National Civil Rights Museum

On  January 23 we visited the National  Civil Rights Museum .  First the group saw a timeline of the Civil Rights history . It was full of important events that happened during the Civil Rights . Looking through the timeline , I was very surprised . I noticed Segregation was not that long ago . Segregation ended in 1954 , after theBrown V Board case .  It made me realize that my grandparents went through the hard times of segregation .  Around that time they might have been in elementary school . Out of the whole timeline that affected me the most . I also looked at James Earl Ray past , the killer of Martin Luther King .  He was a criminal even before the assassination of Martin Luther King . He got arrested before and he robbed a bank . I was so angry because if they would've already arrested him and kept him in jail , he would've never assassinated Martin Luther King .  It was surprising to me that people never got caught being a criminal , but always got locked when they thought a black harassed a white .  Later on in the day we visited Lorraine Motel , where Martin Luther King got assassinated .  I was very emotional , when walking on the balcony .  It made me feel so powerless when walking on the balcony . I was walking right in the spot where Martin Luther  King got killed . When looking through his Motel , room 306 . I saw ciggarates in an ash tray . I never knew Martin Luther King smoked . Its sad that he didn't want to ruin his perception of what people thought of him . But back at that time people were so judgmental .  So I could understand why he did hide it .  But visiting the National Civil Rights museum was a god experience overall . I learned and gained so much knowledge .

Sharniece Adams, City Neighbors 

Erected Statuses

Erected statues immortalizing students, museums solely dedicated to courageous protesters, and plaques commemorating injustices that brave individuals seemed to tower over my accomplishments thus far. I felt distant from the Civil Rights Movement. It was as if the achievements made in the movement were beyond me. But the talk with Dr. Sybil Hampton showed that even small change can be monumental.

At school, I have struggled to move forward with diversity and open students minds to change. I felt as though being aware and speaking to others about being aware wasn't enough. But Dr. Hampton, talked about how being silent can be the worse. I definetly can't say I have not played the role of the bystander, but I can say she made me feel better about when I do speak.

Ty, Park School 

Central

Visiting Little Rock Central High School was an incredibly moving experience for me. After touring the school and learning about the struggles of the Little Rock 9, we went to the visitor center, built across the street. What I found particularly interesting was a section dedicated to psychologists Kennith and Amy Clark, who conducted an experiment using dolls, showing that segregation damaged school children. They gave young African American school children each a black and white doll, and asked them a series of questions. When they asked the children which doll was the "nice" doll, the children lifted the white one. When they asked which was the "dangerous" doll, the children chose the black doll. This experiment struck me because it is horrendous that African American children wanted to be more like white children, even though they treated them terribly. 

Jordan Greenberg, Park School

Sunflower Freedom Project

On of the most inspirational experience that I had on this trip was when we visited Sunflower County Freedom Project. Coming into this I really didn't know what to expect but when we began to listen to the stories I was really surprised. We eventually learned that the schools and the county were both segregated. This came as a surprise to me because of the fact that I had never heard of it until just then. You'd think that a topic that big you would have heard at least something about it but I haven't and that kind if made me upset. The all black school is a poor public school where the teachers don't care and don't really teach the kids and at some points will sit on their phones and not pay attention. While at the other school it's a private school and the kids there get privileged with extra curricular activity's and opportunity's in the world.The great thing that the Sunflower County Freedom Project does is that they do their best to give these children an opportunity to get away from Sunflower County and have a good education instead of their public school one. I believe that with out the Sunflower County freedom project have done a great job and I want to come back one day to help because I think this is a monstrosity that people are unaware of the severity of this situation. 

