08 Jul Freedom Riders National Monument, Anniston, Alabama

This week I actually learned that there are still protesters against the movement of the Freedom Riders National Monument. A few years back, there was vandalism at the site where the bus burned. Currently there is a sign that states that this is the location of where the bus was burned, however in the picture above is a sign that was burned. It seems as though people are not vandalizing the new sign, but it is crazy to see that there is still a lot of hatred towards this movement. This week I have been doing a lot of errands. We have been getting a few people asking for their passports to be stamped by the national mark, so I have had to go to the City Hall in Anniston where the stamps are found. Today I talked with a girl scout, Whitney Byington, about the patch/badge I am making for the Junior Ranger Activity Booklet, and we just went over some ideas on what we would like it to look like and what the focal image should be. It looks like it is going to be an image of a bus. As soon as I finish it, I will upload a picture of it in next week’s blog. I’m actually excited about all the work that I have been doing. It takes a lot of patience and time, but I’m really loving it. Pete and I also talked to people from California who want to make Freedom Riders a movie, which is crazy to me. I am making so many network connections with people I probably would have never even have met if it weren’t for being an intern here!