Columbus State University students begin six-day Civil Rights Odyssey

March 14, 2022

Borrowing from a quote from the late John Lewis, U.S. congressman and civil rights activist, “Make Good Trouble,” 21 Columbus State University students and faculty embarked today on a six-day, four-state journey to travel in the footsteps of the Civil Rights Movement to explore the music, literature, and history of the South in mid-20th century America.

The road trip is part of an interdisciplinary study away course for students in the CSU’s Honors College and incorporates studies in history, geography, English, and health science. The students will also learn podcasting to help document their historic journey as they learn what motivated the struggle for social justice and equality.

Dr. Gary Sprayberry, chair of the history and geography department and Dr. Courtney George, associate professor of English, are leading the tour. “For the students, it’s one thing to read about these locations in class, but they don’t become real until you are on the site. They will be walking on hallowed grounds in American history,” according to Sprayberry.

Heidi Parsons, a senior majoring in criminal justice explained why she chose this project, instead of the traditional Spring Break adventure, “I am looking forward to making new memories with my classmates, and seeing history come to life in a way I may not have thought about before.”

The trip will include stops at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park and Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta, Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, and other significant civil rights historic sites in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

More information is available online at https://honors@columbusstate.

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