Every year, we have the pleasure and honor of visiting the amazing fellows of the Rosedale Freedom Project. This after-school program provides enrichment classes and leadership development for the youth of the Mississippi Delta. Learn more about their mission here. 

Afterward, we had the fortune of meeting Andrea Young, the Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia. She is the eldest daughter of Andrew Young.  As she helped us unpack some of the recent work of the current administration, she offered some light:  "There's hope in taking action."

Something often omitted from these stories of black leaders is really what they stood for. They didn't stand for a government where the status quo that let slavery and then segregation exist continue to exist. They stood for change to everything. Often times leaders like MLK Jr. were called communists, and now he and other notable figures are used as tools to pursue whatever agenda the one using their image wants to push. These people aren't just characters that thought in simple ways of things. They had complex ideas of change and dramatic steps they knew they had to take to get them. Often times as I walked through the sites and scenes in the museums I asked myself; what would they do if they were still here? Would they advocate still for change? Would they say the job is over? Would they say the hope is lost or the hope, still to come, or already here? When is enough enough and what does that look and feel like? And will the march for equality be a never ending ceaseless struggle? Will there be an end? Should there be an end? I see all the messages and facts these museums bring to light and these questions linger loudly in my mind as I see them. - Hermes

There was no way out of getting whipped at a slave auction. If you made yourself look bad, then your current owner would whip you. If you overhyped yourself and couldn’t live up to it, your new owner would whip you. I think this has been hidden from us because people want to hide how truly unfair life was. Everyone knows that being a slave was brutal and unfair, but we don’t go in depth to the extent of how horrible people were treated. - Max

When we visited the Legacy museum today I learned about how the mass incarceration and capital punishment we see in our country today is a form of modern day lynching. Lynching is defined as the killing of someone for an alleged offense, with or without trial, and in our jail system today we see an extension of this with many black men being sentenced to the death penalty, without a thorough trial. I watched a short documentary about a man who was accused of murder only based on one person's description of the killer; they claimed that he had shot a man with his mother's gun, but the bullets removed from the body did not match the bullets in the gun. Despite this piece of evidence which should have acquitted him, he spent over 30 years on death row. I chose to talk about this piece of information specifically because while I learned a lot of really important history over the past two days, this is something that is happening right now, and not enough is being done to stop it. - Julia

I’ve learned about the greenbook. It's a book that tells black people where it's safe to travel. It's important to share it now to beware of dangerous places. I think its been hidden because they want people to think that America is safe for everyone and not know America’s dark side. - Janet

One very specific thing I learned today at the Legacy Museum was about the Reese vs US court case in 1876, which not only called controlling and potentially disbanding the KKK ‘unconstitutional’ but also laid the groundwork for future literacy tests and other methods of blocking formerly enslaved people from voting. It’s important because this had a lasting effect for decades after this ruling, and allowed the KKK to run rampant stopping African Americans from voting. I probably haven’t learned about it because it was a Supreme Court case where they voted 9-0 in a way that makes the US look bad today. It is also a specific court case that had ripples throughout American history, but wouldn’t seem like that without looking into it deeply. -Nathan

I didn’t realize quite how brutal the transportation and selling of enslaved people was. This was evidenced by the huge shackles with bells, spears or weights fastened around the necks and ankles of the sculptures at the Legacy Museum and the cramped, bronze pens at the Freedom Sculpture Park. I don’t think that this brutality was intentionally omitted from classroom lessons, but it was much easier to realize when seeing physical models of the conditions that enslaved people went through during transport. The monument park had a sign that said over 90% of kidnapped Africans died before ever reaching America, further emphasizing the danger of the process. Despite the horror of actually being enslaved, the time people spent in transport was perhaps the most brutal of their lives. - Alex

