Beloved Community Journey 2020

We leave Saturday morning by charter bus from Carolina Friends, arriving in Atlanta in the afternoon for a visit to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

We tour Friends School of Atlanta and enjoy dinner there with staff from the South Regional office of the American Friends Service Committee, the social justice arm of American Quakerism and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and learn about the Atlanta Economic Justice Program and other efforts to address contemporary societal issues.

We overnight at the iconic Hyatt Regency Atlanta, with its famed Polaris rotating lounge.

We worship at Ebenezer Baptist Church, founded in 1886, pastored for 44 years by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., and now led by the Reverend Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, a gifted preacher. We look at the Historic Ebenezer sanctuary, site of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral, and the tomb of Dr. and Mrs. King at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. We leave the "Sweet Auburn" community and Atlanta to head on to Alabama.

Although the buildings are closed on a Sunday, we stop at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site to see Moton Field and some 20 "wayside exhibits" about this flight training base for the pioneering African-American pilots of World War II. 

We visit Tuskegee University, founded by Booker T. Washington and now a National Historic Site, to meet with members of the Tuskegee community about their lives and experiences.

We'll be in a Montgomery hotel near the riverfront, historic sites, and downtown nightlife for our two days in Alabama's capital.

Today we explore the Civil Rights Memorial Center, where we can add our names to the Wall of Tolerance and run our fingers across the memorial, brought to life by Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer Maya Lin and proclaiming Dr. King's well-known paraphrase of Amos 5:24--We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

We see the powerful new Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

We learn about the work of Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative on issues from the death penalty to children in prison.

If our schedule allows, anyone interested can enjoy a home game of the minor league Montgomery Biscuits(!) in Riverwalk Stadium, a converted century-old train shed in walking distance from our hotel.

Today we visit Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, which Dr. King pastored during the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, and see the spot at the Alabama State Capitol where Governor George C. Wallace delivered his infamous 1963 inauguration address vowing "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

We continue to Selma, where we see Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, a center of community organizing; tour the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute; and cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, retracing part of the Bloody Sunday march of 1965.

On to Birmingham, we settle in for two nights at the iconic Tutwiler Hotel, with over 100 years of history.

At the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in the newly-renovated Carver Theatre (opened in 1935), we feel the beat of the music that played a role in civil rights struggles.

At Kelly Ingram Park, we commemorate the children and other peaceful civil rights protestors attacked by Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor's fire hoses and police attack dogs.

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

We see the 16th Street Baptist Church, where Addie May Collins, Carol Denise McNair, Carole Rosamond Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley--ages 11 to 14--died in a September 1963 white supremacist bombing. 

And, we watch 4 Little Girls, Spike Lee's Academy Award-nominated 1997 documentary about that tragic Sunday morning.

We anticipate at least one pre-trip potluck and informational meeting to which all participants will be 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.

Please note itinerary details are subject to change.

We'll be adding specifics about some of the special guests who'll join us along the way--from heroic foot soldiers in the civil rights movement to today's bold young activists.

Look too for added information along the way about Alabama's Dreamland BBQ, the black-owned Atlanta restaurant opened in 1947, and some of the other distinctive local food experiences we'll enjoy.

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

And, we'll have some evening opportunities for reflection and sharing.

Anthony returned to Carolina Friends in August 2009 as the first Director of Advancement, and in 2016 became the School's first Director of Extended Learning, which includes Summer Programs, Extended Day, after-school classes and music lessons, travel opportunities, and other enrichment options for students, adults, and families. He's also now helping launch and lead the School's new institute for teaching and learning.

He earned baccalaureate degrees magna cum laude in International Relations and History 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. 

Anthony has 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 (2002-2005).

Much of his research and teaching has focused on the intersection of politics and culture--especially race--since World War II. An Arkansas native, he helped create and lead civil rights bus tours of the South for high school students and in 2016 and 2019 Durham civil rights experiences for CFS staff.

Anthony has served in leadership and advisory roles for various professional organizations and non-profits, 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.

A CFS alum parent of two, he helped facilitate the Quaker Journey to northern England in 2018--a trip to be offered again in Summer 2024. 

Here's what participants had to say the last time we had such a tour....

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. First-Grade Teacher

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. Learning Specialist

This is a powerful trip that should be experienced by as many people as possible. High School Math Teacher

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

Please note the dollar figures below reflect Summer 2020 prices and will be higher for 2023.

The tour tuition of $1,595 includes:

• transportation via air-conditioned charter coach
• five nights of double-occupancy hotel lodging*
• all breakfasts and most other meals
• all admission fees and guest speaker honoraria
• 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 two experienced tour co-leaders

* individual rooms will be available for a $495 supplement

The tuition doesn't include:

• optional evening or other activities (e.g. a Montgomery Biscuits baseball game)
• room service and other hotel incidentals
• alcohol with a meal
• trip/travel insurance

A $500 deposit is due at the time of application and refundable if we can fill your space.

We'd love to have you and a diverse group of participants "get on board" for this powerful personal and community journey. We have some funds available to help Carolina Friends staff members participate and, thanks to a generous CFS donor, also for educators in charter and traditional public schools as well as Quaker schools who couldn't afford to go without partial support.