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.