THE MARCH - JOURNEY FROM CIVIL WAR TO CIVIL RIGHTS
Almost all Students on Tour Education Program tours doing The March will include:
-
Cotton Museum
-
Mississippi Riverboat Cruise
-
National Civil Rights Museum
-
Selma Interpretive Center
-
Pettus Bridge
-
16th Street Baptist Church
-
Rosa Parks Museum
-
Tuskeegee
-
MLK Jr. National Historic Site
-
Stone Mountain - Optional addition
CLIMATE
The Deep South boasts a moderate climate year-round, while providing a distinct and rich experience each season. Summers are warm, autumns brisk and sunny, winters mild, and spring is blooming with dogwoods and azaleas. There is moderate rainfall each year and varying snowfall from light in the mountains to virtually none in other regions. Spring travelers can expect temperatures in the range of 65-80° F.
GEOGRAPHY
The Deep South usually includes Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina. Occasionally, parts of adjoining states are included - like sections of East Texas, the delta areas of Arkansas and Tennessee, and parts of Florida such as the Panhandle and the north-central part of the state.
ESSENTIALS
-
Gazing at the balcony at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
-
Floating on a riverboat down the Mighty Mississippi.
-
Walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
-
Traveling in the Cleveland Avenue Time Machine at the Rosa Parks Museum.
-
Standing on the battefields and imagining the battles of Shiloh and Kennesaw Mountain.
Get Prepared
WATCH
A video highlighting the events leading up to and during the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. (From the Robert H. Jackson Center.)
LISTEN
Nicole C. Mullen sings a song called "Black Light." It recalls and celebrates the triumphs of the civil rights movement, and her unifying lyrics encourage all of us to stand on the shoulders of giants and shine as lights in a dark world and to celebrate each others differences and sameness.
You can watch the You Tube video here, and read the lyrics here.
EAT
A traditional Southern meal would have pan-fried chicken, field peas, greens (such as collard greens, mustard greens, or turnip greens), mashed potatoes, cornbread, sweet tea, and a dessert that is usually a pie (sweet potato, shoofly, pecan, and peach are traditional southern pies). If you've never had southern grits - you really should try them as well.
DRINK
A lot of water. It can be hot and humid during your tour. Don't forget to try that southern sweet tea.
IN A WORD:
Struggle.