Day 21: Greensboro, NC - Richmond, VA

Miles today: 200
Miles total: nearly 4,000 in 21 days!

Today, we headed back to Richmond. The end of the course is always bittersweet. Students are excited to move on to their summer plans - travel, internships, work, or enrolling in other classes - and to not live out of their duffel bags any longer (suitcases are not allowed on the trip; there's no room in the van for them!). Brian and I are always excited to read their journals and final projects, which gives us another space to reflect on the trip and what the students took from it.

In our parting discussion with the students, we returned to one of the main themes of the trip - what the CR movement has accomplished and what is left to do. We envision the trip as a space for students not only to learn about Civil Rights history, but also to grapple with how activism and working toward social justice and issues of equality for all people will factor into their lives. I have begun to read their student journals, and the sites that meant the most to them were those that connect past and present activism - namely Highlander, which continues to work on issues of environmental justice, poverty, and immigration, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which continues to monitor and prosecute hate groups across the U.S. I hope this leaves them well-poised to integrate their historical knowledge into present-day activism...