Historic week in Alabama

This was a week of Big News all across the country. SCOTUS rulings on Obamacare and gay marriage shook the nation. But here in northern Alabama, where I was visiting this week, a flag garnered equal billing in newspaper headlines.

From the Anniston Star:

Confederate flags removed from Alabama Capitol grounds

Here's a snapshot of a local man showing his unabashed enthusiasm for the Confederate flag.

Perhaps Annistonians, who reside in the county seat of Calhoun County, have a special burden to consider, as pointed out by Anniston Star columnist, Phil Tutor: The flag, our reputation and Mr. Calhoun

Of course, the very real consequences of massive social upheavals are felt on a daily basis from here all the way up to Charleston, SCouth Carolina.

Decades after desegregation orders, courts still supervise Anniston’s schools

I also made a quick trip to Atlanta to meet with Rev. Phil Noble.

Rev. Noble was pastor of Anniston First Presbyterian Church back in the late 1950s until 1971 or so. His critical work on behalf of race relations in the Model City earned him Target #1 status with the local KKK. He told me when we met how glad he was that he didn't know that at the time.

When I was in the sixth grade, we furloughed in Anniston. I never met Rev. Noble, but our house was just about a block from his church. My friends and I played basketball for hours and hours on the church's outdoor court. Little did I know what a hero he was, until I read his book, "Beyond the Burning Bus," released about ten years ago.

It was a privilege to meet him on Saturday, and to visit about his years as a pastor in Charleston following his years in Anniston. He said he was proud of how the people in Charleston came together following the killing of nine members of an African American church during a Wednesday evening Bible study. It could have been different, but perhaps because of the leadership of people like Rev. Noble, it wasn't.