Civil Rights Trip January 2018

Today is the last day of the 2018 Civil Rights Trip. I am happy and honored to have the chance to go. I have learned so much in just a week. Meeting so many people who were so brave and honest with their experiences with us makes me happy to have an opportunity like the Civil Rights Trip. Not a lot of people get to go on trips like this so I feel lucky that I have. I will spread the knowledge from this trip to the people I know and persuade others at my school to go on the trip.   -Asha

Today was a long but enjoyable day. Today made think that things happen for a reason. I enjoyed this group because we really became a family, and family is really important to all of us. Today we became closer than ever. Everyday was a day to become closer and have more inspiration for each other. I enjoyed all the days we had. This group has made me open up more to everything, and if we could ever do this week again I would love to do it. These teachers are amazing they help us through all of our this problems, they help us understand meanings of everything, and they helped us get through hard situations. This was a new experience for me and just doing it made me become a better person for myself and a better person for the community and my family. I am going to go back to school feeling l like I became a better person; focusing more on school and personal needs. But as of today this will be the most memorable day because we enjoyed our last moments together having fun, singing, danc...

This week has really been amazing for me. Not only did I get to make great friendships with many that I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise, but I got to experience people and places from the movement that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t go on the trip. I will be thinking about this trip and the experience I had for a long time. I learned a tremendous amount of information I hadn’t learned about before. So, in conclusion, I just want to thank all of the donors who made this happen, and the students from City College, City Neighbors, Hope High School, and Park School for making this trip wonderful. -Kenya

“Be kind.” As this trip comes to an end, the one thing that stuck with me the most was these two words from Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton. Throughout this whole trip I witnessed how nonviolence can overcome violence in situations of fighting for equality. However, these words transcended the movement to more than just a fight for justice. It is an example of how to live your life by respecting those around you. And it all starts with a simple acknowledgement.  -Alicia 

As we sit on the final, 13 hour bus ride back to Baltimore, I am left with all kinds of thoughts running  through my head. What will we as young people do to make changes and fight for what is right? What will I do? How do I take my newfound knowledge and share it with my community? How do I get the people who feel they are not affected to care and get engaged? What lessons can we take from those who led the movement in the past? While I may not have all the answers, at least I now have questions, and resources with which to answer them.  -Cici

Today we went to the Little Rock Central High School, the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, and Beale Street. Beale Street was mostly just a fun time, and I didn’t feel like I had time to get enough out of the museum, so—although I should definitely go back because they have a lot of information, emotionally charged exhibits (the murder weapon that shot MLK, his hotel room, the milers room...), and a section on a time period I never learned about—I want to focus on Central High. At Little Rock we went on a tour and met with Dr. Sybil Hampton, the first black student to attend Central High for all three years and graduate. During her time there, she was made to feel invisible by the fact that no  one  acknowledged her at all—not even to make eye contact. That’s almost worse than outright violence, because at least violence acknowledged you as a person and you have something concrete to fight against. Dr. Hampton told us that for years she felt anger—and...

This trip has really been enjoyable. I’ve learned so much, gotten to speak to so many inspirational members of the Civil Rights movement, all while getting to know everyone else on the trip. This trip has affected my thinking - about the way I look at the Civil Rights movement, the way I think about being black in America, and the way I look at my future. -Bria