At the conclusion of Spring Phase at St. Benedict's Prep, students in each class are required to present a summary of their experiences from the course in which they were enrolled. The students in the Civil Rights Project spoke the following messages on the first day of Presentations:
ELIJAH ALLEN-SMITH: "Why We are part of this Course"
Most history classes don’t go in depth into the history of the civil rights movement, not because they don’t want to, but because a lot of its history is ugly and terrible. The civil rights project decided to do this trip not only to learn deeply about this hard history, but to experience a fuller history and hear the untold stories of the many people who helped propel the civil rights movement forward, in visiting the actual places where these events occurred. Along with getting a much fuller understanding of the history of slavery, of segregation, and of the racial terrorism of lynching, I received firsthand knowledge of their long-term effects on the people of the towns I visited, like Selma, Alabama and Clarksdale, Mississippi, through people like Joe O’Quinn, and the tractor drivers at the farm owned by the Flowers family. I learned that the fight for civil rights has come a long way, but our struggle still isn’t over. We have to use the lessons on how and why these people fought for equality in the past and apply these lessons ourselves to continue the fight against injustices in the present.
WOOD-MAY JOSEPH: "Speak Out Against Injustice"
Silence is bad when we stay silent about injustice.
Even though I was in this course, I still don’t understand the Civil Rights Movement completely. As a result, when I see injustice, I don’t always know the proper way to talk about it and to fight it. In this class, we studied the Emmett Till case about an African-American boy who was killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. I saw how Mose Wright, his uncle spoke out against injustice by pointing out the two murderers in court, something unheard of for a black man to do in 1955. But that’s not the only way to speak out against injustice. I will speak out against injustice by calling out my peers who make harmful and hateful comments in school. When we visited the Civil Rights Memorial, I added my name to the Wall of Tolerance and took a vow: “By placing my name on the Wall of Tolerance, I pledge to take a stand against hate, injustice and intolerance. I will work in my daily life for justice, equality and human rights - the ideals for which the Civil Rights martyrs died.”
JONATHAN DULCE: "Youth have the Power to create Change"
The Youth played an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement. A prime example of this can be seen in the Children’s Crusade of 1963. In Birmingham, Alabama, the most racially segregated city in the country at that time, thousands of children, some as young as 10 years old, took it upon themselves to skip school and march in protest against racial segregation. They were beaten, blasted with high-pressure fire hoses, mauled by police dogs, and taken to overcrowded jails. Their energy helped us get to where we are today. During this trip, I stood in the actual place, Kelly Ingram Park, where this Children’s Crusade protests occurred. Like them we need to use our energy, intelligence, and power to fight injustice. When young people get behind a just cause, it is powerful. This journey to the South helped me understand that one day this will be our world, and we will choose how to shape it. In shaping this new world we must use the mistakes of our predecessors as lessons. That way, one by one, we will leave the world better than how he found it.
KEVIN JACKSON: "Build Bridges, not Walls. Become a Bridge for Others"
Be the bridge that connects people. We Americans have become so fascinated by what could be called “otherism”, where we emphasize our differences rather than recognize how much we have in common. It is so easy to build a wall, to disconnect away from people, but it is harder to create bridges that connect us to other people. Bridges are never built overnight. In order to have a sturdy bridge, you must take your time with it. I was inspired to be a bridge while I spoke with Georgette Norman, former director of the Rosa Parks Museum. What kind of bridge do I want to be? A bridge that connects people for a little while and collapses under a little pressure, or a bridge that stays sturdy through any storm? This trip and the wise words of Miss Norman helped me lay the sturdy foundation to be a bridge to those who I didn’t previously have a connection. I thought about this also while we walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the start of the 1965 March to Montgomery demanding equal voting rights.
