2019 Civil Rights Pilgrimage Itinerary

Friday- March 15:
Noon: Leave Campus
12:00 pm:  Load at ARC - 201 East Peabody Dr, Champaign, IL 61820
12:05 pm:  Load at PAR - 902 West College Ct, Urbana, IL  61801
3:00 am: Arrive in Charleston, SC
Lodging:  Fairfield Inn & Suites Charleston North/University Area


Saturday- March 16:
1:30 pm: McCleod Plantation
5:30 pm: Dinner in downtown Charleston
8:00 pm: Discussion at the hotel
Lodging:  Fairfield Inn & Suites Charleston North/University Area

Sunday - March 17:
9:00 am: Church at Mother Emmanuel AME Church
After church: Lunch in downtown Charleston
1:00 pm: Leave for Atlanta (dinner on the road)
7:00 pm: Arrive in Atlanta/Discussion at the hotel
Lodging:  Hampton Inn Atlanta- North Lake

Monday - March 18:
10:00 am: Center for Civil and Human Rights
12:30 pm: Lunch at the CNN Center
2:00 pm: King Center (MLK Birth home, Ebenezer Baptist, grave of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King)
4:00 pm: Dinner together at an Atlanta Restaurant
6:00 pm: Discussion at the hotel
Lodging:  Hampton Inn Atlanta- North Lake


Tuesday- March 19:
7:00 am: Leave for Montgomery
10:00 am:  Southern Poverty Law Center
12:00 pm: Lunch at the RCA Tower Cafeteria
2:00 pm: Dexter Parsonage
6:00 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm: Discussion at the hotel
Lodging:  Embassy Suites Montgomery

Wednesday - March 20:
9:00 am: Peace and Justice Memorial Center (EJI)
11:00am:  Legacy Museum and Memorial for Peace and Justice
12:00 pm: On the road to Selma (lunch on the road)
2:00 pm: Footprints to Freedom Tour at the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma
5:00 pm: On the road for Jackson (dinner on the road)
11:00 pm: Arrive in Jackson at 11pm
Lodging:  Fairfield Inn & Suites Jackson Clinton

Thursday - March 21:
9:00 am: Medgar Evers House
10:30 am: Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
12:30 pm: Lunch at Jackson State University
2:00 pm: Speaker (Jackson State University)
3:30pm:  Group Discussion
4:30pm: On the road for Little Rock (dinner on the road)
Lodging:  Fairfield Inn Little Rock North

Friday - March 22:
9:00 am: Little Rock Central High School Tour
12:00 pm: Lunch in downtown Little Rock
2:00 pm: Bates Museum Foundation
3:30 pm: Capitol Building for photo with Little Rock Nine statue
4:00 pm: Leave for Memphis
6:00 pm: Dinner on Beale Street
8:00 pm: Discussion at the hotel
Lodging:  Fairfield Inn & Suites Memphis

Saturday - March 23:
9:00 am: National Civil Rights Museum
12:00 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm: Stax Museum
5:00 pm: Ernest Withers Museum
6:00 pm: Dinner together at the Hotel
8:00 pm: Discussion at the hotel
Lodging:  Fairfield Inn & Suites Memphis

Sunday - March 24:
6:00 am: Leave for campus
Noon: Arrive on campus
12:00 pm:  Unload at PAR - 902 West College Ct, Urbana, IL  61801
12:15pm:  Unload at the ARC - 201 East Peabody Dr, Champaign, IL 61820

Tuesday, March 23rd

Hi guys! I can't put any pics up right now but I will come back and add them later. I just wanted to sum up some of the things we have been doing.

Saturday we mostly spent on the bus. We had dinner at a mall and I met some cool new people. We got into Georgia at a redonkulous time in the morning on Sunday (4:30 am). We hung out for a little while and then had breakfast. We changed into our church clothes at Kroger and went to Ebenezer Baptist Church. Mass was 2.5 hours long!! They were having a celebration of the 124th anniversary. We got dinner from McDonalds and then went to the Underground Mall. The mall was closed and it was raining. I ended going with a friend to her friends house and that was fun.

Monday we went to the Sweet Auburn Market and we managed to squeeze in a quick tour of the birth house of Martin Luther King Jr. That was really awesome. The house was bought by the family in like 1908 or something and some of the furniture was original. We saw the room he was born in and the room where he grew up. Then we went to Tuskeegee and checked out the Civil Rights and Multicultural Center. That place was very interesting. Next we went to the Tuskeegee University Campus. We saw the home of Booker T. Washington, the Oaks. We saw the George Caver museum and the graves of both of those men. Eastdale mall and then I went and saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D with some of my new friends.

