Thought Provoking

Today was another thought provoking portion of this trip for me. Meeting Ms. Hampton and listening to her stories of how she overcame torment and managed to find the strength to face such
things. Honestly, I saw a lot myself in her stories. After she was finished talking, I walked up to her and asked her (not verbatim) “With all the trials you've faced and names you were called, how did
you find the self confidence to love yourself?”. She replied (again, not verbatim) “The love from my family came with me every time I left my home. The love comes from within YOU.”


Ryan Wheeler
City Neighbors High School

Change the nation...in my own way !

Going to Meridian , Mississippi was one of the best experiences by far that I've had. We were able to sit down and talk to Roscoe Jones Sr. who was a youth leader during freedom summer, and worked closely with Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney and he was very inspiring. His recollection of the exact day that the three went missing , was so detailed that it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. And to know that he was supposed to be with them just made me realize how powerful god is, because he didn't allow him to go with Mickey and the others; and had he gone he would not have been able to tell us the story of what happened that day in June. Mr.Jones's work with the NCAAP and students his age made me realize how much of an impact the students had on the civil rights movement . In the sense, that they were the movement and before I never imagined how much children could impact a nation at such a young age ! And now, I feel that I can be just like them and change the nation in my own way!

Asia Adams 
City College

Hatred comes in many forms

Yesterday we me Mr.Rosco Jones who was number 301 to march in the movement. Mr. Jones snuck into the march. When he was younger he told his grandmother that he wanted to do something to help the cause, during the summer he joined the youth council of the NAACP. Mr. Jones told us the story of James Chaney& Michael Schwerner (Micky). Listening him you could hear his pain about what happened.  Mr. Jones was just open to us and I was just drawn in.  Mr. Jones said "When people get in your head that's when they control you." That stood out to me because people will try to get in your head and you start to make your opinion agree with what the person wants. You start to value everyone's opinion but your own and then you just stop thinking for yourself.  Something else he said was " They would rather pay more money to incarcerate you than to educate you. Mr. Jones explained how they have private jails to place you in and make money from them. He explained how being in jail is just like being a slave.  We also went yo the Bryant's grocery where Emmett till was accused  of whistling at a white women and I could imagine him and his cousin just walking in that area. That made me emotional because someone could have so much hate to a race and kill a child. Which just proves that hatred cones in many forms. 

Breanna Cooper 
City Neighbors High School

Roscoe Jones

At the time Mr Jones was only 17 in Mississippi. His grandmother made him join the NAACP Youth Council at age 14, 1964. He really dint get involved till age 17.  Parents pushed their kids to the Civil Rights and for equality. They targeted the youth for change because if they adults did they could loose their jobs, houses and families. Integration happened but equality hasn't happened which is why the youth is still targeted for change. January 1964, Rita and Mickey Schwerner came to Mississippi. Eventually the NAACP was turned over to them. The KKK set Mickey up after he left Mississippi to get him to come back. They burned one of the Methodist church's down knowing he would come back. So he did. Chaney had asked Mr. Jones to go with him to Philadelphia because he refused to go with just 2 white men in the car. Mr Roscoe had forgotten he had to speak to some kids about the Civil Rights at a church. Mickey told him not to go instead to go speak at the church. So he did. If Mr. Jones had gone he would have been dead but it wasn't his time.
The next day Mr Jones and Sue started calling people to find where they were as Mickey had instructed. A 25,000 Bounty was put out for the 3 guys. August 4, 1964 the boys were dead. Everyone knew it. For years he felt guilty. He knew in his heart he should've been dead with them but it wasn't his time. God wasn't finished.

Ny'zha Taylor
City Neighbors High School

"I ain't want freedom no more"

Today I got to meet Joanne Blackmon Band. She participated in Bloody Sunday and Turn around Tuesday. She was only 11 years old. Being that young, she watched people be beaten and trampled by people and horses. She can still hear the screams and the smell of tear gasses. She fainted after watching a lady being beaten. She woke up in the back of a car in her sisters lap. She thought she was crying but realized it was blood from her sisters head. The next protest, Turn around Tuesday she participated but she was terrified. "I ain't want freedom no more" she said but she still marched. She was mid way in the line.

Ny'zha Taylor
City Neighbors High School

The structure of the building

Today we visited the Central High School and learned about the background of the school. The architecture amazed me due to it's complexity and sophistication. The structure of the building is supposed to be European influenced and it is seen with it's huge reflection pool and four sculptures on the entrance door. Although, my school has almost the same structure with the bricks and having a large entrance, Centrals school's appearance has a better complexion of it's outside. Within this school, there is a part dedicated to the first African American students known as "The Little Rock nine" which struggled and experienced desegregation. 