Tivon, City Neighbors 

No Words

I have no words for what I just experienced. I am so struck by how people are still living, experiencing, and understanding today's world. On this trip, we have mostly visited memorials, monuments, and churches that display the successes of the civil rights movement. Sites that commemorate leaders like Martin Luther King and John Lewis and Rosa Parks. And it's amazing to see the progress out society has made. That blacks are no longer enslaved and killed merely because of the color of their skin. That blacks no longer have to fear for their lives as they walk down the street. And it truly inspires me to help continue that progress in today's world. But after trucking hours and hours on our bus, we arrived at a place quite different from the previous sites we've visited. Listening to senior Toysha who was a part of the Freedom Project in Sunflower County, Mississippi, opened my eyes to the injustices that still exist today and really receive no attention. She attends a public school that consists of only black students, while the private school in the town is allotted for the white students only. In fact, white students receive scholarships to attend the private school based on the fact that they fear for their lives by attending the public school. As I listened to her story and how she answered my questions, I was stunned and extremely impressed. Stunned that our society STILL judges people based on the color of their skin. And impressed that Toysha and her peers are brave enough to talk directly about this obvious racism and figure out ways to prevent it. How is it that it is almost 60 years since the Civil Rights Movements initially began and injustices like these are still occurring in the country? Where does it end? I can't really write down all that going through my head honestly. I am embarrassed for our country. Scared for those who suffer. And angry at my own race. 

Geneva Trovato, City College

The Mississippi Delta

1/21/14

Today, we traveled back in time to the 1950’s.  Visiting Simmons High School and the Sunflower County Freedom Project meant returning to the times we’ve been learning about on the trip.  We took a trip to the world of segregation.  Pure segregation.  Where you live, who you interact with, where you go to school, is defined almost solely by race in the Mississippi Delta.  It’s about white and black.  In each area, there is a dividing line between the two races and it isn’t crossed.  Sure, Baltimore is super segregated, one street wealthy and white, the next poor and Black.  But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such obvious, blatant segregation as I did in Mississippi today.  The Mississippi Delta is 70% black and 30% white.  The public schools are almost 100% black.  The private schools are almost 100% white.  If you’re poor and you’re white, you can get a scholarship to go to private school because your “safety is in danger at public schools.”  If you’re black, maybe you’ll get to go to private school, but only because the school needs the funding they get for having a few minority students.  That’s it.  The public schools and the private schools don’t interact, they don’t play each other in sports, they don’t participate in after-school activities together. 

The most upsetting thing is that the Freedom Project focuses on teaching Civil Rights Movement to the kids and taking them to the places where their history, was made, while they live exactly the life of black kids before Brown v. Board of Education.  People fought and died for the right for every child in this country to get a good, equal education, and these kids know that.  But their world is one that denies them this basic right because of the color of their skin and not the content of their character.  Here these kids live in full awareness of the segregation, of the fact that after the struggle for integration, association with white people is barely an option.  When we asked the kids at the Freedom Project about their interactions with white people, they described how going into the white part of town meant avoiding the dogs that the white residents let loose on them as they come by.  Let me make this clear: its 2014, and major parts of this country are split down a line based on race, private schools are for white children, and dogs prevent black children from venturing out of their neighborhoods. 

The night before, the Park chaperones told the Park students that we need to be prepared for the abject poverty we would witness at Simmons today, but that’s not what it felt like when we met the kids there.  They were just very regular people, going about their regular business.  What is upsetting is that these kids are normal people who live in a horrendous situation, isolated and in poverty, through no fault of their own.  We are all the same, but these kids are forced to live in an unequal world, at an unequal school, while kids sit in classrooms a couple miles a way, with all the opportunities to learn, to go to college, and leave the desolate Delta.  They were born into a system that immediately recognizes them as less than, not worthy of our attention.  Their government does nothing for them, gerrymandering districts in Mississippi to serve their interest of keeping minorities from exercising their fundamental American right to vote and better their lives.  I cannot describe how angry it makes me feel that this blatant racism still exists and that nothing is being done about it.  We must finally bring to fruition the ideals that were fought for in the Civil Rights Movement.  It cannot end where it started, with smart, hopeful black children being forced to be satisfied with their station in life.  We cannot allow this in this day and age.  The kids at the Freedom Project’s hopefulness and will to succeed should inspire each and everyone of us to do everything and anything to revolutionize the unequal world we live in.

