Day 1 reflection from Pastor Kevin

Day 1: Beginning Our Freedom Ride Journey

Our Freedom Ride began with a powerful gathering at St. Francis Springs, where our group of pilgrims came together in anticipation of the transformative week ahead. Under the thoughtful leadership of Dr. Dumas A. Harshaw—a Howard Thurman scholar and former pastor of First Baptist Church in Raleigh—we immediately began forming deep connections and preparing our hearts for the sacred sites we would visit.

As we departed that first morning for Atlanta and our first stop at the King Center, I found myself carrying this soul-piercing reflection from Howard Thurman that spoke to the spiritual preparation required for our journey:

"There is in every person an inward sea, and in that sea, there is an island and on that island there is an altar and standing guard before that altar is the 'angel with the flaming sword.' Nothing can get by that angel to be placed upon that altar unless it has the mark of your inner authority. Nothing passes 'the angel with the flaming sword' to be placed upon your altar unless it be a part of 'the fluid area of your consent.' This is your crucial link with the Eternal." - The Inward Sea, Howard Thurman

This wisdom reminded us from the very beginning that our Freedom Ride would be not just an external journey through historic sites, but an inward pilgrimage requiring us to examine what we allow to reach the altar of our hearts and what truly connects us to the divine call for justice.