Moreover, we met one of the first African American students who spent three years at the school named Dr. Sybil Hampton. She is described as a powerful, optimistic, ambitious, and inspirational due to her appearance of being a small person yet with strong words and also sharing her memories and tips to be a forgiving person. I was thankful of what she shared and I introduced myself with her respect to my race.

Samantha S.
Baltimore City College 

Money Mississippi

So yesterday, I got the chance to trip to Money, Mississippi. To visit the store where Emmett Till made a remark to a white woman. When we first arrive and got off the bus to see the rundown store. I tried to imagine myself as how it was back during that time. Just to get a feel for everything. Then we saw a landmark on the site that had pictures and comments on the whole event. There was this one comment that upset that one of the juries made after only 27 minutes of deliberating a non-guilty vote. He said "we would have taken less time if we didn't stop for a drink." I was very upset because it was like the juries already knew what they were going to vote even before they heard the case. The lack of care and sympathy for what had occurred.

Kentiara Moore
City College

Forgiveness

Today I enjoyed hearing the presentation of Dr. Sybil Hampton. Even though she is small her words make her so much powerful. something about her that really made me think so much more about things. One thing that she said was about sharing your wounds. When she said this it reminded me of the church service. That sharing your wounds actually help so you don't have all that hatred and you can forgive. She doesnt act out on violence beacuse that will make things even worse. Thats something people now would not do and just act with violence.


Raquel Ramirez
Baltimore City College

Little Rock Nine

The bravery and strength of the many young activists that we have learned about and talked to so far on this trip continues to amazes me. Today we went to the Little Rock Central High School and learned all about the Little Rock Nine.  The Little Rock Nine were nine African American students that were enrolled into Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The young girl that was enrolled that really inspired me was Elizabeth Eckford. On the second day of school at Little Rock Central High, Elizabeth Eckford arrived at school for the first time, by herself, completely unaware of what she was about to encounter. The streets outside of Little Rock Central High were covered with reporters, protestors, and soldiers. They were guarding the school and waiting around, dying to get the footage of the first African American to enroll in an all white high school. When Elizabeth Eckford approached the soldiers, hoping they would protect her, they would not let her pass. The protestors and reporters spotted her and began to block her in. She continued to walk down the street and get to the main entrance, but the protestors and reporters followed her. They screamed at her, spit on her, tried to hurt her, and hung a rope and threatened to lynch her. Despite all of this chaos around her, Elizabeth continued to stand tall and walk her way to the entrance of her high school. Elizabeth's strength really inspires me on another level. She could have ran, she could have screamed and cried, she could have turned to violence, but she didn't. She stayed true to what the Civil Rights Movement is all about and showed unbelieve strength. I hope deep down somewhere I have the strength and courage that she had that day. 

Jaida Collins
City Neighbors High School 

John Carter

I was really touched by what I found out and learned today. I learned that John Carter was lynched and I actually stood on the corner where it took place. 9th & Broadway.  I don't understand how somebody can be so evil and brutally beat and kill somebody. After John was hung they used his body as a practice target. He was shot at least 200 times. I still don't understand why people are so evil to black males.

Jasmine Mack
City Neighbors High School

Unsurprised

Today we did an activity where we were to go around and ask randoms on the streets near 9th & Broadway in Arkansas if they knew what had happened there on the day of May 4, 1927 and if they knew who John Carter was. I was unsurprised to find out that no person that my partner and I had asked knew either answer, and they were all people around 25-35 years of age. To our avail, one man did actually know the answers, and much more. It was interesting to find out that the only person that we asked who knew the answers was an older white male. It made me wonder if the reason the younger people didn't know is because generations are becoming more ignorant, or if schools aren't paying enough attention to that area of study. Nevertheless, what this man (whose name is George Alexander Brown) said was extremely enlightening. There was a flood in Arkansas and he made the connection to the stress from that flood leading to out-lashes toward the black community. Afterwards we went the the Mosaic Templar site and Mr. Brown had said that that was created in order to manage the crime in the city by giving them something to see or do. This day made me realize that elders can learn from young folk just as easily as vice versa.

