Studying the Civil Rights Movement Up Close

During Penn Charter’s inaugural trip to explore the history of the Civil Rights Movement, 16 Upper School students and four chaperones journeyed through Memphis, Tenn., to examine the culture and lessons of the fight for racial equality.

Organized by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the trip provided credit for those working toward a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice certificate but was also open to other interested Upper School students.

In the Withers Collection & Museum, students saw Ernest Withers' powerful photography of both civil rights and musical icons, including Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King and Elvis Presley. The Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated—now the National Civil Rights Museum—traces civil rights in the United States from the 17th century to the present. The group considered images of King in his hotel room preparing for his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech—the last speech he would give, in which he called for unity and nonviolent protest in support of Memphis’ striking sanitation workers.

Other museums told powerful stories ranging from lynchings to freedom riders. Students connected what they had learned in school to stories their grandparents had told, as well as to these newly-lived experiences, and they journaled about their feelings. In conversations, they described the “heavy air” in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum but also the hope and resilience it stirred within them.

Identifying key events, people and places from the Civil Rights Movement provided an opportunity to frame current conversation about the pursuit of equity, inclusion and justice in the U.S. In making connections to current social, cultural and political landscapes, the groups discussed topics like the impact of Roe vs. Wade, equal pay for women in the workforce, and the LGBTQ community and health care.

In lighter, unstructured moments, the group made s’mores and played cards by a fire pit, rode non-motorized scooters around Memphis and enjoyed soul food.

“We got to know each other and bonded as a group,” said Antonio Williams, director of diversity, equity and inclusion. “People who never talked to each other at school were now sitting together laughing and enjoying these connected, deep experiences.”

Williams and Shahidah Kalam Id-Din, Upper School English teacher and co-coordinator of the DEIJ certificate program, crafted this interdisciplinary trip designed for students to further explore themes of American identity taught in PC’s history and English curricula.

TOP CAPTION: The historic I AM A MAN Plaza honors the Memphis sanitation workers who protested working conditions in 1968, as well as the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.