-Sara P, the Park School of Love

Preconceived Notions

1/21/14

Today has been one of the most emotional days of the trip. However, I also think it was the most informative. It started with a movie we watched on the bus last night on the way to Mississippi called “Crash,” which was all about the stereotypes and preconceived notions we have about people of other ethnicities. Another key theme was about how these preconceived notions affect everyone. The movie tells the story of five different people in a city of all different ethnicities entangled in a web of socioeconomic discrepancy, discrimination, and fear of the unknown.  All of their actions affect the other characters in the movie.  I had trouble believing some of the movie, but it really made me consider the people in my life and our connections.

            Today we visited Simmons high school in Hollandale, Mississippi. This is one of the poorest counties in the nation, and the school has an entirely black population. This was an eye-opening experience in a few ways. Firstly, it made me appreciate the support I have at home from my entire community because not all of the kids at this school have a safety net to fall back on. Similarly, it changed my view of the United States. I was astonished with the fact that, in terms of backgrounds, these kids did not have very much in common with me, however the amount of similarities we shared was shocking. I had no trouble having conversations with these kids because we are concerned about the same things: what we’re going to do after high school, how much we don’t like doing homework, and our favorite sports teams.        

            After Simmons we travelled to Sunflower County to visit the Sunflower County Freedom Project. Starting with Brown V Board in 1954, schools were required to integrate. In this county as well as many others in the United States, the white families didn’t want to integrate so they created cheap private schools that could reject whatever students they chose. Those schools dictate the culture in Sunflower today. There is still segregation in Sunflower. The public school is 100% black. There is a private school that is 100% white except for the football team. The public school has very little funding, and one student told me directly that his school offers “a horrible education.” This system makes interracial interactions very difficult, and it is a very hard system to break because voting is not always promoted, so people who support this segregated system remain in power in the state legislation.  Furthermore, because Sunflower is such a poor and rural county, there are not very many extracurriculars offered by the school. The Sunflower County Freedom Project is an organization that meets everyday after school and gives extra help to students. They promote reading, education, and healthy eating. 100% of their graduates have gone on to study at a 4-year college.

            Today was a very humbling day. From the movie to meeting the students, I realized that I have many preconceived notions that I am not proud of. I don’t even know where most of them come from. I’ve re-thought a lot of my life today because previously I had considered myself a progressive and tolerant person, and now I’m not totally sure if that’s true. A main message conveyed to us by the Sunflower County Freedom Project is that change comes from us as students. Most of my preconceived notions come from my education and from my family and are engrained in myself. This probably makes it difficult to change them significantly, but it’s a very big step to now be able to acknowledge when I am having these notions because now I am able to think about what to do about it From this trip, I hope I am able to go home, re-evaluate my society and life, and make this world better than how I found it.

-Micah, the Park School of Love

An open mind

Throughout this trip I have been feeling so open-minded. Seeing all the different schools, people, heroes, and places it has been so life changing. When we go to sites that are historic museums and sites that are not museums and thinking wow my children will not know about this because it will be gone when they are born. This trip makes me think that there are things even in my home that I can do to better the environment and keep the dream alive. Without this trip I would have never stepped outside my comfort zone.