Leah Weinstein
Baltimore City College

Never exclude, disrespect or ignore

Today in Arkansas We visited Little Rock Central High School which was the first school in Little Rock to get desegregated in 1957. We then went to visit a monument representing the nine students who desegregated the school. At the end of the tour we met with Dr. Sybil Hampton who was the first African American to complete all three years of high school at Central. She told us about her struggles and what she took away from the experiences. She left me with some good points an very good advice. The one that stood out to me rhetorically most was "you never know what someone is going through, never exclude, disrespect, or ignore others." this is the one that had me thinking because I hear that all thwarting time but to hear from a victim along with her story really made me think about how I treat people and the decisions I make.

Demaris Alston
City Neighbors High School

Central High

Today we had an early start and  went to visit the Little Rock Central High School, but before we went there we stopped in the historic site and it gave us some information about the Little Rock Nine. The little Rock Nine were the nine students who were the first to be integrated into Little Rock Central High School. Once were finished at that site we drove to Arkansas State capital building/ Memorial and here we saw statues of the Little Rock Nine facing the capital building also plaques that had quotes from each of the students. Then after that, and we went to go get lunch which was near where a man was lynched(we stood at the spot). So far it has been great

Malon Cokely 
City Neighbors High School

EJI

Going to the Equal Justice Initiative was one of the most strange experiences of the trip so far. Eji is a non profit organization that fights against harsh juvenile imprisonment. I say it was strange because such a large corporation was fighting for a cause that they could prevent by giving the youth helpful programs like tutoring, after school programs, and recreation to keep the youth of Montgomery to stay out of trouble. I asked the if they were doing anything and didn't feel as if my question was fully answered.


Jordan Monroe
City neighbors high school  

Mr. Jones

Yesterday we spoke with who I thought to be one of the most interesting people to talk (albeit they were all interesting),and that was Mr. Roscoe Jones. I honestly enjoyed him the most because  of how down to earth he was (not that the other speakers weren't) and the fact that his stories seemed like something I could easily hear from my grandfather. Also his stories seemed like more than just stories because he told them in an inexplicable way that made me feel like I was there with him. Also there was the stop we took in Money, Mississippi that was memorable because of how dead the town was. It was fittingly eerie considering the grim connection it has with the Emmett Till story.

Isaiah Harvey 
City College 

Experiences

Today we started out trip by going to Selma, Alabama. In this place, we met Joanne Bland who was a life-long activist. Mrs. Joanne became our funny and enthusiastic tour guide for the day in Selma. She let us keep stones that were fragments of the place where the teachers wanted to get Ms. Rosa Parks freed. While the bus was moving, she introduced the old houses that were historic and also sharing her own opinions about the houses we passes by. Mrs. Joanne brought us to the cemetery to recognize the black soldiers who offered their lives for the black, colored people and lastly, she let us experience the march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge where a lot of black people marched from Selma to Montgomery. Furthermore, we ate lunch at the Southern Poverty Law Center where the food was delicious and there, we also got to ask questions Mrs. Joanne and Mr. Edmund Pettus Bridge at the same time sharing their experiences in the civil rights movement. Ms. Joanne is one of my inspiration for saying "be you and don't be afraid of being different."
After saying goodbye to Ms. Joanne, we drove to Montgomery, Alabama and visited the Civil Rights Capitol. The best experience there was the time I entered my name into the great wall. The museum was excellent from the outside into the inside. I learned that the architect of the civil rights memorial design where 40 names of black people are remembered was created by Maya Lin, a student from Yale University. After that, we walked to see Dr. MLK's Church and then to the greyhound bus station. While walking to the station, we saw the signs that informs us about Ms. Rosa Parks and what she did that sparked the bus boycott. 
Lastly, we went to the Equal Justice Initiative and discussed about the prosecution and the imprisonment of young colored people.

Samantha Santillan
City College 

Embrace your wounds

Today we went to the  Ebenezer Baptist Church. The sermon was about embracing wounds and helping others with their wounds. I found this sermon very interesting because I also think wounds make everyone who they are supposed to be. After church we went to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. In the museum I learned and recapped some things about the civil rights movement. While in the museum I noticed that everywhere I looked there were several examples of people who had a role in creating equality for everyone. This really affected me because I know that of all the many stories being told in the museum, there will still many stories that no one heard about. Its sickening to think of how many people had to stand up just to make a positive difference.  After the museum we attended dinner with a few civil rights activists. Catherine Burks-Brooks sat at my table. She told us of her participation in the freedom rides. 

