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The Wrap

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How do I wrap this trip up? Even on the 13-hour bus ride I was still thinking about everything and challenging myself in new ways. This brought the movement alive for me and made it real in the present day. I learned so much and formed so many ideas I’d never realized I could have. I don’t think this will ever leave me and I definitely hope, like the civil rights movement, it won’t end with this first phase, but will keep going. I’m looking forward to implementing all our ideas at Park (look out everyone) and in our broader communities (National Youth March here we come!) I’m going to keep pushing myself.  The changes I want to see in the world begin with me and I WILL make them. I hope the connections I made on this trip last and grow even stronger. I know I will forever be grateful to the many people who gave me this opportunity. To the chaperones: thank you, thank you, thank you! To the 31 other kids who made this so special, I seriously love you all and you give me hope fo...
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A New Look On Life

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New out look on life is what the civil rights trip gave me. Learning new information thats not taught in school that should be. The truth and all facts should be published. To show they stood up and we should too, because we are not all equal. But it's up to us, this generation, to show the world that with some sort of togetherness we can make progress in making equality happen. -Coleman
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The Movement That Never Ended

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I was too exhausted to complete my last blog post yesterday, so here I am finishing it now. I do not think that's necessarily a bad thing, though, because now I am in the early stages of processing everything. I think that it is easy to become swayed by events, and the things that we learn from ourselves by reflecting immediately are essential, but I also believe that the things we take away a couple of days later are just as important. So, where do I stand? What am I thinking? For one, I am honestly astounded by how close this group became throughout the week. I've gone to the same school for my entire life and for that reason, I think, I have come to understand that you can only build relationships through time and similarities. Coming into this trip, I don't think I believed we had the potential to bond as much as we did. I don't think I believed this because of any prejudices I had; no, I think I believed it solely because of the homogenous understanding I have...
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Conclusion To A Truly Wonderful Journey

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Today was our final day and even though we did not go to any new place we were able to reflect, and draw some conclusions upon what we had learned and what we will do with our new found knowledge. I myself have grown as a young activist and actually feel as though we all can bring about real change especially after going on this tremendously amazing trip. This has been a life changing once in a lifetime experience where I was able to create an incredible family who are all prepared to make change with me and use all of this knowledge for the better. The time I am writing this my final post is  and I am stricken with feelings of sadness because our trip is over and honestly it truly does make me sad, thinking about the fact that when I wake up tomorrow and go to breakfast I won't have the people I have built a really deep relationship with for the last few months there with me, with all of their different personalities and overall loveliness.  I miss them all already and i...
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The Harsh Reality

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The main takeaway from this trip was that it was a great learning experience. I've learn more about black history and civil rights in this one week than I have in my entire life in school.  This trip helped me realize a lot about our society. Mostly, it helped me realize the problems we've faced in our history are highly significant. I used to go around thinking. "first world problems aren't real problems". When I thought this, I was referring to how the struggles in developed countries like the United States aren't nearly as tough as in other underdeveloped countries. For example I'd mention how an average American complains about not having  WiFi, while children in poverty stricken countries aren't sure when their next meal would be. This thought lead me to not care much about "first world problems". However, this trip helped me realize all of the harsh and gruesome things that our people have gone through and lead me to appreciate our ...
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The First Time I Cried in 10 Years

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Today, today, today. Today was the first time I cried  in 10 years   because of the hurt that I felt looking at the statues and monuments in Kelly Ingram Park. The statues show the hurt that the people in our history have been through,  but also how they used there hurt as power to stand up for themselves. There's a lot that still needs to be published and be counted as history. Roscoe Jones taught me something important.  He was apart of the movement, but was not acknowledged and he didn't want money, or fame. He fought for equality not integration, and today we still are not equal. Fight for your rights, stand up for yourself and others. -Coleman
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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s my final blog.

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This is my final blog for the Civil Rights Trip 2018. I know it’s sad to see me go, because I’m so amazing... But seriously, I really had an amazing time being on this trip. I’ve learned so much and got so many amazing quotes and advice. We’ve met so many genuine individuals that will never faint from our memory. Tears were shed and laughs were shared. The most important thing of all is that a family was formed. For a group of strangers that varies from different ethnicity and age we joined together as one. It’s beautiful to see that we don’t view each other as race or as a class we see each other as humans with very unique personalities. When I first started I was so skeptical about going. Being surrounded by people I didn’t  even know was a challenge for me because I only talk to people within my circle. I thought no one was going to like my company at all, but I was greeted with open arms. I didn’t just learn the history of my people, but the history of people I’ve encountered ...
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