Celene, City College

Sunflower county freedom project

1/23/14

Yesterday we went to the sunflower freedom project in sunflower county, Mississippi. We did a quick icebreaker - a cold wind blows - and then got into discussion groups. In my group there were reps from park, city and neighbors, and then four scfp kids: Brianna, Kiera, Lucius, and Arquaus (sorry about that spelling...). We talked briefly about college, which was a discussion question on the handout the gave us, and then moved on to asking them general questions about their lives. We talked about how if they went to the 'white folks' side of town,' people would look out their windows, open their doors, and let their dogs out to chase them. All of us were speechless, not only because of the content but more so because of the nonchalant, banal kind of everyday thing they talked about it as if it was. That was the truly shocking part.
We talked about "school negatives" and "school positives," and as the rest of us were saying things like "we have conversations but never act on them" or "too much hw!" and other things like that you'd expect from high school students at good schools, Quay's  answer was "we don't get enough work...or homework..." and Brianna said the same. Again, we were struck suddenly dumb when it hit us that too little work could be a) a feasible issue, and b) a consistently pressing one.

A lot of this trip has been eye-opening and meaningful to me, but this was the only one that knocked the wind out of me with the reality of poverty. This experience was the only one that made me painfully anxious to do something for someone we've met, mainly because each one of those kids have incredible potential and absolutely unthinkable hope. Reading their lit mag, filled with their reality - incredibly grim - juxtaposed and interwoven irreparably with their extreme, unbreakable hope, was incredible to me, and although their director mentioned the fact that their project is just the tip of the iceberg and that we shouldn't focus on them but on the greater problem, I cannot help but promise myself that when we return home, I will do all I can to help out scfp and all the amazing people there.

-Alia Satterfield, Park school 

Potential

"never underestimate a students potential,"

This was so powerful to me. Yesterday when we visited the sunflower county freedom project, I saw this on the wall. This tells me that they feel as though they could reach their full potential if they were given the same opportunities. It's so sad that they do get to expand their horizons or to obtain the same education as the "white" kids. Even Dr. Hampton said that when she went to Mississippi, she felt as though she was stepping back into the 60's because of the segregation in the schools. It makes me appreciate the education that I have because I have opportunities that they will never have. They have opened my mind and my heart

Throughout this trip I have been feeling so open-minded. Seeing all the different schools, people, heroes, and places it has been so life changing. When we go to sites that are historic museums and sites that are not museums and thinking wow my children will not know about this because it will be gone when they are born. This trip makes me think that there are things even in my home that I can do to better the environment and keep the dream alive. Without this trip I would have never stepped outside my comfort zone.


Daavon, City College

More to the story

Today I learned that there is more to a story than people really know. I never knew about Dr. Sybil Hampton until today. She is very important to me because she was the first one to go to Little Rock all 3 years and graduate. She went through a lot just to even go to school. To be tortured every day, I know it was very hard for her. She is a warrior in my eyes, very strong! I wish a lot more people could actually here her story. Her strength, and the ambition she had to finish school was awesome, and I respect that. We should do more with what we have because we don't have to go through that just to get through the school day. The things people did to here was heroic. She is beautiful in all kinds of ways. Her personality, strength, just everything about her. She is awesome. I felt as though the things she went through is something I wouldn't have the strength to do. Im a very emotional person.  I just think its amazing what all of the people did.

Ant, City Neighbors 

King Memorials

For the past couple of days we've been in a number of different places and also had a number of different experiences , some good and some bad unfortunately , but my best experience was at the King Memorials because it was a good learning experience and also a good bounding experience and despite the accidents that occurred we all had a good time and learned some new things and got closer to people who we barely knew before this trip. My other favorite experience is when we had dinner with the activist , I like this experience because not only did we hear real live stories from people who was there on the front line of the civil rights movement , but we also got to experience some good southern food and I just loved the whole night ✌️

Another memory that I'll never lose is meeting all these new people and all the fun we've had this past week and we all don't wanna come home and me personally I will pay my own way to go on this trip in the spring! THIS IS THE BEST WEEK EVER !!!!!!!!!!