Erin Todd 
City Neighbors High School

Footprints

Going to Atlanta, GA was one of the greatest experiences that I've ever had in my life. It's was moving to go to the new Ebenezer church and hear the word of The Lord ! And to also see the tomb of Mr. & Mrs. King sent chills through my body , especially as I could hear them speaking. It was such a beautiful sight . But I'd have to say that my favorite part of the day was being able to see the civil rights trail behind the church , because it had each inductees footprints there and I got to walk in there footprints! It was very inspiring, and It made me imagine my footprint being there later in life as a part of history! Overall , it gave me something to remember, and inspired me to fight for what I believe in!!

Asia Brown

Enlightening

Today we met Joanne Bland, a life long activist, at the Selma Interpretive Center. Selma is much more of what I was expecting when it came to towns and cities in the south. There are no big buildings and the community is very small. Mrs. Bland is very assertive and up front, as well she should be. She took us on a tour of Selma and it’s historical landmarks and inserted her own, interesting opinions on several monuments. I found it really interesting and enlightening that she didn't like when monuments named specific names of people in the movement, claiming that everyone is important and when you name names, someone is always left out. The part of her tour that most stood out to me was when she took us to the cemetery— but before I describe the situation I want you to keep in mind that the Selma community is about 75% black. As soon as we entered the cemetery, I noticed small, confederate flags on a couple of the graves. This alone was alarming because I never see that here in Baltimore, however, as we walked through the graves we came upon a monument surrounded with confederate flags and many graves behind with the same flags. The monument was made in 2000 and is dedicated to General Forrest of the Confederate Army, as well as the creator of the Ku Klux Klan! The graves behind the monument were for unnamed soldiers of the Civil War who supported the Confederate States. On the monument read: This monument stands as testament of our perpetual devotion and respect for Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. I couldn't believe that this statue could have been created in the 21st Century at all, especially in a community of many blacks. Upon listening to Mrs. Bland, I learned that she and the rest of the community had to protest just to get it moved out of the public and into this tucked away corner of the cemetery. I think that this was the most enlightening part of my day here in Selma.

Carolyn Mobley
City College 

A moving night....

Today was very exciting! We had the opportunity to have dinner with four civil right activists, Charles Mauldin, Catherine Burks-Brooks, Willie Rivers, and Cleopatra Goree. They all had moving stories but the one that stop out to me the most was Dr. Cathrine Burks-Brooks. She shared with us her experience with first hand racism and disrespect. For example, as she sold her Avon products to a white family she was told "If you have a baby it's gonna be a nigger," by the youngest child in the family. Later on that day she received a call from the same family hearing "don't buy anything else from that nigger!" She also shared her participation in the movement. She was apart of the freedom riders and protested with them. He was arrested for not giving up her seat an was told to go back where she came from but refused. Her stories touched me because she took us to the events, such a great experience.

Demaris Alston
City Neighbors High School

A freedom Rider

I met Catherine Brooks and I had the opportunity to sit and have dinner with her. I wanted to know more about her so I asked all types of questions. I learned that she was born , or as she likes to say "kicked out" in Birmingham 1939. She was born feet first and survived. She has 4 older sisters and 1 younger brother.
Growing up she was very resentful and she never feared consequences. She married her boyfriend Paul Brooks who passed a few years back. She had 2 beautiful daughters and currently has 1 grandchild. Before her husbands death, they invented the hair pick case. Because of this invention she stayed low key relaxing on the Bahama beaches. She also enjoyed selling Avon products. She was so good at her job that she was promoted to manager. She taught people under her how to sell Avon and also delivered people's orders. She did this for 15 years and then retired.   Catherine Brooks was apart of the Freedom Riders. Her and 11 other people left Nashville and went to Birmingham. They sat in the front of the bus and refused to leave when they were asked to. They were then placed in jail for a night. Worst part of the jail experience for her was the bugs. The next day they were told to return to Nashville and again they refused. Catherine didn't fear anyone and wasn't afraid to die.

Ny'Zha Taylor
City Neighbors High School

Her story

Today so far, for our first destination we went to Selma, AL, to meet with Ms. Joanne Bland and be guided by her, in Selma. I greatly enjoyed her and the experience. She shared with us her story of when she was walking in the marching line on Bloody Sunday and how when policemen started getting hostile during the march she was knocked unconscious and when she came to she was in a car and her sister was holding her head and was bleeding herself, because she was brutally beaten.

Also while in Selma, we walked in the same fashion as negroes did when they were marching for their rights. And after we finished walking across the bridge we went to eat lunch at the historical Tabernacle Baptist Church, Where we all had a  Q&A with Kirk Carrington. So far today had been a good opportunity day.

