Why we travel to Alabama

This site is a place for parents and students to refer to throughout the semester for reference regarding itinerary, payment options and questions, and photos & updates during the trip!

The 8th grade year at ALA is centered around the theme of Social Justice and what those terms really mean through the lens of history and modern day issues. This theme emphasizes the significance of empathy, strength, hope, perseverance, and dreams in the context of human rights. In order for students to truly begin to understand the struggle for civil rights we will travel to Alabama for a week. We will tour churches that were major meeting centers during the Movement, speak with current Civil Rights experts, and much more. These experiences allow students to build their understanding of race issues concerning the United States after the Civil War. Students should become cognizant of how the intense discrimination against the African American community effected the country and the steps taken to erase such outrageous prejudice. All in all, this trip will encourage students to build community while learning with their peers and prove to be a lot of fun as well!

Below you will find a summarized itinerary. The full itinerary for this year will be available in November.

Monday, November 18

We will start in San Antonio and end in Jackson, Mississippi, where we will spend the night. Along the way, we will stop in Austin, Texas to visit the LBJ Library and Shreveport, Louisiana for dinner.

Tuesday, November 19

We will visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in the morning, and then travel to Birmingham, Alabama, where we will spend the night.

Wednesday, November 20

We will visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum, the 16th Street church, and a state park in Birmingham, then travel to Montgomery, Alabama where we will spend the night.

Thursday, November 21

We will visit the Rosa Parks Museum, the Legacy Museum and the Peace and Justice Memorial. We will then travel to Selma to walk across the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge. We will depart Selma and drive back to San Antonio overnight. We will arrive in San Antonio at 9am on Friday, November 22.