Hello everyone,

Sorry I've been MIA for the past week and a half...but lots to share with you today!

My coop began last Friday at the Southern Center for Human Rights. Please go here if you want to know more: www.schr.org

Essentially, the Center focuses on death penalty appeals and civil litigation regarding prison conditions. The people I have met so far are absolutely amazing and I wanted to share with you something we did Monday night after work. So, the Center's employees are by and large Northerners yet very eager to learn more about the South. Last month, they started a study group and on Monday night, I attended a meeting about a riot / massacre that happened in the city of Atlanta in 1906 and had a huge role in shaping the Atlanta I know and love today.

We read Rage in the Gate City by Rebecca Burns. Since I just began my coop, I read an excerpt of the book. Embarassingly, it was my first time learning about this terrible event in Atlanta's history. We had a wonderful discussion about the historical race challenges that Atlanta has had and the implications on our work at the Center. It was absolutely amazing! Everyone was so thoughtful and considerate and I walked away feeling that this coop was a right choice for me.

So, that's that. I will write later about my first visit to Alabama's death row which happened today....