Personal reflection on a life-changing trip

By Sophia Riccio ‘26

Students join chaperone Mr. Maxime Sinal for a photo during the Civil Rights trip to Alabama during Spring Break.

The Civil Rights Trip was an extraordinary educational spectacle. The week I spent in Alabama opened my eyes and shed light onto important issues that needed to be addressed. Through this experience, I was provided with bountiful engaging activities and integral conversations, both of which enhanced my knowledge of the history of development of our country. Not only was this incredible experience educationally, but it was enjoyable as well.

While on this journey, I was able to make connections with new people and create friendships as well. Being crammed in a tight van was most certainly inconvenient and annoying at times, but regardless, the conversations in that van created memories that I’ll never forget. Not only were there different viewpoints and perspectives on various topics shared in that van, but laughs as well. The laughs shared in that van were an experience in themselves.

The first day was the most grueling day. Hearing my alarm go off at 4:30 a.m triggered an array of emotions. Feelings of confusion, annoyance, excitedness, and eagerness rushed through my mind. As a night person, I despised needing to be up that early in the morning, but the excitement within me pushed me through it. Running on four hours of sleep is a difficult task, but having motivation is an easy way to get through it.

Everything was worth it once we exited the gates of the Atlanta airport. As soon as the Atlanta air brushed against my face I knew I was bound to be enlightened. As quickly as we left the plane, we were thrown right back into a tiny van. The drive from Atlanta to Mongomery was brutal, but oh so worth it. Walking through the doors of The Legacy Museum was like seeing through a window to the past. The building filled with insightful, yet horrifying facts was beautiful and disgusting at the same time. Anyone with the slightest bit of humanity would assume that the facts portrayed were bogus, but they were nothing but the naked truth. Every display inside of The Legacy Museum was perfectly executed. The effort put out to create this museum was clear as day. Every exhibit was filled with overwhelming amounts of emotion, passion, and justice. The Legacy Museum was, in my opinion, the most moving museum we visited while on this trip.

Though astounding, that was only one of the many incredible places we visited on our trip. Another mind-altering location we stopped at was the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the end point of the Bloody Sunday March. Bloody Sunday took place on Sunday, March 7, 1965. It was a 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery which took place over the span of about five days. The deep-rooted meaning behind the bridge was apparent. While walking over and standing under the bridge the group and I felt extremely moved. Seeing the old racial history combined with the modern racial history, shown with graffiti which painted the whole underside of the bridge, was an eye-catching sight. Unjust, yet infested with passion and a desperation for justice.

Being able to see through others’ eyes and be informed of what others had experienced was an opportunity I’m glad I didn’t pass up. My vision is clearer now and I know more than I did going into this trip. It’s terrible that people had to go through this in order for our country to improve, but there’s no way to alter the past. If I’ve learned anything from this trip it is that we, as people, need to learn from the past to better our future. That is the only way our country will prosper.