Daekwon, City Neighbors

Books

The day we visited Hollandale, MS and Sunflower County, MS was the most emotional day so far for me of the trip.  During the first half of the visit to Simmons High School, I sort of thought the school looked nicer than what I was expecting, but in the afternoon when I saw a class or two, I realized that at least some of their teachers did nothing but sit in the room silently as the kids colored and socialized.  I wasn't really struck, though, until we visited the Sunflower County Freedom project.  The Freedom Project is an after school and summer program for kids in the county who attend schools where there are extremely limited extra-curricular activities and very little preparation for college.  When talking to the kids, some of the questions we were asked to discuss included:

1. How many books do you have in your house?

2. What's a negative about your school?

When a few students' response to these questions were "no books" or "no books other than the bible" and "gang violence" or "the teachers are always on their cell phones," I felt incredibly disheartened about the state of schools in this country. I almost felt ashamed to answer those questions because I didn't want to ruin someone's reality or norm.  I also realized that while these schools in Mississippi are in need of help, so are many in Baltimore and that I should start seeking out those in order to make a difference in my own community. 

Ellie Stern, Park School 

Impact

Every day we hear from civil rights leaders. We hear about their lives, their struggles, their battles, the society they fought against and the world they hoped to build. But the most important part, the most impactful part isn't the description of their past; it's their hope for the future. They tell us the world could be better,  that there's more to do, that the world still needs changing and that we, this generation known for our texts and our tweets and our hashtags, are the only ones capable of changing it. Yesterday I talked to Vaish Shastry, the executive director for the Sunflower County Freedom Project, an after school program dedicated to educating 7th-12th graders. She described the system she teaches under. she described a system based off racist principles that should be more antiquated than blood letting but remain very, very real. At first I felt frustrated. I was disturbed as much by my own ignorance as by the misery of the system as a whole. After a day, I don't feel angry. All I feel is necessity. We are part of the United States and yet we remain in many aspects not simply divided, but segregated. I'd like to say I can promise to change things, to make the world a better place. All I can say is that I'll try to do something. Through phone calls and emails and petitions and organization and anything else I can think up to do, I will try to change something, to make the almost cliched statement "all men are created equal" as true in practice as it ought to be. I'm no genius. I follow more often than I lead and I'm not really all that brave, but I still believe I can part of the changes that need to happen. This trip let me understand that and I really don't have the literary skill or vocabulary to describe how much I appreciate it. To all the funders and supporters out there, you gave me something I really couldn't get anywhere else. 

Aharon, City College

Separate but equal

Yesterday we visited Simmons High School and The Sunflower County Freedom Project. It was eye opening to see the state of Simmons High School. The school was segregated and was almost all black kids and
had two or three white students.  The segregation was really frustrating to see because it is 2014 and schools are supposed to be completely integrated and yet the society of the Mississippi River Delta is so racially divided. The term "separate but equal" is so wrong that it boggles my mind people ever believed in it.
The students at Simmons were so nice and seemed to be completely normal, despite their educational shortcomings. It was great to see that the students were so driven to do the best they could given their
environment. The Sunflower Freedom Project was a breath of fresh air after seeing an area if such depression. The students at the project were so driven to get the best education they could so that they could
have a better life than their school could give them. It was a very emotional day because we all saw how fortunate we were to live in Baltimore and to go to good school where education is valued and teachers care about their students. This made me want to work harder at school and do the best I can to take advantage of all the opportunities I have been given. I am all the more determined to make sure that the lessons learned on the Civil Rights Tour are applied to something in my life.

Pauline, City College

Non-violence and Facing Adversity

1/22/14

One if the most interesting sorts of the civi rights movement is the use of non-violence. I have always wondered how the people who decided to take this path were able to accept the hatred and th punishment they received without retaliating. Today the first person spend all three years of high school at central high school Dr. Hampton talked to us and she said that in order to face adversity you have to understand yourself and be centered in your goal. Hearing her say this made me realize how much the activists how participated in the movement really cared about their cause, and it also made me reflect on myself a little and to try and take a first step towards addressing some of the inequalities I see in education now. My first step is to try and understand my self and then I will do what I can to learn about the educational system, with the goal to be able to do my part just as many brave people faced adversity using non-violence in the past.

