Beloved Community Journey 2026

Setting the Vessel: From Greensboro to the Magic City

Our pilgrimage begins at the Meeting House, embarking on a day of shared travel. Our time on the coach is dedicated to building our beloved community through participant introductions, curated programming, and expectant silence that centers our hearts and minds for the witness work ahead.

After our opening dinner, we check into the historic Hampton Inn and Suites Birmingham Downtown–Tutwiler. This 1914 architectural landmark offers more than just rest--its 13 stories overlook a seven-acre city park with its own complex racial history, an early opportunity to reflect on the layers of the American South and the country as a whole.

Bearing Witness to the Foot Soldiers

We learn firsthand from the lived experience of Houston Brown, a pioneering lawyer and now-retired jurist. His powerful personal and community stories reveal Birmingham and its history. And, he introduces us to a childhood friend and neighbor who invites us into her home and shares the story of her legendary civil rights attorney father.

We break for lunch at the vibrant Pizitz Food Hall, in a landmark of Jewish immigrant heritage.

Having watched Spike Lee's 4 Little Girls documentary, on our journey, standing at the hallowed ground of 16th Street Baptist Church, where Addie May Collins, Carol Denise McNair, Carole Rosamond Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley lost their lives, offers a profound moment of witness.

At Kelly Ingram Park, we commemorate the young people who faced fire hoses and police dogs.

We walk across the street to explore the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. 

We journey to Selma, where we stand in the quiet power of Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church. More than a house of worship, this was the "nerve center" where the 1965 voting rights campaign was breathed into life. From there, we join our steps together to walk the  Edmund Pettus Bridge. As we crest the arch of the bridge, we retrace the literal and spiritual path of the "Bloody Sunday" marchers—moving from the shadow of state-sanctioned violence toward the light of a transformed democracy.

Our pilgrimage follows the marchers' trail into Montgomery, the "Cradle of the Confederacy" turned "Cradle of Civil Rights." Ms. Teresa at J.W. Beverette's Soul Food nourishes our stomachs and our hearts over dinner before we retreat to our home for the next two nights: the Hampton Inn & Suites. This elegant 1928 landmark, nestled in the historic heart of the city, sits just steps from the Alabama River—a silent witness to both the arrival of enslaved people and the birth of a movement.

The Weight of Memory and the Current of Hope

Today, we bear witness to the legacy of enslavement and to the hard work of repair and reconciliation.

The Legacy Museum is situated where enslaved people were once warehoused; it's not a place for casual observation, but rather a space for deep listening.

We find a different kind of sanctuary in Mama’s Sack Lunches (as they say, "be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people"). The simple act of sharing a meal becomes a restorative ritual--a reminder that even in the shadow of injustice, community and kindness are powerful acts of resistance. 

We board a small boat for a 15-minute journey along the Alabama River--the same dark waters that carried steamboats filled with human "cargo."

At the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, we stand among towering artworks and ponder the 150-foot long National Monument to Freedom etched with the names of thousands who claimed their liberty..

At the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, beneath the 800 hanging steel columns--each representing a county where a lynching occurred--the loss becomes visceral. We stand in the sacred silence, honoring those whose lives were taken and acknowledging our collective responsibility to remember.

We trace the decade bookended by the 1955 bus boycott and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march and follow in the footsteps of those heroes at Montgomery Square, opened in March 2026.

We learn about the inspiring work of Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) on contemporary racial justice issues from child incarceration to the death penalty.

We end our day steps from our hotel at the iconic Dreamland BBQ. Amidst the scent of hickory smoke and the clatter of plates, we gather to nourish our bodies and find sustenance in community.

Mapping the Moral Arc: Power, Prayer, and Playlists

We begin the morning at the Civil Rights Memorial Center, we see through-lines from 20th-century civil rights movements to 21st-century racial justice struggles and touch the black granite of the Maya Lin-designed memorial where water flows over the names of martyrs.

At Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, we hear how Dr. King came to Montgomery and answered the call to help lead the bus boycott.

Standing in the shadow of the Alabama State Capitol, where "segregation forever" was once a rallying cry, we witness the landscape of memory as we contrast the state's official monuments with the raw, reclaimed beauty of the Mothers of Gynecology sculpture a mile away but a world apart in its celebration of Black female resilience and hidden history.

Our journey then turns towards Atlanta. We draw inspiration from the artifacts and videos of the visitor center at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. We pay our respects at the Historic Ebenezer sanctuary, site of Dr. King's funeral, and at the King tomb, reflected in the stillness of the blue pool.

Hosted by the amazing Ricci de Forest, we leap into Black entrepreneurship at a hidden gem, Madam C.J. Walker's Beauty Shoppe and WERD. We hear the vinyl spinning at the nation's first Black-owned radio station and celebrate the boundary-breaking legacy of America's first female self-made millionaire.

