Sojourn’s Impact is Measurable

“…People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

~ Nelson Mandela, South 
African Activist, Anti-Apartheid Revolutionary, and Former President

Sojourn’s Impact is Measurable

“…People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

~ Nelson Mandela, South 
African Activist, Anti-Apartheid Revolutionary, and Former President

Founded in 1999, Sojourn Project is the longest-running Civil Rights and social justice moving-classroom program in the country. We invest the money we raise taking students and educators on transformative and empowering seven-day/six-night academic immersion journeys through the hallowed sites of the Modern Civil Rights Movement and America’s struggles for freedom, spending time in the company of many who lived it.

Sojourn serves all.

Hit in the heart, returning Sojourners become ambassadors of inclusivity, demonstrating heightened courage to effect social change, an increased belief in their capacity to conduct rigorous scholastic work, and a principled commitment to community service and civic responsibility. Needed now, more than ever, we see our civil rights attacked, and a worrisome uptick in hate groups and extremist activities.

Our complacency-disrupting program has touched more than 400,000 youths, teachers, parents, colleagues, and citizens across the country; over 8,800 have traveled with Sojourn, and a brand-new roster of self-selecting young people are joining us on Sojourn this year.

This is your moment.

Minnijean Brown-Trickey, Little Rock Nine member, and Sojourn speaker and mentor, inspires participants to find their own sense of empowerment – as she did hers.

We’re Making Great Strides

40 SCHOOLS

6 STATES

50 PARTNERS

40+ SOJOURNERS NOW IN PUBLIC ROLES

80,000+ COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS LOGGED

15 NATIONAL AWARDS & RESOLUTIONS

Invest in Our Humanity

Sojourn is passionate about making an impact: 80% of our alumnae return transformed. Recognizing their boundless potential. Giving back to their communities with powerful conviction. Finding the inner strength to challenge injustice and speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves.

A $1,000 donation covers one-third of the tuition for one Sojourner; $3,200 provides a full scholarship; $5,000+ pays for one or more Sojourners and defrays actual infrastructure, administration, enrichment, outreach, speaker, and per diem expenses. Sojourn is committed to ethical fundraising practices, financial transparency, and accountability to donors. We ensure that every dollar is accounted for and abide by the Donor Bill of Rights.

VIEW OUR DONOR BILL OF RIGHTS
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Believe they are capable of effecting significant change

0 %

Would recommend sojourn to a friend

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Classify themselves as having a strong sense of purpose

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Feel they are capable of rigorous academic work

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Report that sojourn was life-changing & transformative

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Implement direct action at their schools & in their communities toward changing attitudes & behaviors with nonviolence & equality

SOJOURN’S IMPACT ON STUDENTS:

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

WHAT PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING

What our students, teachers, and leaders are saying…

  • "Witnessing students discussing the complexities of the history and policies of the United States in our nation’s revered landmarks is one of my most treasured teaching moments."

    K. McNulty Middle School Teacher, Sojourn Alum

  • "Life-Changing. Transformative. Soul-Softening. Seeing myself as a sister to my fellow brothers and sisters in the walk of life of justice... and Making a gracious oath to no longer be a silent witness in every aspect of my life."

    W. Morgan Student, Sojourn Alum

  • "The goal of teaching is to be able to instill confidence and skills in a student to go along with content knowledge and relate it to the student’s life. Sojourn was able to do that with me by teaching me as a high school student more than just the history of the Civil Rights Movement, but to take action and be a voice of my community…"

    Pablo Aguilera Graduate, Stanford University, U.S. History Teacher, Sojourn Alum

  • "I thought no one cared about us. During my Sojourn Journey, I felt recognized, validated, and empowered for the first time. You could feel it. American Civil Rights speakers talking about their firsthand experiences and showing us that we don’t need to be quiet. Any one of us can bring about change."

    A. Vasquez Pre-Law Student, Social Activist, Sojourn Alum

  • "The students I met on Sojourn Project…received valuable lessons in tolerance, nonviolence, compassion, forgiveness, faith, and social responsibility. These are the concepts that will give rise to tomorrow’s social leaders."

    Congressman John Lewis 5th District of Georgia, Civil Rights Activist

  • "The most impactful thing was meeting Reverend Billy Kyles, because he made me realize that I do have a dream. All I have to do is believe in myself."

    Sojourn Alum

  • "…Before Sojourn,…I was closeminded and judgmental. My grades were suffering and I was lacking inspiration. From Sojourn, not only did I learn about the Civil Rights Movement, I learned about myself. I began to realize that I was capable of succeeding…I now attend college and am interested in becoming a lawyer or police officer…"

    I. B. Sojourn Alum

  • "The goal of the teaching is to be able to instill confidence and skills in a student to go along with content knowledge and relate it to the student’s life…"

    P. Aguilera Graduate, Stanford University and History Teacher, Sojourn Alum

  • "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."

    James Baldwin Civil Rights Activist, Writer, Social Critic, Grandson of a Slave

  • "…As the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death approaches, we need to recall his messages more than ever, 'Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.'"

    Minnijean Brown-Trickey Member of the Little Rock Nine, Civil Rights Activist, Environmentalist, Peacemaker

  • "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Spokesperson and Leader of the Modern Civil Rights Movement

  • "I recently partook in a different program, with a similar theme. However, I liked your program more because it was such an emotional experience that really changed who I am as a person. I still think about that trip to this day and all of the amazing people I got to meet on that trip. I would love to accompany you on another trip and possibly teach a lesson with one of the staff."

    J. Manning Sojourn alum

  • "There is a difference between the remembrance of history and reverence for it. We are talking about truth."

    Mayor Mitch Landrieu New Orleans

  • "Sojourn Project allows participants to not just touch history, but to touch those who made history."

    Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles Civil Rights Leader

  • "If not us, then who? If not now, then when?"

    Congressman John Lewis 5th District of Georgia, Civil Rights Leader, Sojourn Mentor

  • "I have witnessed non-engaged students from my school learn and appreciate the value of education on Sojourn and apply those lessons upon their return to school…most gratifying…"

    California County Teacher of the Year Sojourn Teacher Alum

  • "Engagement with and between the kids is incredible. The preparation pre-trip gets them ready for something that's so deep, it seems beyond their comprehension, yet their responsiveness and comments prove how much they're not only getting, but how much they are retaining…It's also about a much bigger picture for them as young adults, developing a level of understanding other people that truly sets them apart – in whatever path they take. I'M BLOWN AWAY!"

    E. Pleschner Sojourn Adult Participant & Alum

  • "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that 'all men are created equal'."

    Abraham Lincoln U.S. Representative, Lawyer, U.S. President

  • "Witnessing students discuss the complexities of the history and policies of the United States in our nation’s revered landmarks is one of my most treasured moments."

    Karen McNulty Sojourn Middle School Teacher

  • "The most impactful thing was meeting Reverend Billy Kyles, because he made me realize that I do have a dream. All I have to do is believe in myself."

    Sojourn Alum

We invite you to learn more about, contribute to, and rally behind this outstanding, life-affirming, and all-inclusive legacy.

NO ONE SHOULD BE LEFT BEHINDNO ONE SHOULD BE LEFT BEHIND
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