The Civil Rights Movement is part of what allows me and my family to vote and have more opportunities. It is still surprising to me to learn more about this in my 20's and realize that I was not taught about these events more thoroughly in grade-school. I still see parallels in what was happening back then in history and what is happening now, and it makes me sad that we have not irradiated institutional racism in our country. At the same time I am glad we are progressing, but at times I feel we are replaying history due to the lack of education about our past and the blind eye many Americans turn to the racial divide in our country.

Working with BTE and doing service with high schoolers at Trenton High West has shown me the disparities in the quality of education my students get compared to children in affluent neighborhoods. One of the efforts of the civil rights movement was better education for students of color. Even today you can see the disparity in the educational systems, and the lack of resources students in urban areas have. I want my students to be able to get the same education and have equal opportunity as other students. I also wish to students around the country to get a clear education on the history of our country and to have a multicultural curriculum integrated into their schooling. If students can learn history through the lens of the minorities in this country then perhaps they'll have a more open-minded approach to individuals of other ethnicities and backgrounds. I want my students to know from an early age how critical the individuals that fought for our rights are. I want ALL students to understand how crucial the individuals that fought for our rights are.

I hope to learn more from the Atlanta Trip to spread this knowledge with students I mentor. I look forward to learning more about the history of Atlanta!

Pre-Atlanta Reflection

In Atlanta, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the history of the Civil Rights movement and how the effects of that era influence race relations in the South today. I have never been to the South outside of the New Orleans Bonner trip last year, and NOLA is distinct from the other Southern states. I would like to understand the legacy of Jim Crow in Atlanta, a city of the Old South that has become one of the largest metropolitan areas in the US today. I will reflect on and compare my experience in Atlanta versus my time in New Orleans last year.

I would also like to gain a deeper understanding of why the Civil Rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s succeed in producing legislation that banned, on paper, the inequalities that had until then been legal fact in this country. It is fascinating to me how white Americans reacted in the 1960s, versus in the 1920s or earlier when black Americans had agitated for equal rights. Why did what we know as "The" Civil Rights movement succeed where previous civil rights movements (notably in the 1920s) failed? It would interesting to compare the differences in the methods used by activists, as well as the varied reactions from white Americans over time. In addition, the comparison could extend to the current Black Lives Matter movement.

Pre-Atlanta Post

The United States has been continuously dealing with divisions and inequalities in regards to race. In light of recent political and social events, violence and investigations on minority individuals have become more present in the social media and television. Tensions are gradually growing and worsening as time progresses. I hope this trip to Atlanta with my fellow Bonners will shed some light on how people in the South are combating such issues. Additionally, it will be interesting to see how the Morehouse College Bonner operates.

From a young age, this generation has gone over the civil rights movement at least once a year in their elementary, middle, and high school history classes. While we know the logistics and history of the movement, we have never really experienced the heart and sense of community in the areas that fought strongly for civil rights; and I hope that this trip will show me at least a small portion of it.

Pre-Service Reflection- Atlanta Trip

As students we often hear a lot about civil rights, and in particular the Civil Rights Movement; and yet, I believe we are missing important elements. I think traveling to Atlanta and visiting places such as Morehouse College, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and The King Center can help with providing me with more context as well has historical data concerning civil rights in the US, as well as the topic of human rights on the global scale. Through this trip, I hope to get a better understanding of how the Civil Rights Movement played a pivotal role in the mid-Twentieth Century, and the progress we have made thus far, while still recognizing the problems remaining in our society (and world), and how we as agents of social change can make structural differences, especially as recognize that sites of domination can also be used as sites of resistance, such as in education, which we all will be participating through our enrichment activities.

I believe that as a Black American my history is connected to and has been influenced by Black Americans of the the Civil Rights Movement. I am indebted and appreciative of the work that those before me have done, and the opportunities that I have been given henceforth. The struggle concerning civil rights is extremely relevant and connects to my service because during the Civil Rights Movement, and even today, individuals are still challenging the status quo that often perpetuates and reinforces inequality and injustice. I am particularly interested in the issues concerning the environment and food security, and believe that just as those in the Civil Rights Movement were fighting for and serving a community, through my service I believe that I also participate in resistance against structural inequalities related to hunger and poverty. I continue to learn through my service better ways to serve my community, in which I am part and have an interest. I think that the individuals of the Civil Rights Movement as well as social movements today demonstrate the power of individuals, especially through grassroots mobilization, as well as the significance and necessity to uplift our local communities.

PreTrip Reflection

Through this trip, I hope to learn more about the history of African Americans in the United States. There is so much to learn, but not many places to find it especially growing up in school systems where we learn about the white man’s perspective of the black man’s life. I’ve done a lot of research and taken classes that focus on where the injustices in the United States have stemmed from, but while in Atlanta, I hope to be able to see where some of these events took place. It’s one thing to read in a textbook or on the computer about events that took place, but it’s a different experience to place yourself in the environment where they took place and stand where past activists have stood. While in Atlanta, I hope to learn more about the events that took place in Georgia and be able to visit some of the locations where those events took place. It’d an experience I’d never forget.

For me personally, I think the prevalence of segregation is what affects me the most. There are still so many schools and cities that are segregated to this day. The history of segregation is also something that was hidden in laws like the GI Bill by providing resources like homes and tuition money for returning veterans, but really it was only offered to white veterans. Entire communities were built for families of returning veterans, but black veterans were not allowed to live there. Instead they were forced into dense, inner city housing. Quality and affordable housing is an issue area that I’m very passionate about. Working with HomeFront has helped me to see how that also affects families and individuals outside of inner city communities as well. HomeFront is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent homelessness. There are mostly Trenton residents in the program who are black, latinx, and Hispanic. HomeFront provides funding to help their clients pay rent and other bills and they provide housing for clients and families who were evicted or were homeless. Their housing is spread out in Ewing, Lawrence, and Trenton, which I appreciate because it gives their clients exposure to a new environment. HomeFront also does a great job with keeping the youth in their program active by providing activities and transportation to those activities. This is another aspect of their program that I appreciate because they keep all aspects of their families lives in mind when planning programs and events. I really enjoy my site and service.