What I took away from this....

First of all let me say that I feel everyone who has the chance to go on this trip, should.

My expectations were met and ften times

03.18.2012 – Day Three Happenings

Today was our last day in Atlanta. We began the day by attending service at Ebenezer Baptist Church; the same church that was led by MLK Sr and MLK Jr. I myself have never been to a Baptist ceremony so I was excited for the new experience. Consequently, we had arrived on their 126^th founding anniversary.  Included in their festivities was an appearance and speech from Christine King Farris, sister of MLK Jr and the longest serving member of the church. Members of our group would later get a chance to meet her in person while others of us were graced by a wave from her car. J

2nd day

On the second day of this amazing trip, we went to Ebenezer Baptist Church where MLK use to attend. We felt so welcome and it was such a great mass.

MLK Parsonage

Seeing where Dr. King Jr. lived for a brief time in his life while he was the minister of Dexter Church (I believe) was surreal. To walk in the same kitchen, living room, bedroom etc. was incredible. To know that he had an epiphany in the same kitchen I was in that pushed him to go forth with the Civil Rights Movement made me want to do more with my life. It made me look at my place in history and ask myself "What are you doing to not only better yourself, but to help your fellow peers reach there goals as well?" I whole-heartedly believed that I knew almost everything that could be known about Dr. King Jr., but this experience showed me that my textbooks could never teach me as much as the oral histories of those that knew him personally or were around him on a ono-on-one basis. I am so thankful for everyone that helped make this trip happen (s/o to January) because it has only been 3 or 4 days and we still have so much to see and if we went home today I would still deem this a more than successful trip. Viewing the window that had a bomb thrown through it and knowing that the biggest bomb did not go off, which would have surely killed Dr. King Jr., Coreeta King and their children, did not explode reinforced my faith in my Savior. It showed me that He had plans for MLK and it wasn't his time to die. Being inside the home also gave Dr. King Jr. a more humanistic appeal. Despite his last name he was always a King in my eyes. Reading about him I pictured him about 6'10'' in height because his words and the things he did in his lifetime were so monumental, but being able to understand his life as just a regular guy of a short stature made him seem even greater in my mind. His life, struggles, triumphs and accomplishments shows that despite any challenges you have to go through whatever you put your mind to and that you have a passion for can be achieved.

Lawrie's last post

At the Medgar Evers House, I learned who Medgar Evers was and how he contributed to the Civil Rights Movement. It reminded me that there were many people who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement and sacrificed their lives, and I was glad to be able to learn about a new figure. The Mississippi Civil Rights and History Museum had a lot of information that I found interesting. My time there was particularly memorable because I met a Freedom Rider who spoke about his experiences.

I was really excited to go on the Little Rock Central High School Tour in Arkansas. It was crazy to think about how not too long ago, the Little Rock Nine went there. The tour gave me a lot of in-depth information that I hadn’t learned before from textbooks. I learned just how terribly the Little Rock Nine was treated when they tried to attend classes at Central High, and I also learned about the Lost Year that occurred the year after the Little Rock Nine went there. The Mosaic Templars Museum was also an interesting experience, and I learned about the importance of 9th Street and the businesses that flourished there in the past.

The National Civil Rights Museum in Tennessee was full of information, but I particularly appreciated that it talked a lot about the other side of the Civil Rights Movement. There was the peaceful and nonviolent approach, but the museum also talked about the other approaches to the movement, such as the contributions from Malcolm X. This was the first museum that really addressed this other aspect of the movement. The Slave Haven Museum was also a memorable experience, because we got to tour a house that was an actual stop for the Underground Railroad. It was crazy to hear about the story behind the house, and to see the underground cellar where the runaway slaves had to sneak into. Lastly, the Ernest Withers Museum was also interesting, and I learned about who the man was, as well as the conspiracy theories that arose following his death.

Overall, this trip was packed with information, and I took away a lot from it. I learned much more about the Civil Rights Movement than I ever did from my textbooks, and was reminded that these events occurred not too long ago. The best part was that I shared my experiences daily with my family and friends. The discussions we had at the hotel also allowed us to process what we’d learned throughout the day. I feel that it is important for us to talk about these things, and that it is more important than ever for us to take action and fight for justice today. I’m thankful that I had such a memorable spring break, and I know that I will definitely be thinking and talking about the things I learned from this trip.

