NPS marchers learning through power of place

Cold, damp wind rustled the leaves on a wreath labeled "mom" that was draped over the fence surrounding Viola Liuzzo's memorial. In groups of about 20 at a time, the marchers approached it for a closer look, many of them learning of the civil rights hero for the first time.

"It made me so emotional because we learn about these people and not only were they amazing leaders, but they were also mothers, they were also fathers. They were willing to sacrifice all of that so we could experience a glimpse of freedom we never got to see," said Natasha Cruz, a senior at Rice University.

They had marched roughly five miles from Lowndes Interpretive Center to get there in the Selma-to-Montgomery march hosted by the National Park Service, not even half the distance they would walk that day. The stop at Liuzzo's memorial was also an effort to remember the other martyrs of the civil rights movement.

And in an effort to enact remembrance, a deeper understanding of civil rights history was triggered. For many of the marchers, being able to physically be present where some of these historical moments occurred is allowing for a different kind of learning to take place.

"Learning is about tapping into what you bring to the situation, and what the situation says to you. The more experiential it is the deeper it goes in," said Jeanette Millard, who is participating in the march.

"We're walking out of here with the experience not in our heads, but in our bodies because we're walking, because we're seeing, because we're talking. This is the most powerful way to learn."