In addition to our major stops outlined above, we'll also be pointing out (if not always visiting) other sites.

And, we'll have evening gatherings for reflection and sharing as well as other more impromptu opportunities.

Please note itinerary details are subject to change.

The journey doesn’t start at the bus steps. We convene for a pre-trip informational and community-building session (with virtual options for those at a distance). After our return, we host a post-trip potluck to reconnect and to process the experience.

The learning continues as participants join an informal network of all our racial justice travel groups to share articles and other resources, attend lectures and exhibits (for those local), and otherwise connect around racial justice topics.

For Anthony, the American South is both home and a living classroom. A particular calling is found on the bus, supporting immersive racial justice experiences that have transformed the perspectives of hundreds of student and adult participants.

His Background: Education and Service

Since 2002, he has served the Carolina Friends School community in various teaching and leadership roles—including Director of Advancement, Director of Extended Learning, and now founding head of the Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Anthony earned baccalaureate degrees magna cum laude in History and in International Relations and an Asian Studies Certificate at American University and then completed an M.A. in History and received Phi Beta Kappa honors at Emory University.

He's worked as a teacher (in subjects including U.S. history, government and politics, debate, and economics), college counselor, and advisor at Holland Hall School (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Raleigh Charter High School, Durham Academy, and CFS.

Anthony has served in leadership, advisory, and advocacy roles for non-profits and professional organizations, including Student U, Junior Leadership Durham, Youth Leadership Tulsa, Youth Services of Tulsa, GLSEN, Habitat for Humanity, and the Southern and National Associations for College Admission Counseling.

On the Road: Building the Beloved Community

This Arkansas native's passion for “transformational travel learning” is rooted in his own upbringing and professional journey. Some three decades of research and teaching has focused on the post-World War II intersection of race, culture, and politics. He’s helped create and lead racial justice-focused bus tours of the South for high schoolers and for adults and Durham civil rights programs for students and for adults. Each May he spends a week helping guide CFS Middle Schoolers on a civil rights experience in Alabama and Georgia.

Anthony’s goal is to move beyond names and dates to reveal the human stories that define our collective memory and foster Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community.

Brenda Esch is the pastoral minister at New Garden Friends Meeting. She's passionate about supporting individuals on their spiritual journeys and deepening connections within the Meeting and among its neighbors, near and far.

Prior to returning to Greensboro, Brenda was Head of School at Friends School of Wilmington (NC) from 2012 to 2023. She is currently a trustee at Pendle Hill, a Quaker study, retreat, and conference center in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

Brenda earned a B.A. in Religious Studies with a related field of English at Guilford College and an M.Ed. in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she completed coursework in pastoral care at the Earlham School of Religion.

A longtime Friend and daughter of Quaker leaders Keith and Virginia Esch, Brenda grew up at West Richmond (Indiana) Friends Meeting and attended New Garden while a Guilford student. Her adult children, Annie and Ryland, both live in Pennsylvania. Brenda loves live music and is an avid walker, often accompanied by her pup Bixby.

This is not a traditional sightseeing tour nor an extended lecture, but rather an intentional community of inquiry.

• Expert Facilitation: Led by a seasoned historian guide with the voices of local experts and activists, we engage in deep-dive discussions that connect historical sites to contemporary issues.
• Reflection: We integrate periods of silence and group reflection, allowing the weight of our surroundings to inform our personal and professional growth.
• Connection and Joy: We find rejuvenation through shared meals, conversation, and community.
• Co-Creation: We each share our questions, knowledge, and inspiration--with vulnerability, with courage, with open-heartedness--and thereby shape the experience for everyone.
• Impact: Together, we allow the weight of the sites we visit and the people we meet to transform our collective understanding and empower us to be more aware and engaged back at home.

History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history. James Baldwin

Here's what past racial justice trip participants have had to say....

I feel transformed. Not sure where I'm going to land after this experience, but know I won't be the same person as I was before the trip.

What was most meaningful for me were the visceral experiences of being in these places, standing on the ground where they happened, understanding on a more encompassing level the magnitude and depth of our racial history and the unhealed individual and national wounds we can't continue to ignore.

I did some grieving and alot of gratitude practices as I moved through each site. I found hope in meeting and hearing from people who lived through these times and also ones who are currently and continually working on the goal of racial equity.

Participants shared personal stories of overcoming hardships and discrimination, of meeting hatred with love, and provided real time models that are so inspiring! I felt trusted with their tender experiences. I felt challenged to explore myself and new ideas and I felt safe to say my truths. Thank you one and all.

I’ve always been interested in the Civil Rights Movement, but there is no substitute for actually walking the Bloody Sunday bridge, standing on the corner where Rosa got on that bus, and visiting the church where Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up. It’s an experience that will change anybody’s life, no matter how much or how little you already know about the Movement. 

