Meeting Reverend Woods

Written by Amanda Liebeskind, David Krivoshey, and Adam Birnholtz

Reverend Woods teaching J.tel a civil rights song (see next post for the video!)

Reverend Woods led J.tel on a tour through Kelly Ingram Park

During our time with Reverend Calvin Woods, we felt as if we were in the time of the civil rights movement. His powerful and overwhelming voice told a story that took us all back in time. We each could hear the sound of screams and invision dogs and water attacking hundreds of people. We each felt our hearts break at the stories he told. His description of the different monuments made us really feel connected to what he was saying. But this meeting was not all sad. Although he spoke of hard times, he was jolly with song. He taught us all a few civil rights songs and we sang and danced in the middle of the park. His voice was bold and drew the attention of others standing in the park, and they began to join in.

All together the experience was unforgettable and gave us all the pleasure of meeting a person who experienced the Ciil Rights Movement first hand. It was later explained to us that these people were only getting older so it is important to take in what they are saying and pass it on to later generations before they pass. Reverand Woods passionate spirit and love for this movement made us believe that he could outlive us all and continue to spread his attitude to everyone. Overall it was a great experience to have and take in past history of a historic movement.