Something that isn’t often shared about the history of Maryland is its history of human trafficking through the Atlantic Slave Trade as well as the lynching that took place all throughout the South. The names of those who were trafficked or lynched aren’t spoken or taught, and I had only really learned about them through the memorial that we went to today. Howard Cooper is a name that isn’t brought up enough in Baltimore history. Through the sculpture gardens, I learned that 331 people that were trafficked from Africa came to Baltimore. This is especially relevant today, as the current president is trying to erase this history, which cannot be forgotten. -Katie

So far on the trip, I’ve learned more about Greensboro four which I surprisingly didn’t already know. I also learned so much about the sit-ins & freedom riders. The education I’ve received these past two days has gone beyond the surface level knowledge on these events and figures that I’ve gotten from school. I have discovered the importance of mutual aid, and white involvement in the civil rights movement. The importance the intersectional involvement of age , race, religion, class, and gender. I have learned more about the sheer horror black people have had to go through to get the rights that we have, which are still being tested. And most importantly I’ve gotten to see just how much history is repeating itself in our current political climate. - Lillian

Something I learned that was surprising to me was that there were more enslaved people in the U.S. after the ratification of the constitution than before. I feel like the U.S. tends to promote the idea that the ratification of the constitution was incredible and so many problems were solved but this obviously wasn’t the case. Slavery and lynching existed for so much longer than I ever imagined. I looked up that the most recent lynching was in Alabama in 1981, done by the KKK. This proves just how recent severe racism has existed. I think it’s important to teach that the constitution didn’t help lessen or end the institution of slavery until much later after amendments were added. -Nico

During the outside tour, I read the diary of William Wells Brown, a fugitive slave. His story was sprinkled throughout the tour, and gave intimate details of what he and others went through at the hands of the white slave owners. I think these smaller, more individual experiences aren’t talked about as much. I think that is partly because the teaching of history is usually in a broader sense, but i believe another reason is because these parts of history are a lot more gruesome. Mr. Brown goes into severe details sometimes, and I imagine the system as a whole wouldn’t like people to hear those parts of it. I think it would, in a way, be similar to how tv forced people to see the horrors of Jim crow. -Liam

I learned about how slavery is a lot harsher than the way it’s portrayed in school. The story of William Wells Brown was very touching, describing his personal experience with slavery and its effects on his family. I feel like this part of history could be because of systemic racism. Downplaying this aspect of history could support the narrative that the treatment of enslaved people “wasn’t that bad.” -Karsyn

Something I’ve learned so far on this trip is the staggering number of people kidnapped and enslaved in Maryland (13,261 from Patuxent, Maryland alone between 1669 and 1771). Throughout my education, I’ve only ever heard about the millions taken during the transatlantic slave trade, but never the specific numbers that expose the history of my very own home state. Many may believe Maryland’s past is too harsh to teach. When in reality, most want the state to be remembered only as the progressive blue state it is today. Learning more about these overlooked numbers forces us to remember those who suffered the horrors of slavery and brings me to question the selective history we’ve been taught for so long. -Akeyla

The main thing I learned on this trip so far that has been withheld from my history books is how extensive and prosperous African history, culture, economy and community was before we were kidnapped from our original homeland. Africa contributed to the global economy through trade. They had multiple systems of governance set up in its different nations. Almost every African was bilingual and we had our own traditions and customs that we practiced that contributed to our identities and beliefs as people. This is important to share now because we’ve always been made to seem like we were “savages” and “lost” or “confused” people who had no sense of self or purpose before white people came to our countries and stripped us of our identities and being. And lastly, I believe this has been held from our history as to justify and protect the white colonizers who did this to our families and our people. -Serena

Something I’ve learned on the trip so far is that black people could only fly through Tuskegee university and had to learn how to fly and fix a plane just to only fly an escort plane to a bomber plane. I think it’s been hidden because they didn’t think it was important enough to mention the differences between requirements for whites and blacks. -Shabria

I learned that over the last 350 years around 12 million Africans had been taking from there homes and brought to America. During that journey they were unable to stand, move around, eat, and a lot of people died from lack of oxygen under the deck. I think this part of us history has been hidden to not reveal the horrible condition that white people forced Africans under even before they were considered slaves. -Caleb