Malon Cokley 
City Neighbors High School 

Not wanting to be afraid

We started off a very beautiful Sunday morning by attending the 8:00 service at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The church gave off genuinely caring, supportive, vibes, and everyone seemed to truly care about one another. Seeing this made me feel really warm inside. The preachers sermon was very inspiring. He spoke about wounds, and about how instead of hiding them, we should share them with others, because we could really help someone out by just sharing our stories. I tend to be a very closed person. I don't share things that are really personal to me, especially painful things, and so this task is something that will be difficult for me but that I will definitely try. The preacher asked for people to come up to the front and pray for someone that needs helps or for something that you need help with, and a bunch of people went up. I unfortunately was not one of those people because I was too scared to go up, even though I wanted to go up because I had someone very important to me in mind. Looking back at myself now, I am really frustrated with the fact that I did not go up with everyone else. It would have been a great opportunity to share a powerful experience with other people. I am on a trip learning about such powerful, brave, inspiring activists, and here I am scared to go up in front of a church. I am definitely going to work on my shyness, and try to open up more and be more like the wonderful people that I am learning about this week. I don't want to miss out on opportunities because of myself. I don't want to stand in my own way. I want to be brave. When the time comes for me to step up and stand for what I believe in, I want to be ready. I don't want to be afraid. Luckily, this trip is helping me to realize that. 

Jaida Collins 
City Neighbors High School 

The cemetery

Today we met the amazing Joanne Bland and she gave us a tour of Selma. What stuck out to me was when Joanne took us to the cemetery where there was a statue indicating that the founder of the Klu Klux Klan was going as a hero. I think that is horrible to praise a man who inflicted harm on a group of people. Joanne also showed us how the homes of blacks and whites were on different sides of the street. The homes on the black side where smaller than the homes on the white side. I didn't understand that because even though the blacks homes might be smaller they're all still in the same community.

We had lunch with Kirk Carrington & Joanne Bland and after we had a Q&A session. Joanne & Kirk told us about how it was when they all marched across the bridge. She also explained how the Jews were also treated and explains how she wondered why they didn't side with the blacks. Which to me would've made since, because they would've help take a stand. Overall meeting Joanne Bland & Kirk Carrington was great, its awesome hearing about the Civil Rights Movement from people who experienced it.

Breanna Cooper 
City Neighbors High School

Shared Experiences

While in Atlanta our focus was on MLK and his religious influence. We started the day off by going to the New Ebenezer Baptist Church where the pastor of the church gave a sermon about sharing our wounds with others to help lift up their spirits. The sermon sat well with me because it helped for me to envision how religion played a part in many of the most influential activists during the Civil Rights Movement. After church a small group of us visited the MLK Nonviolent Center, the Old Ebenezer Church, and then took a tour of MLK's childhood home. Once we were done we held a very engaging reflection where we all agreed that religion created a community for people during that time to connect and help each other; church was a place where everyone could share their experiences and relate to one another so that they wouldn't feel so alone and beaten during that time. Not only was Atlanta a great learning experience to develop my knowledge of the influences that took place, but it was also a great personal experience.

Nasira Pratt
Baltimore City College

Scars

Yesterday on April 27 what mostly moved me was being at the Ebenezer Baptist Church service in Atlanta. The service wasn't boring and it was different from what I have experienced. What got to me was when they mentioned that sharing your scars helps you get over those problems.The scars will alway be there but its a way to get relieve from what your going through. It helps me understand that you dont always have to hide things and that its actually helpful to talk to someone beacuse theres always someone that can learn from your experince. I also enjoyed going through MLK's house and learning the way he lived when he was younger.

Raquel Ramirez
Baltimore City College

MLKJ

So yesterday was the day where we spent the day in Atlanta, Georgia. We visited the New Ebenezer Church service, the Old Ebenezer Church,taking a tour of MLKJ's Birth Home and MLKJ and Corretta Scott King resting stones. The best part of the day for me was taking a tour of MLKJ's birth home. This was the best part to me because when we learn about MLKJ, we never talked about his upcoming, but the good things he did and accomplish. So to find out how he was such an mischievous little boy is very interesting to me. Also, how his name was originally to be Michael instead of Martin was a shocked.