Lawrie Zhang's post

The Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta was an amazing museum, and I really liked being able to see the Morehouse exhibit, where many original documents written by Martin Luther King Jr. were displayed. I also liked how the museum talked about civil and human rights on a global scale. Our speaker, Charles Steele, shared shocking statistics indicating that there is still much inequality in our world today, and that we must continue to fight for change. Being at the King Center was an amazing experience, and I particularly liked being in the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Being inside the church and hearing the speakers play Martin Luther King’s sermons was indescribable, and it was a very memorable experience. 

The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery was also an unforgettable experience. It was amazing to see the black circular table with the names inscribed into it, and to dip my hand in the water. The Equal Justice Initiative made me aware of many shocking and saddening statistics about those being incarcerated in our country. I had no idea that many extremely young children were being given life sentences in prison, and I was glad to learn about the organization and their cause. It was also powerful to see the jars filled with the dirt from lynching sites lined up in shelves against the wall. The Rosa Parks Museum was very informative, because I learned many new facts. I didn’t know that Rosa Parks decided on her own to stay in her seat, and that it hadn’t been planned beforehand. Only afterwards was her arrest used as the forefront of the bus boycott and the Civil Rights Movement because it was a clean arrest. I also learned that Jo Ann Robinson, a teacher, along with two students made thousands of pamphlets to hand out to inform others about the bus boycott that was to take place. 

The Dexter Avenue Parsonage was a moving experience, because we got to tour the house MLK lived in when he was in Alabama, and we were able to see where the bomb exploded at the front of the house. The Footprints to Freedom Tour at the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma was very memorable and shocking, as we experienced just a fraction of what slaves in the past had to go through. We learned more about the countless people who participated in the marches during the Civil Rights Movement, and got to walk across the famous bridge ourselves. 

In the past few days, I’ve already learned and experienced so many unforgettable things. I can’t wait for the rest of the trip, and to learn more. 

Alabama

Here Are Is Some Interesting History I Learned in Alabama:

Jo Ann Robinson started the boycott of buses (school teacher) with printing letters that Thursday night 

The city tired to sue the NAACP for the 13,15,16 amendment for the boycott 

The church played an important role in many areas of the civil rights movement. The MONTGOMERY bus protest brought the various denominations of clergy to the front of social action and united them in common causes. Congregations looked up to their pastors out of respect for the church but also because these men were often the most highly educated in their community. 

The NAACP chooses Rosa parks to be the face of the civil rights movement because she was light skin and was an ideal image. She had a job, attended school and had many positions of power within the church and community and her arrest was clean. She was not the only women involved because multiple Women had altercations on the buses before her and there were other bus boycotts going on.

The bus drivers were given police powers. They were allowed to carry firearms and sometimes they went off on the bus and people were hurt. 

Atlanta

Atlanta was very interesting and fun. We had the opportunity to speak to Charles Steal who has taken over Dr. Kings Foundation SCIC. This was so powerful because when he got the call to come to the foundation it was literally at its lowest with no funding and barely able to pay the bills. However in a few years he raised over $20 Million Dollars for the foundation and was able to build a new building for the foundation. He was able to do this without many believing in him. Moreover, he had some profound wisdom for the group. “Silence in the face of evil is evil it’s self,” this statement is so powerful to me because the civil rights movement is really not over because there are still a lot of acts of discrimination still occurring. However, people are content with the state of where we are. Moreover, I think that people are more selfish now and have the mindset that “it’s not affecting me” so they do not see the need to do anything. 

Additionally, he spoke on a new article that was published on February 28th, 2018 in the Washington Post. The article spoke on the racial gap in earning had not changed since 1968. This was shocking because you would think that it has increased however we are still not equal. 

Atlanta, Georgia

Today we listened to words of wisdom from the current President of the SCLC, Charles Steele, at the Center for Civil and Human Rights. He spoke on his knowledge of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's career as president of the SCLC and reveled many truths that have never been revealed by public media. It is widely believed that MLK was assassinated by man who disagreed with his beliefs but in reality, many people who worked closely with MLK, such as his photographer and accountant, were on the FBI's payroll. Also, MLK spoke out against the Vietnam war many times which is why the government may have had him killed. This discussion really opened my eyes and made me realize that the government and the system that it is built on is the real enemy to equality and civil rights.

