Big Life Lessons: Transformational experience for Badgers
July 24, 2023 | General News, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Volleyball
UW student-athletes and staff take impactful journey from Selma to Montgomery
But you should be.
The conference describes the Big Life Series as a "cornerstone initiative led by the Big Ten Equality Coalition that highlights the conference's ongoing commitment to examine and search for answers to the racial, social, religious and cultural challenges faced by our country."
In short, it is a remarkable and transformational educational opportunity that the Big Ten initiated last summer and continued July 14-16 with approximately 125 staff and student-athletes representing every conference institution, as well as the Big Ten office, three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Rose Bowl and the Capital One Orange Bowl.
Badger student-athletes Gabby McCaa (volleyball), Kamari McGee (men's basketball) and Drew Brown (men's soccer) took part and were joined by Assistant Athletic Director for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Danielle Pulliam and Senior Associate Athletic Director Justin Doherty.
The majority of participants flew into Atlanta and bused the two hours over to Montgomery, Alabama on Friday afternoon. That evening the group heard from the first of several captivating speakers: Sheyann Webb-Christburg. Webb-Christburg participated (at the age of 9) in the first Selma-to-Montgomery march on March 7, 1965. The event became known as "Bloody Sunday."
The next morning the Big Life attendees bused from Montgomery to Selma, packed school supplies for local children and filed into Selma's historic First Baptist Church to hear from Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr., local government official Warren "Billy" Young and lifelong civil rights activist Lynda Blackmon Lowery, who completed the 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery at the age of 15 in late March of 1965.
The Big Life group then marched just under a mile across the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge. They returned to Montgomery on Saturday afternoon and made visits to the Alabama Department of Archives and History and the Civil Rights Memorial Center before a final speaker (Doris Dozier Crenshaw) addressed the audience. The final stop, following dinner, was the stunning Legacy Museum operated by Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative.
It's easy to see history as words on a page or buildings or dates or events. It is people who make history come alive and that is what made the weekend such a rich, shared experience. The stories shared by the speakers, the messages they delivered to the Big Life Series participants and the human touch present in all of the museums moved everyone, some to tears.
Knowledge —> Shared Experiences —> Dialogue —> Self-exploration #B1GLife Series #OnWisconsin https://t.co/xpdqrd4w5G pic.twitter.com/oWchU9vlRP
— Dr. Danielle Pulliam (@iDanny_P) July 15, 2023
Mayor Perkins looked out at the audience of student-athletes on Saturday in First Baptist Church and, after sharing his story, told them they gave him hope for the future. Blackmon told the student-athletes she was inspired by them and encouraged them to work for change.
The Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery provided a transformational opportunity to interact with history, engage in meaningful conversations, and forge connections with others. This experience sparked a myriad of emotions among participants, yet those who fully embraced it undoubtedly acquired new knowledge and skills essential for positively influencing their attitudes and behaviors. Those fortunate enough to have made the trip are better for having done so.
