When AUC students learned of the unfair treatment of six black boys accused of beating a white student in the small, rural Southern town of Jena, La., they were moved to action.
Morehouse reporter Add Seymour Jr. is following the "I AM JENA 6" movement from its Sept. 18 rally through downtown Atlanta to its bus trip to Jena to participate in a demonstration expected to draw thousands from across the nation on Thursday, Sept. 20.
Share in the "I AM JENA 6" journey.
THIS HAS BEEN A LESSON ABOUT LIFE
FRIDAY, 2:45 A.M. MOREHOUSE CAMPUS
When the bus rolls into Atlanta, basically the only ones awake are the drivers. But feeling the bus making the slow turns into the AUC area, the students wake up. They grab bags, hug each other and wearily walk back to dorms or to cars.
"It went pretty well," says Daniel Shad, a senior at Clark Atlanta University. "It was good to see all of us come together. But this has been a lesson about life -- something stupid can happen at anytime."
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WE HAVE MADE HISTORY
THURSDAY, 8:45 P.M., ON THE BUS SOMEWHERE ON INTERSTATE 20, HEADING BACK TO ATLANTA
Everyone is tired, sleepy and ready to get back to Atlanta.
The day was hot and long, and the ride just to get to Interstate 20 seems to take forever. Cotton fields again dominate the constant blur in the buses' windows.
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THERE'S A JENA IN EVERY STATE
THURSDAY, 5:30 A.M. AND IN INTO THE AFTERNOON, JENA, LOUISIANA
Driving into Jena is no easy task.
Interstate 20 goes directly into Louisiana, but a cadre of back roads and rickety, two-lane state highways are actually the meat of the more interesting part of the nine-hour trip from Atlanta.
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TO SEE YOUNG PEOPLE STARTING TO TAKE CHARGE, IT'S WONDERFUL
THURSDAY, 3:45 A.M., REST AREA JUST INSIDE THE LOUISIANA STATE LINE
The stars light up the Louisiana sky around 4 a.m. The two buses from the AUC, with its sleeping passengers relaxing under blankets or jackets, have just stopped at a rest stop just across the Mississippi/Louisiana border, the Mississippi River.
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WE HAVE YOUNG ADULTS STANDING UP FOR YOUNG ADULTS
WEDNESDAY, 7:27 P.M., MOREHOUSE CAMPUS
It's ironic that the 110 Atlanta University Center students heading down to Jena, La., are registering near a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘48 on the Morehouse College campus.
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OUR GENERATION MUST START THE MOVEMENT
THE JENA 6 RALLY
It was a sight that brought tears to people's eyes.
More than 200 Morehouse, Clark Atlanta and Spelman students, most dressed in black, marching through the streets of downtown Atlanta on Sept. 18 chanting in unison "I am Jena 6." Their arms were interlocked as they carried banners and signs in support of the six black male high school students in Jena, La.
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RELATED LINKS
NPR - Thousands Rally for the "Jena 6"
