Easter on the Equality Ride

Easter was a rare jewel in the life of an Equality Rider. We were given consecutive days off for the first time since we began over a month before. Life as an Equality Rider had kept us busy. Being the season of Easter I was especially excited as a Christian to be once again celebrating the resurrection of Christ. It was an extra special time for me since my Parents drove to visit me during that time. With the Equality Ride being on break we were able to spend the full weekend together without worrying about school events or community engagements. I love them but after a school like Bob Jones it was a welcomed vacation.

One of the hardest things about being an Equality Rider is being away from your family, friends, and church. Being away from that on a holiday on the 2006 Equality Ride made it a hard day for me so it meant a lot to me to be with my parents this year. They were able to get to know many of the friends I have spent the last month with and became my new family.

It was also extra special to spend that time on the side of an ocean. I have always found so much peace and serenity in water so being able to worship and celebrate the resurrection there was powerful. I found myself sitting on the shore looking into the majesty of the ocean and reflecting on how small we are beside the ocean and how still Christ loved us enough to be the ultimate sacrifice for us. It also helped me to debrief the Equality Ride up until that point and begin processing everything we had been through as a group. It helped me reflect on having the people I love separated from the group for nights in jail and community service. It helped me to clear my mind and begin to reflect from my own 16 hours in jail in Kentucky. In the same spirit of resurrection I strove to rest and wake up refreshed and renewed ready to go out and confront the injustice and attempt to resurrect that love Christ died for.

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