The Civil Rights Pilgrimage 2013

Hey! My name is Alex Horton, and I'm a junior this year at UIUC - although this is only my second year here. (Transfer student and proud!) I'm double majoring in African American Studies and Sociology. Last semester, I found out about the Civil Rights Pilgrimage at about the same time I was starting to plan for how I was going to spend my Spring Break, and it immediately interested me. Because, not only could I go on a trip across the American Southeast in order to learn about and see first-hand many of the monuments erected to this marvelous moment in American history, I would be able to listen to touching personal accounts from those who were on the front lines of this seminal struggle for justice. That's where the meat of this trip was, to me, and such experiences are priceless. All I had to do was pay a nominal fee of $275, plus food. For me, there was never a question of whether I would sign up. I jumped on this opportunity! I recommend anybody interested in American/African American history or social justice look into this trip.

The most poignant aspect of this trip for me was - without a doubt - visiting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Memorial Parsonage, which was his home while he was the reverend of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. One would think that visiting Dr. King's home would be monumental enough, but what really set it off was the woman curating this exhibit: Miss Cherry. Her unbridled passion evoked  powerful emotions from the group and really nailed how awesome a human being Dr. King was. I also enjoyed the garden in the back that serves as a place of reflection for those who were given the tour of the parsonage. That is when it hit me that this trip is an immense privilege, and I am extremely fortunate to have been a part of it.

I hope everyone who goes on it this year has a great trip. (I'll be planning it, so I'm confident you will be.) If you have any questions, feel free to contact me: ahorto7@illinois.edu

Civil Rights Pilgrimage 2k13: Overall Experience

Since I don't want to spoil the trip for any future Civil Rights pilgrims I'll just give a brief overview of the trip. It was great! So inspiring, motivating and most of all enlightening. Although civil rights will always be an important part of American history, it seems that as time moves forward, more and more we forget just how significant those acts and people were. Jimmy Carter, Rosa Parks, MLK Jr., the Little Rock Nine  all played huge roles in bringing about justice but all the people we were able to meet on the trip also contributed greatly to the society we now live in: Bernard Lafayette, Ms. Shirley Cherry, and all of our passionate tour guides. The trip was definitely A LOT of information to take in in a week so its essential to have an open and ready mind. Learning about these movements from a class or from merely reading a book is incomparable to actually visiting the sites and putting yourself in the exact spot where legendary acts took place. No matter how close we think we're getting to a society of equality and peace, its so important for us to go back and see where we came from. Its so important for us to not be complacent with how things are; to study people like MLK and Rosa Parks who did their part in changing the world we live in for the better. The trip was a great experience. I'm so happy that I went!

BTW: My name is Lindsay, I'm a Junior, studying advertising. So this trip wasn't related to my major or anything, I didn't even live in housing this past year. This trip is for any and everybody who is smart enough to take advantage of such a great opportunity!

Civil Rights 2k13: Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr.

Although I'm very late posting this, I wanted to take the time out to reflect on the Civil Rights Pilgrimage spring break trip. From the trip, I have gained a new perspective that has become very useful in many of my courses in discussing things like race and gender inequalities.

The Civil Rights Pilgrimage consisted of about forty students traveling by bus to and through six southern cites over the course of nine days learning about historical figures and events that help shape the society we live in today. Our first stop was in Atlanta, GA where we were able to meet Bernard Lafayette Jr. What an amazing start to the pilgrimage. I can't describe how inspiration his story is! I don't want to say too much because anyone reading this will hopefully get to experience everything that I did but in short,  as a young teen he worked directly with MLK during the civil rights movement and continued to be a prominent leader after MLK Jr. tragic assassination. Here are my favorite things learned from Mr. Lafayette about how to address current issues and how to grow as leaders:


Focus on mistakes
What did we do that perhaps we should have done?
Examine very closely what has happened already

Analyze with a goal in mind

A lot of research is about what happened and not what could have happened

**If possible, try to manage your time.

Plan to use your time wisely.

Set goals high: don't just try to get by. You never know when they too score will help.

You can study and learn all you need without degrees  but degrees will get you there faster. It's necessary.

Do what you do SO well! Tear it up.

You must feel worthwhile. Never feel that you aren't worthwhile. Your worth. Not your wealth. You value to life.

Discover as soon as possible what you can develop that can make your life worthwhile. Something that you can give. Because if you can do that then death is a myth.

"They they took MLK's life. He had already given his life. It was already too late. They missed. "

Your life: DO IT. GIVE IT.

Avoid negative inspiration

Stay in control of yourself.
Dont let someone rub you the wrong way. Try to understand why someone doesn't like you.

Violence is the language of the inarticulate.

Oppression is a system. With three parts.
1. Someone willing to be an oppressor
- Willing oppressors think they are doing the right thing. They believe that others are not human beings. Beings but not human.
2. People that accept the fact that its nothing they can do. "Stay in your place".
3. A majority of people who support actively or SILENTLY the oppression.


It's not what people say or do to you, it's how you respond. Character.

Can you learn to love others to where they are transformed?

"You can do this. If you make up your mind."

I didn't plan to dedicate this entire post to just things from the Dr. Lafayette talk but he was just that GOOD! These are quotes from the man himself! Enjoy!

January's Photos

"Never let violence deter a non-violence movement"-Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Emory University in Atlanta with our amazing students.

