The Beginning...

As of two Mondays ago, I have begun a new journey in my life. I am now a part time tour guide at the Rosa Parks Museum and Library and I am already loving every minute of it. I am so thrilled to have a job relating to my history degree. I feel so fortunate because a lot of times this does not happen. Statistically most graduates do not end up in a job within the degree they obtained. I was so worried for a while there that I would not find a job. I thought I would be babysitting forever. Once I decided to put it in God's hand and to stop my worrying then it seems everything fell into place.

I have been on the job now for two weeks. The first week I shadowed my coworkers and took notes on the tour. This week I began introducing people to the museum by giving the introduction in our orientation room. I am hoping by next week I will be able to give the full tour. I am nervous about it, but I am used to the nerves. As a docent at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, it took me a few times before I was fully comfortable speaking and knew what I wanted to say. I just hope I can do the story of the boycott justice. I hope that at least one person comes out of my tour learning something they did not know before.

One thing that is really exciting about this job is the book perks. My first week here I was given Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks and this week I am reading The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It by Jo Ann Robinson. I love that I am getting to read these books. They are so informative and interesting. Also, I love the first hand account of it. It so nice to read about history from someone who actually experienced it. It is so much better than a bland textbook. I am learning so many things I did not know before.

What is equally interesting about this museum is all the visitors we get. There are at least a 100 a day on average I would wager and they are from all over the world. Just this week there was a couple from Denmark. We also get a few boycotters on occasion and many people who were alive in the 1950s and have their own experiences and stories of segregation. I even asked my dad and uncle about it recently when I realized they would have been young boys during the Civil Rights Movement. They were young and lived in small towns so they did not have much experience with segregation. However, dad did remember that African Americans were not allowed into the school he attended until he was in the fifth grade. Both my uncle and father also remember crosses being burned in people's yards. My dad also told me a story that my mom had told him. She said she had a black friend when she was little but had to tell him they could not be boyfriend and girlfriend because her parents would not allow it.

I love learning and I think a museum is the perfect place for me right now. I never wanted to be a teacher but as a guide I really enjoy teaching others in a short period of time and seeing that light go off in someone's eyes. It really is a wonderful feeling.