​- Tony Cosby, Park School

A part of history

Today January 20 2014, Martin Luther King Jr., we have done a lot. We started our day in Selma, Alabama. We spent our morning in Selma with Ms.Joanne "Ma'am" Bland. While being in her presence we did many activities. The activity that we as a group did that really touched my heart was was when we picked up the rocks near the playground and she said that each rock was a rock from somebody who participated in the walk across the Edmund Pettus bridge. This really touched my heart by how she took us on the tour and made us reenact the history, which I believe is the best way or learning history. After we did this we went back to a church and listened to people talk about there experiences with crossing the bridge back in the day. After this we drove to to Montgomery, Alabama and learned about Dexter Ave. My biggest take away from the day I learned was that we are all apart of history and that we all have a role to play.

Brandon, City Neighbors

Great Bonds

The civil rights trip is a experience that creates great bonds amongst the participants and the people we speak to, because when you put it into is very easy to view our speakers almost as if they are  my grandmothers and grandfathers because .The  reason why I say this is because ,they were very engaged with their eye contact, and volume, .This allows me to connect with the speakers we have ,and makes me feel very sympathetic towards the struggles they endured for my freedom. This also resulted in a new found respect for my grandparents because I never understand what they went through or how strong they had to do such.

Tyonna Pearson, City Neighbors 

Small Differences

1/22/14

"Too many people are waiting for a big difference - it's the small differences that make a big difference." -  Dr. Sybil Hampton

Dr. Hampton was the first African-American student to graduate from Little Rock Central High School who spent their entire high school career at Central High. I was very touched by her her intellect and the enlightened retrospect with which she looked back on the years from 1959 to 1962, the years in which she was at the school. She explained that it was the small acts of kindness that got her through high school. For example, the white girl that shared her textbook with Sybil when she had forgotten hers consequently suffered death threats to her and her family from avid segregationists at the school. I've seen this type of advice before, but it's often difficult to relate quotes like this, no matter how inspirational, to concrete circumstances in our own lives. However, I responded to her advice more than I ever have before with similar quotes because she told us about the details of her struggle. It was inspirational to get advice from someone whose life we learned about and who has undergone more pain and exclusion than I ever will simply because of her race. "I pledged that I would not be in the world and not acknowledge people," she said. "Be courageous, my dear, and plan with people who are not like you." I recognized that even though I may not always feel the same same level of motivation and awareness that Sybil Hampton conveyed to me today, I know that if I make an effort to do small acts of support in whatever community I end up in, the empathy and understanding that I've learned so far on this trip will show through.

Eve, Park School

Volunteering

When we went to Little Rock Central High school. I was upset that certain events happen to black teenagers that volunteered to be at the white school. The black teens couldn't join any activities like the white teens at the school. Such as prom, sports, and clubs. In addition to that they would be made fun of, and be harass about everyday. The nine people that volunteered to be at that school were strong and didn't back down and give up. This story also gave me hope to not give up so easy and fight in what I believe in.

Christina Carter, City Neighbors High School

Segregated Schools

Upon reading about the problematic (STILL) segregated school system within Sunflower County- I didn't know what to expect from the students we would be meeting. For the first time on this trip, I am ashamed to say, I felt a bit concerned about the children we would be speaking with.

 In an article about the project it described the kids as rude, disrespectful, and downright unbearable. My thoughts after meeting them are the exact opposite. I'm really appalled how the author of the article had the audacity to place these kids in such a negative light. In fact, I would encourage anyone I knew to take a trip out to Mississippi if they ever got the opportunity to meet these kids and hear their story. 

I myself feel honored to have the kids of The Sunflower Freedom Project allow us to come into their learning environment and open up to us. I'm certain that they aren't able to tell their story nearly as much as they should be able to, as well as I'm aware that not enough people know about how truly inspiring these children are. 

