I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the civil rights movement in this country. In school, although I have been exposed to a few aspects of African American history, I was never taught about this movement in terms of social justice and civil rights advancement- more so as an objective history lesson that doesn’t necessarily apply to today. This could not be farther from the truth, as evident by the daily media posts portraying yet another African American individual/ person of color suffering within racially biased institutions. Moreover, the same mediums of oppression are used to marginalize any individual in this country that does not fit the cookie cutter “True America ideal” of white, heterosexual, cisgender, middle/upper class males. It’s important to learn about how civil rights have been won in the past and how we can be agents of change in applying them today- which is what i hope to gain from this trip. I know I wont be transformed within the span of 5 days, or learn everything, but it’s certainly a great enrichment opportunity.

I remember reading a passage (though i can’t recall from where) that nonprofits are inherently problematic in that their existence stems from the government’s failure to provide the necessary services for populations of its constituents. After watching Selma, I was reminded of this when reflecting on my service as a Bonner. Much of the service we do, as helpful to the community as it is, will not result in institutional change. What we do as Bonner volunteers is facilitating the non profits/ organization in providing services and advancing the community amid a political climate where resources are left scarce. It’s important that we recognize the underlying issues that create an environment where the places we volunteer at are necessary to support marginalized individuals. What we, as bonners, can do is recognize the potential we have in creating institutional change- which is done through exercising our rights as citizens and demanding legislative changes. By leaning about civil rights movements and leaders of the past, we can apply similar frameworks to the present day with the goal of attaining social justice.