Civil Rights Experience
Journey Project
For Middle School Students
Civil Rights Experience
Journey Project
For Middle School Students
Seven Days. Six Nights. Interactive. All Inclusive.
Sojourn Project offers two customizable Journeys for middle school students. The “Civil Rights Experience” is an academic Journey through the American South, literally walking in the footsteps of and meeting prominent and inspiring figures of the Civil Rights Movement.
Much more than a field trip, students learn valuable lessons of nonviolence, and the power of language, compassion, and forgiveness. Sojourn is nationally recognized for captivating, educational, living-history journeys that meet the academic needs of participating middle schools.
The second Journey, “Struggles for Liberty: Founding to the Civil War” takes students to Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas.
Little Rock
Learn about ordinary people doing extraordinary things as we visit Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, where nine African American students, including Sojourn guide and mentor Minnijean Brown-Trickey, voluntarily and courageously desegregated the then-all-white high school in 1957.
Take heed as we stand before beautiful memorials to each of these students on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol, discovering their individual stories and applying lessons learned to our own lives.
Memphis
In one of the final and most powerful lessons of the Journey, Sojourn heads to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. spent his last night before being assassinated on the balcony in 1968. We learn of King’s profound and unparalleled contribution to the Modern Civil Rights Movement using nonviolence and civil disobedience.
You’ll see multi-sensory and multimedia exhibitions at The National Civil Rights Museum for a powerful full-immersion experience. Consider how we might apply our studies to today’s challenges.
Birmingham
There’s nothing ordinary about your Sojourn experience. We travel to the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four little girls were killed in 1963 while attending Sunday School, sparking outrage across the nation. We meet with the McNair family, which lost its 11-year-old daughter in that horrendous, hate-based explosion. You will also have the chance to talk to Sara Collins, who survived the bombing, but tragically lost her sister Addie Mae in the blast.
You’ll tour historic Kelly Ingram Park, epicenter of Civil Rights rallies, demonstrations, and violent confrontations in the 1960s. Shining a light on the importance of compassion and understanding, and treating everyone with dignity and respect.
