8th grade civil rights journey
In May 2026, the 8th Grade took a meaningful week long trip to the South to explore the history of the Civil Rights Movement.
Learn more about their amazing trip from the chaperones' daily letters below.
![Little Rock]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1778884446/brandeishillel/qgvc2naljxvv9octqy8i/littlerock.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1778884446/brandeishillel/qgvc2naljxvv9octqy8i/littlerock.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1778884446/brandeishillel/qgvc2naljxvv9octqy8i/littlerock.png","width":800}])
When we arrived, we had lunch at River Market, which the kids officially declared “the best lunch ever!” After that, we visited the Central High School National Historic Site and learned about the courage of the Little Rock Nine.
![Music, History, and Reflection]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1778780488/brandeishillel/ktqotxnztkgmfybj2x3e/mlk.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1778780488/brandeishillel/ktqotxnztkgmfybj2x3e/mlk.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1778780488/brandeishillel/ktqotxnztkgmfybj2x3e/mlk.png","width":800}])
Today was truly unforgettable, filled with Memphis music, powerful history, adorable ducks, great food, and meaningful moments as our students created memories together.
![an older black woman poses with a younger white woman who is holding the book 'the fifth little girl']([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1778708194/brandeishillel/ovfm5uzisanyv35k5lld/8thtrip1.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1778708194/brandeishillel/ovfm5uzisanyv35k5lld/8thtrip1.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1778708194/brandeishillel/ovfm5uzisanyv35k5lld/8thtrip1.png","width":800}])
We began the morning in Birmingham, Alabama, with an introduction and context talk about the city’s crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement. Students learned how Birmingham became one of the central battlegrounds in the fight for equality and justice in America.
![students stand with a statue of Rosa Parks]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1778704938/brandeishillel/j1qbyv0bv1vwdr0xsezq/8thtripROSAParks.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1778704938/brandeishillel/j1qbyv0bv1vwdr0xsezq/8thtripROSAParks.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1778704938/brandeishillel/j1qbyv0bv1vwdr0xsezq/8thtripROSAParks.png","width":800}])
We learned all about the historic details of the Alabama Bus Boycott, Bloody Sunday, and SO much more today!
![photo of the monument to freedom with statues of 2 young black children holding the hand of a statue of MLK in front of a brick wall with blue sky and white clouds]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1778704281/brandeishillel/kecc4z9q2nwwglrprgff/8thtrip.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1778704281/brandeishillel/kecc4z9q2nwwglrprgff/8thtrip.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1778704281/brandeishillel/kecc4z9q2nwwglrprgff/8thtrip.png","width":800}])
What a powerful and emotional day for all of us. After a good night's sleep and breakfast, we went to visit the house where Dr. Martin Luther King was born.