ZION GRAHAM: "Acknowledge the Past Injustice of Lynching and the Current Injustice of Mass Incarceration"
Lynching is not just being hung from a tree, but also by being burned alive, or tortured and killed without a legal trial. Imagine being lynched just for sneezing next to a white man. Very unfair, isn’t it? As a country, we need to acknowledge the lasting legacy of the racial terrorism of lynching, and the injustice of mass incarcerations. I realized this when I visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, in Montgomery, Alabama. Thousands of names of lynching victims are written on rows and rows of large rusted metal casket-like boxes hanging from the ceiling. The Equal Justice Initiative also created the Legacy Museum, which our group visited. The Legacy Museum helped me see that because black and brown people are more likely to be imprisoned than whites, unjust incarceration tips the balance of decision-making toward the white majority. Having served their time in prison, released convicts should regain their voting rights.
NY'GEE GREEN: "Our Civic Duties to Vote and to Serve on a Jury"
Many people don’t vote and don’t like serving on a jury. In my opinion I think most people don’t do these things for selfish reasons. As citizens of the United States, and especially as people of color, we should feel obligated to vote. The murder of Jimmy Lee Jackson by those preventing black voters from registering was the spark of the march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. In Selma, people marched to demand their right to vote, and when they got to the end of the bridge going toward the state capital, they were brutally beaten by the police. During this trip, I was in the actual courtroom in Sumner, Mississippi where the trial of Emmett Till’s murderers was held. His killers had an all-white jury on their side and that jury declared the murderers ‘not guilty’ for a brutal crime that they had committed. If people keep trying to get out of jury duty and and out of voting, then what was the purpose of people fighting and dying for us? We owe it to their memory to do our civic duties of voting, and of serving on a jury.
JUAN PEREZ: "Community Service for those in Need"
We dedicated some of our time at Clarksdale, Mississippi to help those in need. Half of the group went to help at The Clarksdale Care Station, where they prepared food to distribute to the homebound, a type of Meals-On-Wheels. I went with the other half to do community service at the local animal shelter.
The lady at the animal shelter was grateful for our help. There were just so many things that she couldn’t do because she was short on staff. Much of our work was in an open field with temperatures feeling over 90 degrees. There was no way I felt like working outside in the blazing sun. Then, I started to reflect on the times people had helped me throughout my life. There was no way THEY felt like spending their time with me when they could’ve been doing their own thing… yet they were there for me. I had to put my selfishness aside and do what was needed. Volunteering at the Clarksdale animal shelter is one of my memorable experiences during this trip.
JULES GOUTON: "Overcoming Poverty through Education"
During our journey Down South, I learned that Education is one of the keys to overcoming poverty. Even though I had learned from my family that education is the most important thing, the power and impact that education can have physically dawned on me when we had breakfast with Ms. Margaret Brown, a woman who grew up in poverty in Mississippi. Even though she lives in a community that is surrounded by broken windows, cracked sidewalks and houses with no AC, she told us emphatically “Please stay in school.” After listening to Miss Margaret explain the importance of education, I had the opportunity to meet Aallyah Wright. She is a journalist who is not too much older than me who grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi.. She loved to read and valued education. She attended university, studied journalism, and after graduating, instead of going to New York City, or Memphis, or even Miami, she returned to her small community. Her work as a journalist and community activist helps to point out injustice and unfold opportunities that many in Clarksdale lack.
JESUS PAULINO: "The 'Promised Land' is not a Destination but a Journey"
Hearing all of this history, and considering current events, it is natural to ask: when is the struggle over? In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King told a large audience that he had seen the promised land; that his eyes had seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. We stood on the very pulpit where he delivered this last speech at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee before his murder the following day. Some people will say that we’ve reached the promised land; for instance, a school like Benedict’s was impossible in many parts of the country in Dr. King’s time. People of color have the right to vote, and the right to serve on juries, and segregated public facilities are gone. But many will say that we’ve a long way to go to reach full equality. What I’ve come to believe is that the promised land is not a destination, but a journey. When I see inequality and discrimination occurring on any scale, whether with my group of friends or within the system that governs us, I will do my part to effect change so that this world can become a better place. This means voting, at every election. This means taking education seriously, because people died for our access to it. I am inspired and strengthened by the seemingly small actions, from everyday people, whose history I must learn from. Thank you.
