Last week, I had the deep privilege of participating in a Civil Rights pilgrimage to Memphis and Mississippi through the Living Legacy Project. It was truly a pilgrimage, not a tour. We were there not as tourists but as witnesses and students. We did visit museums—including the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed). The most powerful part of the pilgrimage, though, was meeting with people who lived the history, including a Freedom Rider, and family members and neighbors of murdered Civil Rights workers.

It was profound. We were told on our first evening, during the orientation, that we might be processing this experience for the rest of our lives, and I believe that is true.

I’ll be preaching at least one sermon based on this pilgrimage, but not for several months. I need time to digest it enough to coherently share it with you.

In the meantime, I encourage you all to consider whether a pilgrimage like this might be right for you, either individually or as a group. The Living Legacy Project also offers virtual programs. See their website for more: https://www.livinglegacypilgrimage.org/

In gratitude,
Rev. Diana