My compassion drives my motivation

     I visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute today for a class project. My main reason for going was to fulfill the requirement of the assignment, which only includes visiting the museum and writing a reflective paper on my experience. Easy enough right? Well, little did I know I was about to have an experience that would spark something inside of me words really cannot explain.  Upon entering the museum, I was greeted by a very enthusiastic and proud volunteer of the Civil Rights Institute.  He briefly went over the rules of the museum and then lead me to the door where my emotional journey would begin.  I walked into a small movie theater that displayed a short introductory film on the beginning of Birmingham, AL as an industrial city and also as 1 of the most segregated cities in the nation. 
     As I sat and watched and listened closely to the brief movie clip, I began to feel a little emotion arise within me but I did not think anything of it, considering the subject matter presented.  Once the movie clip was over, the screen & the curtain rose to reveal the actual Civil Rights walk-through gallery. My eyes immediately fell on the 1st display, which were 2 separate sinks; 1 that displayed a sign that said "whites only" and the other that displayed a sign that said "colored". It was at this moment that I became overwhelmed with sadness and my eyes filled with tears. I was very shocked by the emotions I felt as I walked through the gallery and read the signs that told the story of segregation and discrimination in Birmingham. I felt as though I was actually walking through a part of history, as if I was virtually a part of the Civil Rights Era. I was deeply saddened by certain displays, such as pictures of public lynchings of Black men and deliberate bombings and fires of Black neighborhoods. However,  just as I felt this sadness, I also felt determination and motivation to make a difference in the world somehow.
     This visit made me realize how far we (as a race (human) and nation) have come since the 1950's and 1960's but it also made me realize how much further we need to go to make it even better!  I believe my tearful emotions while touring through the Civil Rights Museum was sparked by my compassion.  The compassion that comes with being a human being; having humility in my heart and compassion for others.  I realized it is this compassion that fuels my motivation for wanting to become a teacher, an educator.  I am motivated to make a difference that will matter in at least 1 of my student's life.