Charleston, South Carolina

Our first stop on the trip was to Charleston, South Carolina where we first toured the McCleod Plantation. Exploring the plantation was a very informative experience for me. I enjoyed walking around the plantation learning about where the slaves were housed and about the history that took place on this plantation during the Civil War.  It was interesting to learn that people still lived in the slave cabins lined along the old driveway until 1990 to work as sharecroppers and house servants until the grandson of William McCleod, the plantation owner in the mid-1800s, died. I am glad that the tour guide took us on a journey through history by explaining the events surrounding the plantation owners' house from about 1861 to 1990. I really learned a lot about what newly freedmen did between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Civil Rights era.

Later that Saturday, we visited the Old Slave Mart Museum and learned more about the slave trade in eastern North America. Many of the slaves who came to the coast of Charleston ended up being sold at the various slave marts including the museum and the areas surrounding it. Many families were changed forever by being torn apart from one another while having to endure the horrendous conditions of slavery. Being in a place where events like this actually took place was very heartbreaking for me. I could never imagine being in their shoes and having to endure all that the slaves endured in that time period.

On Sunday morning, we attended service at Mother Emmanuel AME Church. I loved being a part of this service because it had been a while since I went to an African-American church as large as this one. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, and we were even acknowledged as visitors by the pastor. Although the tragic shooting occurred here in 2015 where Dylan Roof murdered many churchgoers during Bible Study, many people in the community are still able to call this place their home.

Church

GoodMorning,

Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend church service while in South Carolina. More importantly we attended service at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, if you remember then that was the same church in which nine people were killed in during 2015. They never once mentioned the situation however you can tell that it still effects them. For example, if you had a large book bag then they wanted to search it. Furthermore, it was a police officer in the very back of the service just standing in the corner.

Despite the horrible event it was still very encouraging to still see members attend service. I feel that it was a testament of their dedication to the church and to god. Personally I feel that if I went through something so horrible that I would be scared to revisit.

On a more positive note, service was amazing. I feel that it was an ideal “African American” Christian service. They did a lot of praise through music which is a large part of our culture. Furthermore, compared to churches that I have visited in Chicago I feel that this church was more connected. It was not just the pastor preaching but he had others involved doing various things throughout service such as a young lady reading a prayer and the young men lighting and extinguishing the candles at the beginning and end of service. Overall it was a great experience.

Post from Lawrie Zhang

So far this trip has been very eye opening. When we went to the McLeod Plantation, I learned many things, but one interesting fact I learned was the psychological aspect of managing the plantations. The slave owners would bring in pastors to preach about obedience, twisting their messages so that they would make the slaves believe that it was their duty and purpose to serve their masters. Being a psychology major, I thought that this was very interesting, because I never thought much about the psychological aspects of slavery. 

At the Old Slave Mart Museum, I learned that the history of slavery was further back than I realized. I also learned about the huge sugar industry in the Caribbean, which was something I was unaware of. In our discussions back at the hotel, we discussed about how in history textbooks, we don’t really learn the whole history of slavery, and often only the civil rights movement is discussed extensively. Periods of time get skipped over, especially the Reconstruction period. This made me even more thankful that I was able to come on this trip to learn. 

When we went to Mother Emmanuel AME Church, I was in awe of how beautiful the church was. I enjoyed service, and the music really moved me. I could feel that the community was really tight-knit and full of energy. 

So far, I’ve learned a lot on this trip, and I look forward to what’s to come!

Saturday 3/17

Today started off rough because of the long bus ride to get to Charleston. I was not expecting that ;however, after visiting the McLeod Plantation and the Trade Museum it was worth the struggle. The McLeod plantation was interesting because it had the original slave houses still presents. It was shocking to see that the slave houses were small or smaller then what I have read about in textbooks. Also, the plantation had African Americans leaving in the slave house until 1990. I would have thought that we would have been more advanced and upgraded considering that the 1990s was more modern then the slavery period.

Furthermore, the trade museum made me question whether or not the government was making policies in favor of the slave traders because they made rules and policies that were easy to go around. For example, it said you couldn’t purchase African slaves but you could purchase other slaves. Then you could no longer trade in public which basically was saying to tr traders that “you could trade but just do it privately.”

Bus Ride

I am looking forward to learn about the deep history of South Carolina. The bus ride was long, but  very fun. My favorite movie was Coach Carter. The weather is great.