It is known in America that our education system almost has more flaws than good assets. Although this is the case for every school, I realized that there was nothing worse than the situation the public city school students face in Sunflower County. 

But- these students do not let it get in the way of striving for a better education. Their situation is very similar to that of what Dr.Sybil Hampton experienced while attending high school. It seems like the kids within the Sunflower Freedom Project keep the same quote in mind when things get really tough: "I wanted to have a wonderful life- and I knew that education is the key for that." 

Carmela, City Neighbors 

Combating forces in society

When we talk about the Civil Rights Movement and making a difference, we usually think

about big things, movements that transform the country, and that's what I've been thinking

in terms of on this trip.  But what Dr. Sybil Hampton, one of the first Black students to

graduate from the previously all ­white Little Rock central High School, told us was that

that wasn't necessarily what would make the right kind of change.  She argued that

making change should be a person ­by ­person thing, much in the way that she helped

change the country by simply going to school each day.  When I asked Dr. Hampton

about what could be done to deal with some of the issues that we discussed, especially in

terms of education and moving young people out of the confines of their status in society,

she told me the answer was much simpler than what I wanted to hear.  She responded

that everyone should be able to channel an inner strength in order to combat the forces in

society that hold hem down, and lamented that young people in the Black community who

act in a way that shows they don't care and aren't interested in doing well for themselves. 

I was frankly a little frustrated hearing this and what bothered me was the unfairness of

Black people being held to a certain standard that whites don't have to be.  She pointed to

how she had managed to do so well for herself just because she believed so deeply in

her personal mission and goal to prove everyone wrong, and I responded in turn, pointing

out that she had a strong family behind her who was always there for her.  She

maintained what she had said: all it takes is one thing, one goal that can inspire you to

empower yourself to fight back.  As difficult as this was for me to accept at first, the idea

of each person, each teenager choosing not to give into to the forces against them, but

rather to draw an inner ­strength from them, is a wonderful one.  Dr. Hampton was able to

persevere in her own life because the hate and prejudice that surrounded her served as

her motivator for defying the odds and being the absolute best she could.  If Dr. Hampton

could survive three years of solitude, taunts, and threats, and go on to get a Ph.d and be

a person full of compassion and hope, then maybe anyone could find a way to lift

themselves up, no matter how desperate their circumstances.  Dr. Hampton is certainly

an incredible example of the power of something as small as self ­confidence and love,

even for the people that reject you for your race each day at school.  I've been

overwhelmed at times by what seems to be the impossible task of continuing the

unfinished work of the Civil Rights Movement, but Dr. Hampton's belief offers me hope

and it makes it all seem a little more doable. 

 Sara P., The Park School of Love

Blacks in Selma

I found it very fascinating that even in 2014 there are still places where black people in Selma AL can't go. After taking with a gentleman who was involved with the movement, I soon found out that if you were black you still could not go to certain schools or for certain peoples with the financial means, golf in certain places. And when I asked if they gave any valid reasons for this he told me they would just out right say that  didn't like black people. I just find so amazing that even after everything that has happened since the 60s that people still have hatred that they had in the 60s. How can people be so evil?

Christian, City College

Obstacles

Today we talked to the first african american students to graduate from high school, having completed all three years. That person is Dr. Sybil Hampton. Today she made it very clear that there is no reason or excuse not to be successful. When she was in school she had very little at her disposal and had to adjust to life. As a student trying to integrate schools she had to be very clear about what she was trying to do and became everything they wanted to be and more. I have everything and every resource imaginable and I some how make excuses for my short comings. But I really have no right to. I just realized that I really need to do better, the only obstacle in my life is myself.

