Local Students Share What They Learned On Civil Rights Trip Through The South
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A meaningful trip for a group of high school students in our area, as they just completed a week long civil rights trip through the South.
During the seven-day trip, the high school students made 17 different stops to see historic sites and museums, and also met with activists.
A life-changing trip for 32 students.
"Be able to learn about my history as a black woman in the United States, in a way that was more in depth than what I learned in my history classes," said Cici Osias, Park School of Baltimore junior.
The diverse group of students from four different area high schools traveled through the South to learn about the Civil Rights Movement.
"Hatred is not born, it is taught, so it is important that we teach people love and remind them of the love that exists," said Gabe Samuels, Baltimore City College senior.
"I wanted young people to learn about a time in history when non-violent protests affected change, and I wanted the students from different schools and different backgrounds to experience that together," said Traci Wright, civil rights trip advisor.
Wright, the Park School of Baltimore Upper School Dean of Students, has been coordinating this trip for the past 15 years.
"Important for young people to know that they stand on the shoulders of other people, and that it is incumbent on them to make a difference," she said.
Among the stops, students visited the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina, to learn about the sit-in movement that took place 58 years ago on February 1, at the Woolworth's lunch counter to end racial segregation. An experience that stood out for many of the students.
"Really showed me what it was like and how hard we had to fight, and the things we had to endure just for things as simple as integration," Osias said.
"Create a better world for other people, so it reminded me I can never just sit back and hope everything changes," said Gabe Samuels, Baltimore City College senior. "I have to go out and be active and make the world a better place."
The trip empowering these young people, encouraging them to create their own movement.
Following this trip, the students say they feel inspired to make a difference.
They are now working on a project that will unite their generation, and they say it will be monumental. Only time will tell.
To celebrate Black History Month, the Park School of Baltimore will host a series of assembly discussions throughout February.
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