Students talk with Civil Rights activists

On April 6, middle School Students at Liberty and Discovery went on a field trip without ever leaving the classroom.

The students took part in a virtual field trip to the Freedom Riders’ Conference with schools from New York, Los Angeles and Montgomery. 

Students got the opportunity to introduce themselves and ask questions of six of the historic Freedom Riders.

The Freedom Riders played a part in the Civil Rights Movement by conducting nonviolent protests on public transportation. They were sometimes beaten and arrested for their refusal to not comply with segregation laws on transportation in the southeast.

“It was motivational and inspiring to see these people who went through all these hardships and risked their lives and health to make a difference,” said Ambra Johnson, an eighth grade Language Arts teacher at Liberty Middle School. “It really was a great lesson about being active and standing up for what you believe in.”
Students took part in the field trip after studying the Civil Rights Movement.

“It’s kind of cool that they’ve learned about these people and they actually got to ask them questions, introduce themselves and carry on a conversation,” Johnson said.

The virtual field trip lasted for an hour and was conducted through real time video conferencing.

Johnson said students had a very positive and profound reaction to interacting with them.

“I think they realized what an impact these people made on their world today,” she said.