Kentiara Moore
Baltimore City College

Craziness

Today we headed down to Selma, Alabama. Here, we were introduced to Joan Bland, a partaker in the marches in this town. Throughout the whole tour and exploration, we all encountered grave stones. One gravestone in particular was none other than Nathan Forrest, founder of the Ku Klux Klan. The crazy part was that his gravestone had “Hero” and “Wizard”, adjectives that describe the opposite of his actions. This plus Ms.Bland's made me think about the places we all are in your This experience today made me think about the things I've yet to so with my life

Blacks & Jews: A lost alliance

In Birmingham, Alabama, we had dinner with various civil rights activists. Cleopatra Goree was seated at the table I and a few others were sitting at. Before eating, Ms Goree talked about her experiences in attaining racial justice, religion, and everything in-between. Although there were really enlightening and engaging conversations, it wasn't until we were about to depart from the restaurant that I decided to ask Ms. Goree about something she mentioned countless times before dinner. She had always went back to Jews and a Jewish boy she taught. I wanted to know if she had a special connection to the Jewish people, and if that was why she kept mentioning them. She said yes, and talked about the stereotypes about Jews and how she knows the righteous truth that the Jews did not deserve the hatred they received. It makes me wonder what ever happened to one of the strongest alliances in history. If not for all living creatures, Blacks and Jews relate as far as their being oppressed throughout history, and what we can relate to in other people makes it simpler to effect change.

Leah Weinstein
City College

Literacy Test

I can't believe how literacy test were set up for African Americans to vote. The questions couldn't even be answer by the creator of the questions. Questions like "How many bubbles are in a bar of soap?" Or "How many marbles are in the pile?" it shows how well whites kept education away from blacks. What irritated me most was the little white girl singing a modified nursery rhyme that went like "Eeny meeny miny mo, catch a n***** by his toe, if he hollers make him pay fifty dollars." To me it seems like the exposure to the racist way of life was planted into the white youth at as young as 3 and 4, because right away you could tell by how the way the children looked at blacks and communicated with them.


Jordan Monroe 
City Neighbors High School

Troubles can help others

Atlanta was the stop we made yesterday on Sunday. Our schedule was pretty simple but interesting. The first thing we did was attend a church service which changed my way if thinking. I never been touched by a church service the way it was yesterday. The topic hit me the most was the " Wombs Is to Witness " because I never thought about sharing my problems with anyone. I learned that it could actually help to get the troubles off your chest. I would love to go again.

Jasmine Mack
City Neighbors High School

Atlanta

Ebenezer Baptist Church service

I loved the church service from  Ebenezer Baptist Church. It was very easy to understand even for a person who might not go to church. The sermon was about sharing your wounds. Sharing the things you've been through and scars you've gotten just as Jesus did after being crucified. He showed people the scars in his hands. By showing people your scars you're showing proof that you made it and that you're healed. Not only physically but emotionally and mentally. 

MLK's house

Today I say Martin Luther Kings house. On the outside it looked very nice and a comfortable house to come home to. Inside the house is so big. You would never know how big the house was just by looking at the outside. The house was fully furnished with majority of the King's family's furniture. Some room had floral print vintage wallpaper and others just simple colors. There's a wooden banister and dark color carpet.
Walking through the house while listening to the ranger giving background details gave you a mental visual. In my head I could picture the family function in the house. From dinner time to sleeping their rooms. Seeing the old appliances they used such as a ice box was very interesting. Some of the things they used like the singer sewing machine, I've seen before from my own grandmother. It was just so interesting and eye opening. I wish I could've actually sat at the dinner table and taken pictures of everything. Everything's in my head though. Definitely a site to see.

Ny'zha Taylor
City Neighbors High School

February 1

First day on the trip and I've already learned a lot. Today I learned about February One. February one included four college freshmen in Greensboro SC. These four men were Franklin McClain , Jibreel  Khazan , Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond.  They started the integration of blacks & whites in 1960 by simply sitting at a all white counter/diner and not leaving till they were acknowledged and or served everyday non violently. Not only them but many other students, men and women sat and did the same.

Ny'zha Taylor
City neighbors high school 

Greensboro

For me the big takeaway for the day is the courage it took for the A&T Four to sit down at that lunch counter in the Greensboro Woolworths on Feb. 1, 1960.  While I knew about the sit-ins and many of the other events that took place during the Civil Rights Movement, there was something visceral in visiting the Greensboro International Civil Rights Museum and seeing not only the lunch counter, but also the images of Jim Crow south, the pages from The Green Book (a listing of safe places for Black travelers to stay in, restaurants to eat at, etc.), the pictures of lynchings, burning crosses, and, especially, the body of Emmett Till.  All of this gave a context for the times and made me realize the depth of Joseph McNeil's, Franklin McCain's, David Richmond's, and Ezell Blair's commitment and the guts it took on that first day for them to sit at the counter.  