I am so excited! I thought that last year would be my last year going on this trip, but a last minute illness of one of the other advisors has allowed for me to go on this trip for the third time with U of I students and fifth time overall. I could not be more excited!! I love every single one of the places we are going and I cannot wait (and we leave in less than 3 hours so there is not much waiting) to experience this trip with the students that have chosen to go this year. Of those of you I know, I know you are going to love it as much as I do. For those of you I don't know, I can't wait to learn about you and your journey and what has motivated you to come along on this trip.

I am beyond excited to be participating and advising this trip. Above all I am pleased to be in the company of the amazing students who have decided to participate on this trip. I am certain, they will all fall in love with the history of America and develop a new found love for activism, social change and civil rights! We leave in exactly 24hrs!

Welcome new bloggers! I am so excited for you to go on this journey. I will be following along from home--feel free to tell your friends and family to do the same. For now, please take a minute to write about why you decided to go on this trip and please try to log on and write as much as you can from the road! I can't wait to hear about all that you learn.

While it seems that almost everyone is away from campus I am here and getting so excited for the students who will go on this years Pilgrimage. I am lining up hotels and organizing fundraisers that I hope will keep the cost of the trip affordable. I know that this trip changes people's lives--it certainly changed mine and I want as many students as possible to have the chance to go. You will not be disappointed!

Overall Experience

Now that's it's been almost a week since the Civil Rights Pilgrimage, I can't help but miss everything! I'm so happy that I decided to go! Every stop was so great! We went from Ebenezer in Atlanta to the panel discussion in Montgomery to marching across the bridge in Selma to 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham to Central High in Little Rock to Lorraine Motel in Memphis! With so much more in between! The experience was priceless!
I've attached my pictures from the trip below....I made it a public album so anyone can see! Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2942220795483.2119448.1260111888&type=1

Group Shots

On top of the Peabody Hotel




Heifer International




16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham




Brown Chapel in Selma



Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center



Rosa Parks Museum



Ebenezer Baptist

Civil Rights Pilgramage

The Civil Rights Pilgrimage was an opportunity for students to visit sites of historic importance to the U.S. civil rights movement. During this trip, students had the opportunity to meet with individuals who were able to share a story or their personal story about this significant movement. As we all know there are many people who were affected and/or made an impact during this time but have not been able to share their story with many. Our students were given this chance to hear these stories to help them better understand the true importance of this movement. I did not realize how much this trip would have an impact on me and my values. I am a changed person because of this trip and I contribute this change to the people I met, the museums I visited, and the students who learned.

So many people sacrificed to make things better for the future and I am forever grateful and thankful for those who struggled to make a difference so that I can be treated fairly/equally. We visited Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham, Little Rock and Memphis and each place gave me a new insight about this movement but I mostly enjoyed Montgomery and Birmingham. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was not the only person who made a difference during this era but he was the "face" for most of the movement. I continue to wonder what his thoughts were. Did he know that his words, steps, etc would change society (generally speaking) forever? Did he truly know how great of a person he was? I could go on and on about the questions I have that will never be answered but I won't.

In one of the museums I saw a photo of his father and mother taken during the funeral and that was the first time I had seen an image of them. Never had I thought about how his death affected them. Of course we think about his wife and children but I personally hadn't thought of his parents or siblings. Speaking of his siblings, it was truly awesome to hear his sister, Dr. Christine King-Farris speak at church and then to take a photo with her after the service...a highlight for me!

This trip was will leave a lasting impression on me and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to go with January Boten and the 46 students. I am in higher education because I want students to learn outside of the classroom and this trip taught students so much more than I had ever imagined and hopefully, they will use what they have learned to become a person and stand up for equality for all.

This. Trip. Was. AMAZING!!! If you have never heard of the U.S's Civil Rights struggle I urge you sign up next year. If you feel like you know all there is to know about the Civil Right's Movement I encourage you to go because you are guaranteed to learn something new. Many times people think the Civil Rights movement was just for African Americans but in reality it served to break the barriers of segregation and inequality for other people.  


One of the many events that struck a chord was the Voting Rights Museum. It told the stories of people who are not seen in a large majority of history books across the nation.  It told the story of people who marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 to protest the lack of voting rights. During this time, regulations and stipulations made it difficult for people to vote. You had to guess how many jelly beans or cotton balls were in a jar or complete a literacy test. The marches and protests that occurred during this time period paved the way for the rights we need  to hold dear today.  One of the many lessons I learned on this trip is to VOTE. If you are of age and a citizen of this country YOU NEED TO VOTE! You may feel as though your vote does not matter, but your vote can be the deciding one. Many people have sacrificed and died for this cause so do not take this right lightly. 

Finally I figured out how to get on this blog! We did have a great time~ And we all came back on campus safely!!! I will miss everyone!

Snapshots...Day 8

Friday, March 23, 2012
University of Illinois Civil Rights Pilgrimage - Day 8
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas


Central HS National Park & School

Heifer Intentional Headquarters

William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library

Little Rock River Walk, along the Arkansas River

Snapshots...Day 6

Wednesday, March 21, 2012
University of Illinois Civil Rights Pilgrimage - Day 6
Location: Birmingham, Alabama




At the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

At the 16th Street Baptist Church