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Students Reflect on Civil Rights Pilgrimage

2/25/2019

BY FRANK MILLER

Their trip did not have the drama of Saul’s road to Damascus or the rigor of Jesus’ journey through the desert.

But the Civil Rights Pilgrimage, a seven-day, 2,000-mile trek taken by 15 DSHA students and 21 additional students from Messmer High School and Marquette High School, followed the time-honored purpose that has guided faith journeys for thousands of years. By “praying with their feet,” the students hoped to deepen their faith and arrive at new spiritual insights on how to live what they believe.

The Pilgrimage, taken May 30 through June 6, 2018, commemorated the 50th anniversary of America’s civil rights movement. Launched by ministers and pastors and fueled by the principles of social justice, the movement changed the nation.

The students visited historic civil rights sites in Memphis, Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma and St. Louis. There they followed in the footsteps of the religious leaders and thousands of faithful who confronted brutality with prayers, songs, marches and unwavering faith. Led by teachers from all three schools, the students studied, reflected on and prayed about the spiritual values that led the great movement for equal rights and social justice.

In the following essays, three students share their stories of the dramatic, life-changing journey, an opportunity none will ever forget.

Essay by Meagn Novotny, DSHA '20: Praying with Your Feet

Essay by Bridget Flyke, DSHA '19: No Longer a Spectator

Essay by Ilia Estrada, DSHA '20: From Listening to Leading

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- Students from Messmer High School, Marquette University High School and DSHA prepare to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, an experience they called “empowering,” “depressing” and “inspiring.”
- As a part of establishing daily rhythms for grounding and reflection, the pilgrims joined together each evening to share, discuss, and pray together.
- Dashers visiting the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN.