NOLA Journey 2028

Masks, Memory, and the Crescent City

New Orleans is a city of layers, where the "myth" of the easy-going Big Easy often masks a reality of profound resistance. Our journey takes us beyond the tourist facade to explore how the African Diaspora transformed the Crescent City into a sanctuary of soul and self-determination.

Sacred Ground and Spiritual Roots

Our pilgrimage begins at Congo Square, where in the 18th and 19th centuries, enslaved and free people could legally gather on Sundays. We stand on this sacred ground to witness how the preservation of African rhythms in the face of bondage gave birth to Jazz—the ultimate American expression of freedom.

Just steps away, we visit St. Augustine (established in 1841), the oldest African American Catholic parish in the country, where the "War of the Pews" saw free people of color buy seating for the enslaved to ensure they could worship in dignity.

A Monument to Free People of Color

We walk through the oldest Black neighborhood in America. Tremé, more than just a collection of historic shotgun houses. At Le Musee de f.p.c. and the New Orleans African American Museum, we unearth the sophisticated history of gens de couleur libres (free people of color)—entrepreneurs, activists, and intellectuals who challenged the racial hierarchy long before the 20th century.

The Pageantry of Protection

We dive into the vibrant, "high-stepping" traditions that define the city’s pulse. At the Backstreet Cultural Museum, the New Orleans Jazz Museum, and the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, we learn how Mardi Gras Indians and Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs used feathers, beads, and brass band "second lines" as more than just art. These were forms of communal survival, mutual aid, and neighborhood protection. We explore the "Jazz Funeral"—a ritual that moves from the mourning of the "dirge" to the defiance of the "strut," reclaiming joy in the wake of loss.

The Myth of the "Natural" Disaster

We cannot understand race in New Orleans without understanding the water. At the Katrina Memorial at the Charity Hospital Cemetery and the Flooded House Museum and Levee Exhibit in the Lower Ninth Ward, we confront the intersection of race, economics, and geography. We explore how the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was less a "natural" disaster and more a revelation of structural neglect. We stand with the residents today who are practicing "Environmental Justice" to reclaim their land and ensure their history is never washed away.

The Sugar Coast: From Plantations to Petrochemicals

Beyond the vibrant streets of New Orleans lies the Great River Road, a stretch of land that once held the highest concentration of wealth in America. Here, the romanticized antebellum South meets the reality of an industrial killing floor. We travel this corridor to witness how the systems of the 18th century paved the way for the environmental challenges of the 21st.

The Architecture of Control 

The first enslaved people arrived in Louisiana in 1720, and by 1724, the Code Noir (Black Code) was established to regulate every aspect of their lives. This legal framework turned the Mississippi riverfront into a global economic powerhouse; by 1850, two-thirds of America’s millionaires lived along this "Sugar Coast," their fortunes extracted from the forced labor of thousands.

The Spark of Rebellion

Our study of resistance begins at Woodland Plantation (formerly the Andry Plantation). On the night of January 8, 1811, this site became the flashpoint for the largest insurrection of enslaved people in U.S. history. Led by Charles Deslondes, hundreds of revolutionaries moved out from these gates toward New Orleans, marching to the beat of drums and dreaming of a Black Republic. We stand here to honor the bravery of those who chose the risk of revolution over the certainty of bondage.

Retribution and Transition

At Destrehan Plantation, we confront the brutal aftermath of that uprising. Destrehan served as the site for one of the three "tribunals" that condemned the revolutionaries. Yet, the land also holds stories of transition: during the Civil War, the Union Army occupied the estate and established the Rest Home Colony, a space where the newly emancipated began the difficult work of learning trades and defining their own freedom.

The Enslaved Experience

While most plantation tours focus on the "Big House," the Whitney Plantation is the only museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on the enslaved. Between 1752 and 1860, this ground produced indigo, rice, and over 400,000 pounds of sugar annually. Through harrowing memorial artwork and original slave cabins, we stand in the "killing pace" of the sugar economy to honor the men, women, and children who were its forced engine.

The Modern Front 

Our journey back to the city takes us through what is now known as Cancer Alley. Here, we consider the "plantation-to-petrochemical" connection. We examine how the same land that once exploited Black bodies for sugar now hosts a corridor of industrial plants that disproportionately impact the health of Black communities today—a stark example of how environmental racism is the modern descendant of the plantation system.

We'll explore African culinary roots as we "indulge in the bold and diverse culinary traditions of Gambia and Cameroon" at Benna'chin Restaurant.

We'll seek out the area's distinctive Cajun and especially Creole culinary dishes--crawfish, Gulf oysters, gumbo, jambalaya, muffuletta, po-boys, red beans and rice, and sweet treats like beignets, bananas foster, bread pudding, and pralines--at places like Willie Mae's Scotch House, a James Beard Classic Restaurant family-owned since 1957 and known for the Best Fried Chicken in America, and Dooky Chase's, a civil rights meeting place and James Beard Award winner family-owned since 1941.

Hopefully, we'll also have our own Creole cooking experience!

We host a pre-trip community-building and informational meeting to which all participants are invited. We also hope interest warrants at least one post-trip potluck open to all travelers. We're glad to include anyone at a distance via video-conferencing.

Travelers will 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.

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, community, and the vibrancy of New Orleans.
• 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.

• Educators looking to deepen their curriculum and bring "hard history" to life for their students.
• Community Leaders interested in how public policies and spaces reflect—and affect—our collective values.
• Curious Adults seeking a more complete and nuanced understanding of Southern and American history as a means to move from awareness to action.

For Anthony L. Clay, 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.

The tuition will include:

• transportation via air-conditioned charter coach
• five nights of double-occupancy hotel lodging*
• almost all meals
• 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

The tuition will not include:

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

The trip deposit, due upon application, will be non-refundable unless we reach capacity and can fill your space. 

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!

Registration will open via a Google form as soon as possible in Fall 2027.

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.

Beloved Community Journey participants and other curious adults can join a weekend 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.