Christian, City College

Education Inequalities

Today we visited two Little Rock high schools, the first.  First we toured historic Little Rock Central high school, than we stopped by Dunbar High School.  Little Rock Central’s building was magnificent, built in 1920 for 1.5 million dollars it was the most expensive American high school to date.  Dunbar was constructed in the 1950’s, using funds of .5 million dollars left over from the building of Central High.  The stark difference between the two was that Central high was designed as a white school and Dunbar a black school in segregated Arkansas.   This fact was evident through many facets of the two schools, Central was bigger, more extravagant and better maintained, while Dunbar had police security and had a more modest appearance.  The importance of Little Rock Central is that it was the first Little Rock high school to be desegregated in the 1950’s.  The famous Little Rock nine and others after them trail blazed the path for integration, persevering through harsh racism and radical hatred from there classmates in order to complete high school.  We met with Cybil Hampton after touring Little Rock central who extrapolated upon her experience in integration.  She emphasized the power of hope and pursuing change. All in all, today built upon my previous knowledge of segregated America.  The struggles of integration were emphasized.  I left with the sentiment that one must work to affect positive change.  

Ben Busch, Park School 

Little Rock and Priorities

Today we saw two high schools in Little Rock: the crown jewel of the Arkansas school system, Central High School, and the premiere black high school of Little Rock, Dunbar High School. These two schools were both beautiful schools. However, central high school was roughly 3 times the size and cost way more to build. It was built first and Dunbar was built as an after thought using the leftover designs and styles of Central. This inequality shows the priorities of law makers in Arkansas in the early 20th century. It's quite oblivious that any student and any teacher would prefer to go to school at Central and this is unfair. However, it's important to know that the lower priorities need education too.  Education is the solution to injustice. I am too tired to complete this thought process. I'll write more midnight ramblings soon.

Sam, Park School 

Freedom Project

Yesterday we went to the Sunflower County Freedom Project. There we met kids that were black that were in an area where the school system is still segregated. We were broken into groups and answered some questions. Some questions were about books and how many you have. I know I have a lot of books, but in my room about 60+. One kid then said the only book in his house was his bible. I then felt guilty for having so many books. Also because I haven't read most of them I felt like that would have benefited more than me. Also I realize a lot of the were had a better work ethic than me with their situation. It caused me to want to work harder in school because I know I can do better. Aubriana Strickland, City College

Powerful Moments

So far on this trip, the most intriguing and powerful moments have been the visits to various schools in Mississippi and Arkansas. The first school in Mississippi was Simmons High School, an all black school with fairly run-down facilities. Driving to the school, I had the notion that it would be an extremely depressing and saddening experience, yet it ended up being the most fun I have had all trip. The school was not much worse than my school, Baltimore City College, in terms of facilities, and I found it quite equitable to my school in many manners. The students however were the most shocking aspect--rather than being upset and discouraged by their circumstances, they were extremely humorous and positive about the bleakness of their surroundings. 

The visit to Sunflower County evoked a similar response from me as well. The children of the Sunflower County Freedom Project knew of the segregation and backwardness of their society, yet remained positive and driven to gain an education no matter what. I never once found myself pitying the children because they were not discouraged by their circumstances--I spent the majority of the time talking to an eighth grader about the future she desires, and found her to be much more ambitious and driven than I am. The children were also extremely intelligent and fully knew of the segregation within their communities.

In Arkansas, we visited Little Rock Central High, home of the Little Rock 9, and compared it with the Dunbar High School--the school built for blacks during times of segregation. There was an obvious size difference between the two (Central High was three times as large due to the amount of money given to a white school over the black school) and simply displayed the racial discrimination evident at the times of building the schools. I was very interested in the present day segregation within the thoroughly integrated school of Central High because of its direct relation to Baltimore City College. We were told that within the school, all of the AP classes were majority white or international students whereas the regular classes contained most of the black students--the same may be found at City because the full IB students are predominantly white whereas certificate and non-IB students are generally black. Despite integration of schools, this inherent segregation can still be seen. The only way for this to be solved is, in my opinion, to make IB and AP more accessible to black students rather than seem exclusive. I would like to help advocate for full IB to more of our prospective black students at City to ensure a growth in population of black full IB students.

Anika, City College