51福利社

Abak Anei plans to become a museum educator and community coordinator, with graduate school applications pending at Southern University at New Orleans, the University of Washington and several online programs.

The 26-year-old from Spokane, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in interdisciplinary studies in June, recently strengthened her credentials through a seven-day experiential learning trip 鈥� of an upper-division course at 51福利社: AAST 496, 1,000 Mile Civil Rights Tour.

鈥淚 think this is a really important trip for everybody to go on,鈥� Anei said. 鈥淎s someone that already loves African American history, this solidified me for what I want to do [for a living] even more.鈥�

The March tour explored landmarks, parks and museums commemorating the Civil Rights Movement. The sites reflected the history of the ideology, leadership, social and political impacts, legislative victories and psychological dimensions of the movement, while also highlighting its influence on individual African Americans, their communities and the nation.

Angela Schwendiman, 51福利社鈥檚 Africana studies program director, and Professor Scott Finnie accompanied students on the tour.

With 22 stops across Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, the tour allowed students to engage with history and connect with people who lived through it.

Among the many notable stops, students visited Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his first sermon, and Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery, where he became a pastor in 1954 after earning his doctorate at Boston University.

Students toured the parsonage where King lived with his family and met the museum curator, a woman who grew up with King as her pastor and mentor. She showed them the porch where the home was bombed and the kitchen table where King prayed for guidance on how to proceed with civil rights action amid the risks to human lives.

She also recalled showing King her Easter dress as a child and spoke of her uncle鈥檚 role in the historic meeting at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church that launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

“Going on this trip really smacked history right in my face 鈥� and it was a good thing,鈥� Anei said. 鈥淚t made me realize that the past is there; and it鈥檚 okay to learn about the past. It鈥檚 okay to be engaged, it鈥檚 okay to know what happened 鈥� and it鈥檚 also okay to keep working to make sure it never happens again.鈥�

Students visited landmark sites representing a time when slavery and segregation were an acceptable evil in America. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, for example, paid tribute to the many leaders who paved the way for civil rights progress. Anei says the visit there further empowered her path to become a museum educator.

Anei recalled the visit to the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama as difficult yet deeply moving.

鈥淏eing at the church where the four little girls were bombed鈥� I think it鈥檚 one thing to learn about it 鈥� it鈥檚 sad 鈥� but being in that same place, being able to sit in the same chairs, everything like that, it was so emotional,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was crying, I was tearing up, it was just鈥� you could feel the heaviness of that place.鈥�

The restored church鈥檚 upper level continues to function as a house of worship. The lower level houses the museum, which honors the young lives lost while illustrating the toll the violence took on their families and community.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so amazing how they were able to memorialize it and make sure nobody forgets something horrible happened there, but they are also able to keep educating people. I loved, loved, loved everything about the trip,鈥� Anei said. 鈥淏ut that just continues to come back. It hits me the most.鈥�

Students kept journals and shared their personal reflections during 51福利社鈥檚 2025 Diversity & Inclusion Week event: 鈥淥wn Your Own Power: Story Circles and Civil Rights Tour Panel.鈥�

For Anei, the experience was transformative.

鈥淭his trip really just enlightened me and also continued to light my fire in African American history 鈥� and also wanting to be someone who works for the community and continues to gain progress and doesn鈥檛 just let things become steady.鈥