Florala

Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Pratik Mamtoa

On Wednesday, April 8, Student Engagement took 16 students to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. The museum tour was followed by lunch at the Arcade, Memphis' oldest restaurant.

Then the group took a vintage ride down to Beale Street. Finally, they visited the Peabody Memphis Hotel for the famous "Duck Walk" before returning to Florence.

"Our office has organized a civil rights tour every year, and I wanted to continue the tradition,"

said Angel Wilkes, coordinator

of Programming at Student Engagement. "Hence, we decided to take a student trip to Memphis." Wilkes and the students car pooled for the journey.

Among American students were several international students from China and India. The museum

tour started with The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306, a documentary testifying Reverend Samuel "Billy" Kyles as a witness of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination

on April 4, 1968.

After lunch, the group spent some time on Beale Street. Ronak Patel, health care management student, said, "I learned a lot of history about the Civil Rights Movement. Downtown Memphis was full of music history, such as rock 'n' roll."

A bus was originally requested,

but due to a change in dates, it could not be coordinated in time. "I was a little disappointed because we could not avail the bus. Going as a group would have added more fun to the trip," said Patel.

Students also visited The Peabody Memphis Hotel on Union Avenue. The marble fountain of the hotel is graced by five North American Mallard ducks (one drake and five hens). Students witnessed

the famous "Duck March" at 5 p.m. The ducks then returned to their palace on the hotel's rooftop.

"In spite of the bus trouble, it was a successful trip and everyone had fun including myself," said Wilkes. After a quick stop at a gas station, the group finally returned to Florence.

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