ELIJAH ALLEN-SMITH: "Why We are part of this Course"
Most history classes don’t go in depth into the history of the civil rights movement, not because they don’t want to, but because a lot of its history is ugly and terrible. The civil rights project decided to do this trip not only to learn deeply about this hard history, but to experience a fuller history and hear the untold stories of the many people who helped propel the civil rights movement forward, in visiting the actual places where these events occurred. Along with getting a much fuller understanding of the history of slavery, of segregation, and of the racial terrorism of lynching, I received firsthand knowledge of their long-term effects on the people of the towns I visited, like Selma, Alabama and Clarksdale, Mississippi, through people like Joe O’Quinn, and the tractor drivers at the farm owned by the Flowers family. I learned that the fight for civil rights has come a long way, but our struggle still isn’t over. We have to use the lessons on how and why these people fought for equality in the past and apply these lessons ourselves to continue the fight against injustices in the present.WOOD-MAY JOSEPH: "Speak Out Against Injustice"
Even though I was in this course, I still don’t understand the Civil Rights Movement completely. As a result, when I see injustice, I don’t always know the proper way to talk about it and to fight it. In this class, we studied the Emmett Till case about an African-American boy who was killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. I saw how Mose Wright, his uncle spoke out against injustice by pointing out the two murderers in court, something unheard of for a black man to do in 1955. But that’s not the only way to speak out against injustice. I will speak out against injustice by calling out my peers who make harmful and hateful comments in school. When we visited the Civil Rights Memorial, I added my name to the Wall of Tolerance and took a vow: “By placing my name on the Wall of Tolerance, I pledge to take a stand against hate, injustice and intolerance. I will work in my daily life for justice, equality and human rights - the ideals for which the Civil Rights martyrs died.”
The Youth played an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement. A prime example of this can be seen in the Children’s Crusade of 1963. In Birmingham, Alabama, the most racially segregated city in the country at that time, thousands of children, some as young as 10 years old, took it upon themselves to skip school and march in protest against racial segregation. They were beaten, blasted with high-pressure fire hoses, mauled by police dogs, and taken to overcrowded jails. Their energy helped us get to where we are today. During this trip, I stood in the actual place, Kelly Ingram Park, where this Children’s Crusade protests occurred. Like them we need to use our energy, intelligence, and power to fight injustice. When young people get behind a just cause, it is powerful. This journey to the South helped me understand that one day this will be our world, and we will choose how to shape it. In shaping this new world we must use the mistakes of our predecessors as lessons. That way, one by one, we will leave the world better than how he found it.