The past came alive for us, tears fell, and lives changed. I gained incredible knowledge…and made a commitment to work for justice, equality, and human rights in whatever ways I can. Everyone should take advantage of this transforming journey. 

This is a powerful trip that should be experienced by as many people as possible. 

I now feel more authentic in my effort to join with others to do what my heart always wished to do. What a gift.

The $1,600 tuition includes:

• transportation via air-conditioned charter coach
• four nights of double-occupancy hotel lodging*
• all meals except a packed lunch on Day 1 and a Birmingham lunch
• all admission fees and guest speaker honoraria
• chauffeur gratuity
• on-board live and multi-media programming
• resource materials about tour destinations, civil rights history, contemporary social justice issues, and other relevant topics
• the services of an experienced historian and tour leader

* individual rooms are available for a supplement (to be finalized as soon as possible in April--it has been approximately $500 in past years]

The tuition does not include:

• optional evening or other activities
• room service and other hotel incidentals
• alcohol with a meal
• trip/travel insurance

The $600 trip deposit, due upon application, is non-refundable unless we reach capacity and can fill your space. The balance (and any single room supplement) is due Wednesday 20 May 2026.

However, we're glad to work with you on alternative financial arrangements.

We'd love to have you and a diverse group of participants "get on board" for this powerful personal and community journey. We may have some tuition assistance funds available to support individuals who couldn't afford to go otherwise.

If you're in a position to do so, a tax-deductible gift added to the overall tuition amount can increase our program funds and expand access. Thanks for your consideration!

We have now reached capacity, but encourage you to submit your registration via this Google form for the waitlist (with no financial obligation). It isn't uncommon that one or more registrants has to withdraw in the months before a trip and we hate to have a spot go unfilled when someone has been interested. 

We hope you'll also consider other transformational travel-learning opportunities--for example, the two-day Fall 2026 Racial Myth & Memory experience in Wilmington and the Spring 2027 American Musical Journey to Memphis and Mississippi.

If you have questions about mobility demands or other tour particulars, please contact one of the following:

• Brenda Esch, New Garden Friends Meeting, brenda @ ngfm.org
• Anthony L. Clay, Carolina Friends School, ExtendedLearning@cfsnc.org

If you'd like us to keep you updated on other transformational travel-learning offerings, please complete this brief notification form. 

Explore the history of Quakerism by retracing the 17th-century footsteps of George Fox, founder of the Religious Society of Friends--and of Margaret Fell, an early supporter and later his wife--through the beautiful Lake District of northern England.

And, find adventure, learning, and reflection in community. In addition to being a nourishing experience for us individually, the Journey is a wonderful way to deepen relationships and build a stronger sense of community among F/friends and Friends institutions.

Learn more about the Quaker Journey.

If you'd like us to keep you updated on other transformational travel-learning offerings, please complete this brief notification form. 

Beloved Community Journey participants and other curious adults can join an immersion experience in Wilmington, exploring historical and contemporary aspects of race through three themes...

• Gullah Geechee and other African-Americans in coastal Carolina 
• the 1898 Wilmington race massacre
• Black Lives Matter and other racial justice efforts

...at multiple historic sites...

• Poplar Grove Plantation
• Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design
• 1898 Monument and Memorial Park
• University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Learn more about Racial Myth and Memory: A Wilmington Case Study.

If you'd like us to keep you updated on this or other travel-learning opportunities, please complete this brief notification form. 

Explore the connections between race and the rich musical history and traditions--blues, gospel, country, rock, and more--in Memphis and Mississippi.

We'll fly in and out of Memphis and use a comfortable charter bus during our stay. We'll also enjoy distinctive cuisine from local places like The Rendezvous, serving barbecue since 1948.

We'll search out live music (on Beale Street and beyond) and meet music historians and performers.

And, if we're lucky, we might be able to catch a special musical event (for example, Clarksdale's Birthplace of American Music Festival or Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival).

Memphis

We'll visit the legendary Sun Studio, Elvis' Graceland home, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum, the Blues Hall of Fame Museum, and the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated).

Mississippi 

We'll:

• experience diverse musical genres at the GRAMMY Museum in Cleveland
• follow the Blues Trail, including stops at the
  • B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola
  • Delta Blues Museum and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art in Clarksdale
  • Gateway to the Blues Museum in Tunica
• cross the Mighty Mississippi into Arkansas for the Delta Cultural Center in Helena (home to radio's fabled King Biscuit Blues Time).

We'll also:

• learn about 14-year-old Emmett Till around Greenwood
• visit the Mound Bayou Museum in the country's oldest all-Black municipality, founded in 1887
• be inspired by the activism of the late Fannie Lou Hamer in Mound Bayou and her hometown of Ruleville.