On Sunday, March 24, North Lake College students and faculty returned from the Civil Rights Field Trip, a bus tour which took students to important historic sites and museums commemorating the Civil Rights Movement in the American South. On the trip, NLC students visited the National Civil Rights Monument, Rosa Parks Museum, 16th Street Baptist Church, Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Legacy Museum in Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Mississippi.

Led by Drs. Beth Nikopoulos and Roy Vu, the four-day Civil Rights Field Trip also earned college credits for the enrolled students. Some students posted on social media about their experiences with the hashtag #IWILLMAKEADIFFERENCE.

One post, by a student named MacKenzie, reads: “I saw how much we have all grown in just these 3 days. It just amazes me how in each one of us I see passion and hope for today, tomorrow, and every day after. I’m so proud of everyone in this trip and I hope to keep in touch with you all and see what we all do to help make a difference.”

After the trip, a student named Sushant emailed the following testimonial:

“First of all, I would like to thank all the professors for giving me an opportunity to attend the Civil Rights Tour. Being an international student this tour was a big opportunity for me to learn more about American history. I get to know more details about the Americans’ history and how African Americans survived during their hard time back in the 1800s and 1900s. How they were treated. Before this trip, I only knew that African Americans were slaves and they haven’t their rights to do things on their own. They are not allowed to be in an area where white people belongs, even in the restaurant, school there were treated like they are not human. This civil rights tour was important for me to know more details about African Americans, how families were separated, how children’s were taking away from their parents and the punishment that they get that was so brutal. I feel so bad for those people who lost their lives and who face this trouble to make a change to live better. 

“Thank you for giving of yourselves to make this trip so impactful for us. Because of your investments, your effort this trip has been successful and lives have been changed and the perspective of how we look the African American and the American History has been changed. 

“Once again thanks to Dr. Copeland, Dr. Floyd, and Dr. Slejko for making this trip possible. Without your effort, this trip was not possible. “