2018 Itinerary

Friday March 16:
Noon: Leave Campus
3am: Arrive in Charleston, SC
Stay at the Charleston Crowne Plaza, 4831 Tanger Outlet Blvd, Charleston, SC

Saturday March 17:
1:30pm: McCleod Plantation
3:30pm: Old Slave Mart Museum
5:30pm: Dinner in downtown Charleston
8pm: Discussion at the hotel
Stay at the Charleston Crowne Plaza, 4831 Tanger Outlet Blvd, Charleston, SC

Sunday March 18
9am: Church at Mother Emmanuel AME Church
After church: lunch in downtown Charleston
1pm: leave for Atlanta (dinner on the road)
7pm: Arrive in Atlanta/Discussion at the hotel
Stay at the Hampton Inn 1737 Mountain Blvd, Stone Mountain, GA

Monday March 19
10am: Center for Civil and Human Rights
11am: Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Freedom Rider, founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
noon: Lunch at the CNN Center
2pm: King Center (MLK Birth home, Ebeneezer Baptist, grave of Martin Luther King jr and Coretta Scott King)
4pm: Speaker
5:30pm: Dinner together at an Atlanta Restaurant
8pm: Discussion at the hotel
Stay at the Hampton Inn 1737 Mountain Blvd, Stone Mountain, GA

Tuesday March 20
8am: leave for Montgomery
10am: Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center
noon: lunch at the RCA Tower Cafeteria
2pm: Equal Justice Initiative
4pm: Rosa Parks Museum
6pm: Dinner at Shoppes at East Chase
8pm: Discussion at the hotel
Stay at Country Inn and Suites 10095 Chantilly Pkwy, Montgomery, Alabama

Wednesday March 21
10am: Dexter Avenue Parsonage
noon: on the road to Selma (lunch on the road)
2pm: Footprints to Freedom tour at the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma
5pm: On the road for Jackson (dinner on the road)
11pm: arrive in Jackson at 11pm
Stay at the Holiday Inn Express at 6485 Frontage Rd, Ridgeland MS

Thursday March 22
9am: Medgar Evers House
10:30am: Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
noon: lunch (at the Museum)
2pm: Mississippi History Musuem
3:15pm: Speaker
4:30pm: On the road for Little Rock (dinner on the road)
Stay at the Country Inn and Suites, Bryant Arkansas

Friday March 23
9am: Little Rock Central High School Tour
noon: Lunch in downtown Little Rock
2pm: Mosaic Templars Museum
3:30pm: Capitol Building for photo with Little Rock Nine statue
4pm: Leave for Memphis
6pm: dinner on Beale Street
8pm: Discussion at the hotel
Stay at the La Quinta 2979 Milbranch Rd, Memphis, Tennessee

Saturday March 24
9am: National Civil Rights Museum
noon: lunch
2pm: Slave Haven Museum
3:30pm: Stax Museum
5pm: Ernest Withers Museum
6pm: Dinner together (TBA)
8pm: Discussion at the hotel
Stay at the La Quinta 2979 Milbranch Rd, Memphis, Tennessee

Sunday March 25
6am: leave for campus
noon: arrive on campus

Post from Jonathan Jones

I think what stood out to me the most during the day in Montgomery is the last speaker we had that was on death row. It was a very personal account and every detail he gave really touched me and I in some sense felt his pain. I feel like hearing his story in person sparked something in me that makes me want to do something big to help with our fight that is still going on.

Post from Djordje Takov

Today was an amazing day. Just the fact that we got a chance to visit MLK's house made me excited for today, however I never expected this event was going to be so impactful on me. Dr. Shirley made the experience borderline life changing. I enjoyed her amazing personality and charisma from the moment we stepped through the door and as the tour went along she became increasingly amazing. I enjoyed her connections of Dr. King's life to our lives and the representation of his life as simple and similar to everyone else's life. Her quotes from numerous books including MLK's that were closely connected to all important events following civil rights movements made me internally reflect on all the things that we have seen so far. I also enjoyed the personal connection that I felt during the tour, and her caring and involved approach. I got a chance to take a photo with her and shake her hand which I see as an amazing privilege. I hope that sometime during my college career I get to have a professor like her. A professor like her would enable me to advance myself both professionally and personally but beside those I would enjoy their presence and learn much more that I would from a typical college professor.

Post from Cherese Waight

The thing that impacted me the most today was the Equal Justice Initiative. Anthony's story was so powerful, yet heartbreaking. I have heard many stories of people being wrongfully convicted, but I have never heard the story personally from the victim. Anthony Hintin was lucky to have the Equal Justice Initiative and Brian Stevenson to help the system fix the mistake that they would never admit to. I was brought to tears because he story was like so many others, but he was able to be free and this is why we need prison reform and eliminate the death penalty.

As a young activist it inspires me to keep working because we can bring change if we keep fighting.