Stories of Faith
20
THE FIGHT OF MY ANCESTORS BY REV. ANGELA PLEASANTS, IN WORD AND PHOTO
IN FEBRUARY 2019, A GROUP OF 40 LAITY AND CLERGY, MOSTLY FROM THE CATAWBA VALLEY DISTRICT, TOOK A LEGACY OF FREEDOM PILGRIMAGE TO SELMA AND MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA TO SEE FIRST HAND THE EVIDENCES BOTH OF SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT BIRTHED THERE.
I am Togolese, Cote d’Ivoire, Bantu, South African, and Zulu. Yes, I am from the warrior tribe of the Zulu Clan. Being a warrior is in my blood. As I began my Legacy of Freedom trip, I was excited and not sure what to expect. Some make this trip to have a story to tell. I made this trip because I felt the call of my ancestors. This was the birthplace of a great evil that stormed the plains of our country. But, it was also the birthplace of a great movement that graced the hearts of many, the Civil Rights Movement. Our
country’s hands are stained with blood that will forever be a part of our fabric. And the blood is rising to tell its story. The story is not words but lives being lived out years later through people like me and others. At first, I didn’t know why God led me to make this trip. Why would God want me to see a place where, when we walked into the Museum of Justice and Peace, I had to step onto the very warehouse floor where countless slaves were housed? At least, those who
