Why Every 8th Grade Class Should Go to Alabama

Artifacts and symbols of our democracy may reside in D.C., but the struggle for America to live up to its ideals is found in the Heart of Dixie.

Students standing in circle with adult woman with fists in the air
8th grade students from the San Francisco School with Civil Rights Movement Veteran Joanne Bland in Selma. They are holding up stones from the original pavement where activists began the 1965 Voting Rights March. Image Credit: Nancy Nagramada

The story of American democracy is not complete for anyone without understanding the events that led up to and unfolded during the Civil Rights Movement.

Left: Sign in 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham Middle: 8th Grade students talking with 1961 Freedom Rider Catherine Burks Brooks. Right: Sign in Selma on the route between Brown A.M.E. church and the Edmund Pettus Bridge Image Credit: Author

In Alabama, we see democracy in action.

In Alabama, we understand that voting rights are not guaranteed.

Left: Students at sign at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Right: Sign advocating to fight for voting rights in 2020 Image Credit: Araceli Quezada

In Alabama, we learn about the history of policing.

In Alabama, we encounter a humanized MLK.

In Alabama, we connect the dots between slavery and prisons.

Students at the Equal Justice Initiative Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery Image Credit: Araceli Quezada

In Alabama, we confront the history of racially motivated mass shootings.

In Alabama, we see young people lead the way.

Top left: 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham Top Right: Statue at Kelly Ingram Park Bottom Left: Students on campus tour of Tuskegee University Bottom Right: Two students take a moment before following marchers’ steps in Selma Image Credit: Araceli Quezada

For eighth graders, Alabama only makes sense.

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Facilitator, trainer, and leadership coach. CEO of Freedom Lifted — a justice and equity education firm. FreedomLifted.com

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Mia Henry

Facilitator, trainer, and leadership coach. CEO of Freedom Lifted — a justice and equity education firm. FreedomLifted.com