Bonnie
Park School Chaperone 

Considering other movements

Day One- Civil Rights Trip
    Woke up at 4 AM to finish packing and get ready for The Civil Rights Tour!! This trip is a week long experience where we travel through the South and visit prevalent Civil Rights places. This morning the bus left a bit late due to technical difficulties but we ended up getting to all of our destinations relatively on time! Other than sleeping for he first six hours on the bus I also started to get to know all of the people I'll be spending the next week with!
     First stop: FW Woolworth's Co.! Birth place of the sit-ins that spread like rapid fire through the South. The original department store has long since been shut down but was reopened as a museum dedicated not only to the Greensboro Four and the movement in Greensboro but to all civil rights movements and events in the United States.
    Next we went to see the Greensboro Four Statue on A&T campus and speak to a man named Lewis Brandon about his involvement in the Greensboro sit-ins. I found it really interesting how the sit-ins impacted the rest of his life as well. He's continued to participate in movements and protests for the rest of his life! Currently he's protesting police brutality in Greensboro and immigration laws. Brandon made a great point that some movements, that were just as important, are not as well broadcasted because despite being some of the largest they weren't as violent and not as much media concerned themselves with them. I think it's so interesting that in classes there is so much we miss because it just wasn't as well covered by the media. For example, in class I've learned about the shooting at Kent State but not about the military take over at A&T college in 1969 just because the media wasn't as involved. Mr. Brandon also made me more aware about how much I'm missing even in the present day-- about two weeks ago three people were killed in Wichita Kansas by a clansmen! While I did know it wasn't true, a naive part of me wanted to think that the klansmen just don't exist these days but that really isn't true. The media just doesn't cover it as massively and nationally as it once did.
    While this trip is focused on the African American Civil Rights Movement, we are also told to consider all of the other movements that have occurred in the United States and around the world and to reflect in Pressing Civil Rights issues in the 21st century. The discussion on the bus was very interesting and with my partner we came up with several matters that we care about: Marriage Equality, Gender Equality, women's rights (I.e. Abortion rights for women) and the improvement immigration policies.

Carolyn Mobley
City College 

Broken Pieces

Day 1: North Carolina
In one exhibit in the Woolworth's museum, the photos were displayed in such a fascinating way that I couldn't help but think about why it was arranged that way. They were asymmetrical, as if broken, pieces of whole pictures. Through trying to analyze its significance, and after noticing the content of the photos; the lynching, burning, and dismantled victims of hatred, just for fighting for something as fragile as human rights, I realized that that shattering display resembles America's history doomed to forever repeat itself. America is a complex tapestry in that the blinding contrast between beauty and shame is so surreal.
After the museum, we sat on the lawn of A&T where I would be swayed by the breeze looking unto the verdure. I wondered how America has such gorgeous things to offer, but it is buried under the free, the sick, and the depraved.
It will never make sense to me why there is still this unjust hierarchy of man and beast, even after seemingly countless years of broken promises of a difference in rights occurring. Each generation waits for a change, where we are all eventually staunch in silence, but I learned that the way to find true solace is not to be trapped by passivity, or fear of having the right answer, but to assert oneself by being proactive in the will to make a difference; to weave back together the tapestry and mend the broken pieces of whole pictures.

--Weinstein
City College 

I don't think I could handle it

Today was kind of awkward for me because I stayed to myself. I try not to and I have gotten better at it and communicated with some of the students. We went to the International Civil Rights Museum and that was great. I had gotten emotional when the guide talked about Emmett Till, because its sad to know that someone could do something so horrible to a child.   Before we walked into the diner at first I thought the tour guide was going to have us sit in the chairs and have people yell and fuss at us. In my head I was thinking " I don't think I could handle this" and I started to think if that were me then and I did do that I would most definitely stick with it. After that we went to North Carolina A&T to meet Mr. Lewis Brandon and he told us about the school. Lewis Brandon said " People are not illegal" and that stood out to me because after going to the museum and see the displays that's what it felt like, that we weren't people. To think someone would go through the pain,suffering and disrespect to make things better is beyond amazing to me. I say that because they didn't have to to it but like Joe McNeil said " you have complete control of your life , you can make it meaningful or silent." From what I witnessed today these amazing people made it meaningful.

