GENERAL
Big Life Series Concludes with Impactful Visits
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The second edition of the "Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery" closed Saturday with a full slate of programs highlighting the civil rights movement in Alabama.
The day began with a community service project as over 140 student-athletes, coaches and administrators stuffed back-to-school backpacks for a local school. That was followed by speeches from Mayor James Perkins Jr., Lynda Blackmon Lowery and Warren Billy Young at First Baptist Church, where the Big Ten Conference was presented a Proclamation of Gratitude from the Selma City Council as well as a key to the city.
Attendees then took part in a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday march. The second half of Saturday's schedule included visits to the Civil Rights Memorial Center and the Alabama Archives and History Museum. Community activist Doris Dozier Crenshaw spoke at the Archives and proved popular with the audience.
When asked what he found most inspiring about this weekend, sophomore Dillon Tatum who plays football at Michigan State mentioned Crenshaw's presentation. "What drives her had an impact around the room, that we have more to do. We are still fighting for equal rights across the country and I appreciate her saying it so boldly."
After dinner, the evening closed with a visit to The Legacy Museum, which offered a thought-provoking immersive experience of black history from enslavement to mass incarceration.
This weekend's event provided perspective and insights to many Big Ten student-athletes.
"The speakers gave me a deeper understanding, they are live history and hearing their perspectives really drove home how recent this is and why it is a major impact," said Hamsika Arnipalli, a sophomore fencer at Ohio State. "The museums were really intricate and at times heart-wrenching."
The Big Life Series would not be possible without the efforts of Omar Brown, Big Ten Senior Vice President of Community and Impact and Mya Perez, Big Ten Assistant Director of Community and Impact.
The day began with a community service project as over 140 student-athletes, coaches and administrators stuffed back-to-school backpacks for a local school. That was followed by speeches from Mayor James Perkins Jr., Lynda Blackmon Lowery and Warren Billy Young at First Baptist Church, where the Big Ten Conference was presented a Proclamation of Gratitude from the Selma City Council as well as a key to the city.
Attendees then took part in a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday march. The second half of Saturday's schedule included visits to the Civil Rights Memorial Center and the Alabama Archives and History Museum. Community activist Doris Dozier Crenshaw spoke at the Archives and proved popular with the audience.
When asked what he found most inspiring about this weekend, sophomore Dillon Tatum who plays football at Michigan State mentioned Crenshaw's presentation. "What drives her had an impact around the room, that we have more to do. We are still fighting for equal rights across the country and I appreciate her saying it so boldly."
After dinner, the evening closed with a visit to The Legacy Museum, which offered a thought-provoking immersive experience of black history from enslavement to mass incarceration.
This weekend's event provided perspective and insights to many Big Ten student-athletes.
"The speakers gave me a deeper understanding, they are live history and hearing their perspectives really drove home how recent this is and why it is a major impact," said Hamsika Arnipalli, a sophomore fencer at Ohio State. "The museums were really intricate and at times heart-wrenching."
The Big Life Series would not be possible without the efforts of Omar Brown, Big Ten Senior Vice President of Community and Impact and Mya Perez, Big Ten Assistant Director of Community and Impact.