial” service learning trip in Montgomery, Alabama. The trip was organized by YouthWorks and was advertised as such…
“Have you ever felt unsure about how to talk to your students about racial justice? Today’s teenagers and young adults are asking tough questions and care deeply about connecting their faith to issues of justice.
Join us on an unforgettable 5-day/4-night Service Learning Trip through Montgomery, Alabama, where history is woven into every corner of the city.”
And having returned from the trip, I would agree that the experience I had was unforgettable. Below is my short little summary of why. Enjoy reading!
The Vision Montgomery Team
The Sites
If you are not aware, Montgomery, AL was one of the most prominent slave trading hubs in the United States. Therefore, because of that fact, the city is capable of prompting reflection, introspection, frustration, and growth (especially for African Americans). Hence, as someone who has ancestors who were enslaved in America, being in Montgomery definitely was a unforgettable trip for me.
While in Montgomery we visited numerous sites including The Legacy Museum, The National Peace and Justice Memorial (The Lynching Memorial), and The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. On top of visiting those sites, we also served at two local service sites Friendship Mission and The Heart of Alabama Food Bank. Now, I can probably go on and on about each of these sites, but in the interest of time, if you’re ever interested in chatting more about any of those locations, just reach out to me!
My morning run on Strava.
Montgomery Run
Something you might not know about me is this, I love to run. And well, let’s just say Montgomery provided me with an amazing opportunity to run… and run with purpose.
As I mentioned before, Montgomery has a rich history and connection to slavery in America; and on top of that, Montgomery also has a rich history as it was a key location during the Civil Rights Movement. To be specific, one key event during the Civil Rights Movement was “The Montgomery Bus Boycott.”
This boycott, which was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks in 1955, lasted 13 months, and eventually led to a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional.
So, while researching the boycott I learned that the average boycotter was estimated to walk 8 to 20 miles per day (they was getting their steps in!). Nonetheless, one morning I thought how about I run 8 miles in honor of the people who walked 8-20 miles a day during the boycott. Here’s my results.
The Box and The Sewer
Now a question that typically is asked during trips like this is “what moment during this trip can you not forget about?” My answer? Well, there were actually two moments.
I hate to admit this, but believe me or not, I accidentally dropped my iPhone down a sewer drain. Now before I go any further, I know what you’re thinking, you probably don’t believe me. But if you believe me or not… what would you do if you dropped your phone down a sewer drain?
For me, I personally couldn’t really do anything. I couldn’t call anyone. I couldn’t take a picture of the location. I couldn’t google. I pretty much was helpless. So helpless is the posture I took, all I could do was stand there on the street, in awe and disbelief, slowly accepting defeat and planning what would be my best course of action. Yet, ironically that helplessness reminded me of something.
Picture of the slave jail. Photo accessed through the Whitney Plantation
Exactly one day earlier, at the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, I learned about the “Slave Jail” (see the image above).
Essentially, this copper cage was a holding cell for Black Americans before they were sold off as property and separated from friends and family. At Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, I entered one of these holding cells. And that experience broke me.
Now, I will attempt to articulate all of the emotions that I felt inside of that box, but mere words will not do my emotions justice. In fact, the word helpless doesn’t even do my emotions justice. All I can say is the mere thought of putting myself in the past and imagining what it would’ve been like: to have no autonomy, and prepare to be sold, to know all my hopes, dreams, and plans were restricted and conditional. Those thoughts overwhelmed me, my chest felt heavy, and I broke down crying.
Yet strangely enough, what pained me even more was that I had the ability to leave. Unlike others who looked like me in the past, I could exit the cage whenever I wanted to. In 2025, I somehow had the freedom to exit the box whenever I wanted, when others in the past didn’t have such a privilege. Why was that? Today I wrestle with that tension, helplessness and gratitude; I was confronted with that feeling a day later at the sewer drain.
Montgomery city worker getting my phone out the sewer.
Yeah remember my phone, let’s return to that story:
So there I was, helplessly standing over the sewer in Montgomery with no ability to call, search, or do anything but grieve. I had accepted my fate, I would need to get a new phone, print a physical boarding pass at the airport, admit that I was careless, and maybe scariest of all, inform my wife of what happened. However, in the middle of my processing, I again encountered the tension, helplessness and gratitude.
For while I was standing there helplessly over the sewer, what I didn’t tell you was this, three other people from my vision team immediately got to work. They made call after call, did thing after thing, and they encouraged me, “Maurice, we’re getting this phone back.” (And to be honest with you, I didn’t believe them.)
Yet, as they continued making phone calls, and continued searching for a solution, eventually a city worker showed up, and after he showed up, he said he’d need more people on his team to show up. And once his team arrived, you won’t believe it. They actually got my phone back!
Needless to say, I mention this story to express the tension. Why is it that in my moment of helplessness, countless people did anything in their power to get my phone back? (Even when I accepted my fate, and was content operating without a phone for some days). Yet, even when I didn’t feel worthy of getting it back, and even when the process of getting it back was difficult, one of the people on my team reiterated “Maurice we got you!” And just like being in the “slave jail” I wondered but why me? How could I be met with such kindness in the midst of my helplessness? I didn’t feel worthy of it, yet all I can say is thank you.
So What Now?
Well, with all of this being said, I feel like the question I’m left to think about is what now. And quite frankly the best thing I can say is I don’t know. I feel like I’m never going to unlearn that feeling inside that copper box, and how that story feels oddly connected to my phone in the sewer. Anyway, I would also say that if you haven’t been to Montgomery before, I highly encourage the trip (and who knows don’t call me prophetic, but maybe you can go on a trip with me back…).
Anyway, to end with almost a foreshadow to something that I might work on for a future project. I’m leaving you with a book recommendation called “Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance”. This is a book that I got at the Freedom Riders Museum, as I learned about the Green Book for the first time (yes, this was my first time learning about the “green book,” and maybe some people might find that surprising, or maybe you don’t know what the green book is, but I truly found it’s history remarkable. But if you haven’t heard of it, the Negro Motorist Green Book was a travel guide that was published between 1936 to 1967 to support Black travelers with information regarding safe locations to rest, eat, and sleep within a relatively unsafe and racist America. As someone who is passionate about travel and missions I found the green book fascinating and right up my alley! So if you haven’t heard about it, it’s never too late to learn!)
Anyway, that’s all for now! I can probably write a whole lot more about my experience, but I’m leaving things off here. If you are interested in learning more details about my experience, feel free to reach out! Other than that, stay safe, and God Bless!