Breanna Cooper 
City Neighbors High School 

International Civil Rights Museum

Today was the first day of the 2014 spring civil rights trip. We started the trip by traveling to Greensboro, North Carolina and visiting The International Civil Rights Museum. I entered the museum feeling really excited to learn more about the Greensboro Four and about all of the many other incredible activists involved in the civil rights movement. I left the museum feeling like I was going to be one of the next incredible activists involved in a civil rights movement. The museum had extremely sad exhibits like the photographs of Emmett Till and his family. It also had really inspiring exhibits like the projection of the Greensboro Four deciding that they were not going to take the mistreatment anymore and they were going to take a stand. The museum took us on a time machine, starting back in the time when the racist abuse was at it's worst, and thousands of brave, wonderful people, decided to fight for what was right. The time machine then took us to the present, and opened the doors for us to step out and begin to make a difference of our own, just like all of those who came before us.
I used to think that I was too young to make a difference in this big, big, world, but now I see that I was all wrong. My age doesn't matter. I can step up and follow what I believe in. I can make a change. I can start my own movement. I can be like the Greensboro Four. And just like Joseph McNeil said in his speech at Park High School on March 12, 2014, I do not have to ask for permission. 

Jaida Collins 

City Neighbors High School

I Rise

Today we went to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum at F.W. Woolsworth. When we first arrived, together as a group, we read a short poem by Maya Angelou that emphasized the battles that we overcame and the ones that we will continue to fight as we grow and fight for our rights. As we continued through the museum I was constantly reminded of the words that we chanted along with our guide- "I rise". Learning about the Greensboro 4 and other significant leaders and activists that participated in the movement put more emphasis on the words. While doing reflections on the day about the bravery of the young people during that time and discussing what we would fight for, I came to the conclusion that those words demonstrate that as we evolve and grow as people we will be met with great challenges, but we will conquer those challenges just as those in the past did, so that in generations to come we will come closer and closer to true equality. Nasira Pratt Baltimore City College

Appreciation... Yet not Completed

Today I woke up in Germantown, Maryland with great anticipation about the day ahead of me. I am a teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, in Baltimore, Maryland, and African American history is my passion, especially the civil rights movement. That being said I was fortunate to attend a week long civil rights trip with students and teachers from three other Baltimore schools (City Neighbors, Baltimore City College and the Park School). Today we embRked on our journey. The plan was to leave from Baltimore ,and travel to various states and cities in the Deep South.
It felt ironic to me to board the bus, mainly because nearly 50 years ago the Freedom Riders (Black and White students who challenged racial segregation on buses) did the same thing we were setting out to do today.
Therefore, taking this trip made me even more appreciative for those who have endured years of inequality and injustice. It is because of their efforts that we are even able to take such a trip!
Upon leaving Baltimore, we drove to Greensboro, North Carolina to visit the International Museum of Civil Rights. It was at this site where the Greensboro Four (the first four students to organize sit-ins at restaurants) made their history. While at the museum we actually were able to be in the same exact room where this historic event transpired. It was truly a remarkable feeling.
I was lost for words, and again my feelings of appreciation were alive and well.
After leaving the museum we went to NC A&T (The school where the four young men attended). While there we listened to Civil Rights activist Lewis Brandon speak about the injustices African Americans are still facing today.
After hearing Mr. Lewis speak I realized he is certainly correct, and that the movement for civil rights is not over! So after day one on this journey, I gained more appreciation and have started soul searing for other issues we as Americans still face. I realized the struggle for civil rights is still fighting through the trenches. However, the below quote from Frederick Douglass leaves me with hope that one day we will have no more issues:
"Without struggle there is no progress"


Jerome Bailey
Civics and World History Teacher
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

Equality

 Today was the first day of our civil rights trip.We went to the International Civil Rights museum in Greensboro. We then went to North Carolina A& T and we got to meet Lewis Brandon. Lewis Brandon was a student at  A & T when the sit-in movement in Greensboro. When back on the bus, the question I refected on the most was "which civil rights movement would you be willing to stand up for against major recistance?" The issue that was most important to me is immigration. Having parents and freinds that are immigrants makes me want to fight for there rights. I would stand up for this issue beacuse we all desirve to be equal. We fight for others equality why not fight for latino rights as well . The U.S. Is based on equality but we dont live up to that because we do not give everyone the same rights.

Raquel Ramirez
Baltimore City College

A bad beating

Today, I viewed Emmett Till body after he was brutally beaten and killed. Me personally I broke down in tears. I never thought people could be so cold hearted to beat someone the way they did Till. I can't wait to learn more.

Jasmine M
City Neighbors