Be the bridge that connects people. We Americans have become so fascinated by what could be called “otherism”, where we emphasize our differences rather than recognize how much we have in common. It is so easy to build a wall, to disconnect away from people, but it is harder to create bridges that connect us to other people. Bridges are never built overnight. In order to have a sturdy bridge, you must take your time with it. I was inspired to be a bridge while I spoke with Georgette Norman, former director of the Rosa Parks Museum. What kind of bridge do I want to be? A bridge that connects people for a little while and collapses under a little pressure, or a bridge that stays sturdy through any storm? This trip and the wise words of Miss Norman helped me lay the sturdy foundation to be a bridge to those who I didn’t previously have a connection. I thought about this also while we walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the start of the 1965 March to Montgomery demanding equal voting rights.ZION GRAHAM: "Acknowledge the Past Injustice of Lynching and the Current Injustice of Mass Incarceration"
Lynching is not just being hung from a tree, but also by being burned alive, or tortured and killed without a legal trial. Imagine being lynched just for sneezing next to a white man. Very unfair, isn’t it? As a country, we need to acknowledge the lasting legacy of the racial terrorism of lynching, and the injustice of mass incarcerations. I realized this when I visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, in Montgomery, Alabama. Thousands of names of lynching victims are written on rows and rows of large rusted metal casket-like boxes hanging from the ceiling. The Equal Justice Initiative also created the Legacy Museum, which our group visited. The Legacy Museum helped me see that because black and brown people are more likely to be imprisoned than whites, unjust incarceration tips the balance of decision-making toward the white majority. Having served their time in prison, released convicts should regain their voting rights.NY'GEE GREEN: "Our Civic Duties to Vote and to Serve on a Jury"
Many people don’t vote and don’t like serving on a jury. In my opinion I think most people don’t do these things for selfish reasons. As citizens of the United States, and especially as people of color, we should feel obligated to vote. The murder of Jimmy Lee Jackson by those preventing black voters from registering was the spark of the march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. In Selma, people marched to demand their right to vote, and when they got to the end of the bridge going toward the state capital, they were brutally beaten by the police. During this trip, I was in the actual courtroom in Sumner, Mississippi where the trial of Emmett Till’s murderers was held. His killers had an all-white jury on their side and that jury declared the murderers ‘not guilty’ for a brutal crime that they had committed. If people keep trying to get out of jury duty and and out of voting, then what was the purpose of people fighting and dying for us? We owe it to their memory to do our civic duties of voting, and of serving on a jury.
We dedicated some of our time at Clarksdale, Mississippi to help those in need. Half of the group went to help at The Clarksdale Care Station, where they prepared food to distribute to the homebound, a type of Meals-On-Wheels. I went with the other half to do community service at the local animal shelter. The lady at the animal shelter was grateful for our help. There were just so many things that she couldn’t do because she was short on staff. Much of our work was in an open field with temperatures feeling over 90 degrees. There was no way I felt like working outside in the blazing sun. Then, I started to reflect on the times people had helped me throughout my life. There was no way THEY felt like spending their time with me when they could’ve been doing their own thing… yet they were there for me. I had to put my selfishness aside and do what was needed. Volunteering at the Clarksdale animal shelter is one of my memorable experiences during this trip.
During our journey Down South, I learned that Education is one of the keys to overcoming poverty. Even though I had learned from my family that education is the most important thing, the power and impact that education can have physically dawned on me when we had breakfast with Ms. Margaret Brown, a woman who grew up in poverty in Mississippi. Even though she lives in a community that is surrounded by broken windows, cracked sidewalks and houses with no AC, she told us emphatically “Please stay in school.” After listening to Miss Margaret explain the importance of education, I had the opportunity to meet Aallyah Wright. She is a journalist who is not too much older than me who grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi.. She loved to read and valued education. She attended university, studied journalism, and after graduating, instead of going to New York City, or Memphis, or even Miami, she returned to her small community. Her work as a journalist and community activist helps to point out injustice and unfold opportunities that many in Clarksdale lack.JESUS PAULINO: "The 'Promised Land' is not a Destination but a Journey"
Hearing all of this history, and considering current events, it is natural to ask: when is the struggle over? In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King told a large audience that he had seen the promised land; that his eyes had seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. We stood on the very pulpit where he delivered this last speech at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee before his murder the following day. Some people will say that we’ve reached the promised land; for instance, a school like Benedict’s was impossible in many parts of the country in Dr. King’s time. People of color have the right to vote, and the right to serve on juries, and segregated public facilities are gone. But many will say that we’ve a long way to go to reach full equality. What I’ve come to believe is that the promised land is not a destination, but a journey. When I see inequality and discrimination occurring on any scale, whether with my group of friends or within the system that governs us, I will do my part to effect change so that this world can become a better place. This means voting, at every election. This means taking education seriously, because people died for our access to it. I am inspired and strengthened by the seemingly small actions, from everyday people, whose history I must learn from. Thank you.
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