Dear Friends, Family and Colleagues:
 
These are extremely troubling times.
Minnijean Brown Trickey on Sojourn

 
Sixty years have passed since my fellow members of the Little Rock Nine and I were accompanied by 1,000 soldiers from the Army's 101st Airborne Division into Central High School; we faced screaming mobs and daily torment for our efforts to desegregate the school.  Yet, today schools are more segregated than ever, and the achievement gap between white students and students of color continues to grow. 

Also alarming is the fact that over the past year we have witnessed the increased visibility and violence of white supremacy and hate organizations to near-historic levels.  As the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death approaches, we need to recall his messages more than ever:  "Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity." 

We desperately need to learn and spread the lessons of the civil rights movement today, and we need the engagement of young people in their communities to stand up to the injustices we know are on the rise.  

I am so grateful there is an organization like Sojourn to the Past, which brings our students to the Deep South to hear about and trace the steps of the movement from its veterans.   Students interact with the leaders who have devoted their lives to achieving  social justice through nonviolent ways, and feel the lessons in a visceral way that cannot be captured in any textbook.  Something magical and inspiring happens to each student when he or she hears the firsthand experiences of speakers and learn how they can be a voice for change.

I have been involved with Sojourn almost since its inception in 1999, having been on 86 trips with about 8,500 students.   I have seen impressive changes to the students as a result of the trip, including an increased sense of empowerment to affect change, increased confidence in their academic skills, a heightened understanding of America's diverse races and cultures, and increased community engagement post-trip. 

Where Are They Now? - With Sojourn Alumni Sarah Funes
We need to provide the many interested students across this nation the opportunity to take this journey and learn from those who put their lives on the line for justice.

I hope you will join me with your contribution to ensure all students, regardless of ability to pay, can participate in this transformative trip!
 
In Peace,
Minnijean Brown Trickey

P.S. Please use the forward button below to share this appeal with those you know who believe in the promise of our youth. 


We invite you to make a meaningful gift to Sojourn :
 
-$30 will provide two texts fundamental to student participation in Sojourn. ( Walking with the Wind by John Lewis and Elizabeth and Hazel by David Margolick). 
 
-$100 will provide the curricular binder with rich primary source documents and the texts for one student.
 
-$500  will provide all the curriculum resources, museum and historical site entrance fees, as well as funding speaker fees for our Civil Rights Movement veterans. 

-$650 will cover the roundtrip airfare for one participant.

-$1500 will provide a partial scholarship for a student in need wishing to participate in the journey, and pay enrollment fees for them to receive three transferable college units.  

-$3000 will provide a full scholarship covering all costs associated with the journey for a student in need wishing to participate. 
Please Donate Now
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