Walking around the huge airplane hangars at Moton Field and seeing the Tuskegee Airmen's aircrafts, offices and uniforms really brought home to me the bravery of these African-American soldiers.
Our group then journeyed to Tuskegee University, which was founded by legendary educator, author and activist Booker T. Washington.
Touring Washington's spacious home was a truly amazing experience. I was especially moved to see the office where he did much of his writing. His autobiography, "Up From Slavery" was one of the biggest influences on me as a young writer.
We also toured the George Washington Carver Museum. This ingenious African-American trailblazer, whose numerous inventions included everything from buttermilk to shaving cream, was the Bill Gates of his day, as one of our tour group members so aptly put it.
I'm really looking forward to today's activities, which will take us to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, site of the historic voting rights march led by Dr. King 50 years ago...
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