WHY EVERY 8TH GRADE CLASS Should Go to Alabama We are grateful for the permission to reprint this piece which originally was published on Medium.com. Mia Henry’s work is an embodiment of all our PEN Principles, but particularly to “amplify students’ voice, agency, conscience, and intellect to create a more equitable, just, and sustainable world.” Thank you for your leadership and vision, Mia. — by Mia Henry
Artifacts and symbols of our democracy may reside in D.C., but the struggle for America to live up to its ideals is found in the Heart of Dixie.
8th grade students from the San Francisco School with Civil Rights Movement Veteran Joanne Bland in Selma. They are holding up stones from the original pavement where activists began the 1965 Voting Rights March. Image Credit: Nancy Nagramada
Each year, thousands of American eighth grade students from across the nation take a class trip to Washington, D.C. The impact of those trips can be life changing, especially as young people bond with classmates and prepare to chart different paths toward high school and adulthood. While a trip to D.C. is considered a rite of passage for many, I believe that student travel to Alabama can better tell a story of the United States that speaks to today’s youth.
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PEN The Journal of the Progressive Education Network Summer 2022