I learned about the 4 Greensboro men: Richmond, McNeil, McCain, and Blair. These 4 African American men, on February 1st, sat in an all white diner. They started a sit in movement. - Daniel

I think one of the more interesting facts that has stuck with me is that during the summer months of the sit-in at Woolworth students from Dudley High School stepped in to take the place of college students and continue to apply pressure to integrate the counters. I feel this piece of history is a representation of how my learning about the Civil Rights Movement rarely included stories about high schoolers my age. It has almost always been about the adult leaders of the movement and events that were organized and executed by adults. I think this is ultimately because seeing kids your age having the courage to stand up for what's right can give you a new sense of drive that you can't find in many other places. If these stories aren't shared in schools across America many kids won't learn that it's not only adults that can create change but high schoolers just like us who can do it as well. - Nigel

Something that I have learned that is omitted from being taught in school is just how much of a spectacle lynching were for white people. In the Legacy Museum, photos of lynching were used as postcards, like they were just a common sight. There was a whole wall dedicated to lynching throughout the South and more often than not, black people were accused of being guilty of assault, theft, and murder, nothing at all, and lynched without a fair trial. Their bodies were tortured and dragged throughout the streets before being left to hang for other black people to view. I've never experienced the cruelty of lynching as it has been less talked about in my history classes. -Essence

I learned a lot about the freedom rides and the attacks that the people were put through just for riding a bus. I also learned of the strength that these people carried for continuing to push forward regardless of what violence happened to them. This is important because it shows how determined these people were to fight for what was right which could encourage people today. I believe that this was hidden from U.S History to undermine how powerful we can be united. -Nashawn

I learned about the mass incarceration of black people and how it can be considered “modern day lynching”. I heard stories at the Legacy museum about black people being convicted and sentenced to the death penalty for crimes they didn’t commit. One story I found particularly moving was of a man who became incarcerated at the age of 15 and served 18 years in solitary confinement, not knowing if he would be released. Another man served 30 years on death row for a crime he clearly didn’t commit. I think these stories are important to hear because they reveal the issues that still remain within our justice system. I think these issues are often hidden by those who want America to seem perfect and who want to hide the truth about how black people are still treated here. -Elissa

The stories that the later waves of freedom riders wanted to be arrested, and were arrested on purpose. They signed up to be arrested to help their cause. -Perry

The most significant thing I’ve learned so far was about Black Voting rights. Black people had to take literacy tests, do poll taxes and answer unanswerable questions in order for them to vote. The questions were intentionally vague in order for them to fail. Now that I am 18, I will vote not because my vote matters but because there was a time when we did not have the right to vote. -Sydni

When we were learning about the Greensboro four, I learned that they experienced resistance from their own race. For example, a black worker at Woolworth’s told them to stop and that it was people like them that made the entire black race look bad. While this detail may seem implied or basic, it’s important to consider when looking at modern day movements in order to recognize that there is seldom consensus on how to approach major injustices in the world. Prior to this, my understanding of the civil rights movement was that the overwhelming majority of black people were in agreement about taking action, but I didn’t realize how common it was to face resistance within their own movement. I don’t necessarily think this part of history was “hidden” from me, but it has certainly not been a focal point. This may not have been emphasized because the curriculum creators might want to discourage people from taking action against injustice when they encounter potential backlash from peers, friends, and family. -Ryan

I learned about how Death Row and lynching are connected in the way they both target African Americans. An interesting statistic I came across is that the states with the highest lynching rates also have the highest numbers of death penalties. I think this knowledge should change anyone’s view on the death penalty and highlight how inhuman and cruel the U.S. government really is. -Amelia 

When walking though the Legacy Statue park, I learned that Enslaved people would have to showcase why they would be a good option to the interested enslavers during auctions. If the enslaved people did not showcase why they would be a good choice, they would be lashed 30 times. I don’t think this part of U.S history has been hidden from me, I just believe that high school history curriculum does not go into that much detail about the torture that enslaved people went through. -Keenan