There are moments in history that cannot be fully understood through a textbook alone. They must be experienced—by walking the streets where movements began, standing in the spaces where ordinary people demonstrated extraordinary courage, and listening to the stories that continue to shape our nation today.

Students from Baltimore participated in the Judge Alexander Williams Jr. Center for Education, Justice & Ethics' Alabama Civil Rights Journey, also known as the U.S. Civil Rights Trail in Alabama, an immersive educational experience designed to deepen their understanding of American history, civic engagement, ethical leadership, and the ongoing pursuit of justice.

From Birmingham to Selma, Montgomery to Tuskegee, each destination became an extension of the classroom—where history was no longer something students simply studied, but something they experienced firsthand.

Why Alabama?

This question served as the foundation for the entire Alabama Civil Rights Journey.

Alabama is home to many of the defining moments of the American Civil Rights Movement. It is where communities organized against segregation, where courageous young people challenged injustice, where peaceful demonstrators marched for the right to vote, and where ordinary citizens forever changed the course of American history.

For our students, visiting Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery, Tuskegee, and surrounding communities was far more than an opportunity to travel—it was an opportunity to witness the places where democracy was tested and strengthened.

Each destination was intentionally selected to help students better understand the sacrifices made by previous generations and the enduring importance of civic participation, ethical leadership, and community engagement.

Experiential learning provides students with something that classrooms alone cannot offer: the opportunity to stand where history happened, engage directly with educators and community members, and reflect on the relevance of these stories within their own lives.

The Alabama Civil Rights Journey was designed not only to teach history, but to encourage students to consider how they might contribute to building more equitable communities today.

As part of the Judge Alexander Williams Jr. Center for Education, Justice & Ethics' Alabama Civil Rights Journey, students from Baltimore visited the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute in Selma—a place dedicated to preserving the history of the courageous individuals who fought to secure one of our nation's most fundamental rights: the right to vote.

Located at the foot of the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, the museum serves as a powerful reminder that democracy has always required the courage, determination, and collective action of ordinary people willing to stand up for extraordinary change. Through exhibits, artifacts, photographs, and firsthand accounts, students explored the events that led to the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the ongoing pursuit of equal access to the ballot box. The museum encourages visitors to study the past, understand the present, and imagine a more just future.

For our students, this visit was more than a history lesson. It was an opportunity to reflect on the responsibilities that accompany citizenship and to consider how civic participation continues to shape communities across our nation. Standing in the very place where so much history unfolded challenged students to think beyond dates and events and instead focus on the people whose resilience forever transformed American democracy.

At the Judge Alexander Williams Jr. Center, we believe education is most impactful when students engage directly with the places where history was made. Experiences like these cultivate informed citizens, compassionate leaders, and young people who understand that preserving democracy requires both knowledge and action.

On the next stop for the Alabama Civil Rights Trail Journey, the Judge Alexander Williams Jr. Center traveled with students to the Ancient Africa Enslavement and Civil War Museum located in Selma, Alabama. Within feet from the Edmund Pettus bridge, the Enslavement and Civil War Museum presents the experience of enslaved Africans and the impact of the system of slavery on the United States to this day.

Students had an opportunity to observe about the historical milestones and struggles experienced by those enslaved during the Transatlantic Slave Trade and learn about the civil rights activists and freedom fighters over the centuries that fought for the freedom for Black Americans, including Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Stokely Carmichael.

This museum is affiliated with the National Voting Rights Institute, where students were able to learn about the history and makeup of Selma and the voting rights movement across America. These museums in tandem provide a historical landscape of the civil rights movement from historical to the contemporary eras of this time period and why it is important to continue the pursuit of justice and equality in the United States. 

Few places along the Civil Rights Trail carry the emotional weight of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Standing where peaceful demonstrators were attacked on Bloody Sunday in March 1965, our students reflected on the courage of those who marched for the fundamental right to vote. What had once been a chapter in a history textbook became a deeply personal experience as students walked the same path taken by civil rights leaders, clergy, students, and ordinary citizens who believed America could become more just.

Crossing the bridge encouraged meaningful conversations about sacrifice, resilience, and civic responsibility. Students considered how acts of peaceful protest have shaped our democracy and how voting continues to serve as one of the most powerful expressions of civic participation.

The Alabama Civil Rights Journey reminds us that democracy is strengthened when citizens remain engaged, informed, and committed to protecting the rights of others.

Watch the video below to view CBS News' segment on Selma's Bloody Sunday and the importance of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

In early morning of the Alabama Civil Rights Journey, students and educators traveled to visit the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, AL to witness the active memorial dedicated to the civil rights icon Rosa Parks. By refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger and move to the back, her story led the Montgomery Bus Boycott and actions by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in contributing to ending race-based discrimination. 

Located at the site of Rosa Parks' famous arrest, students were able to see significant artifacts up close including the historic fingerprint arrest record of Rosa Parks, the 1950s Montgomery city bus, art pieces including quilts, court documents and police reports, and other revolutionary vehicles used in protest. This museum is important as it provides educational programs and scholarly resources to help students understand the magnitude of this change on the life and culture of our pursuit to justice today. It helps raise social awareness and consciousness on the fight provided by civil rights leaders before them to support the rights and privileges we have and ones that we continue the fight to hold and maintain. 

This opportunity supports the Judge AW Center's core approach in holding knowledge as power in building the changemakers we need in this generation to uphold the court of law, resist regressive policies and actions towards discrimination and protect the 14th amendment ensuring that all experience the right to life, liberty and happiness. 
 

Our journey continued in Montgomery at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Standing inside this historic church offered students the opportunity to examine how faith communities became centers for organizing, education, and collective action during the Civil Rights Movement.

Established in 1877, this church was raised by the wealthy elite, including doctors, lawyers, business owners and educators. They purchased this property and built this church for congregation. When St. Vernon Johns arrived, he preached his congregation to rally against the segregation in the city and show compassion towards low-income residents facing discrimination and life struggles. St. Johns walked, so Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ran and he preached with non-violent movement for the civil rights movement.

Students learned that leadership is rarely accomplished alone. It is cultivated through community, shared values, and a commitment to serving others.

Learn more about the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church here or watching the link below from the U.S. Civil Rights Trail and the World Monuments Fund.