At the end of the Lent term, we set off to Heathrow in a cool English breeze, enjoying the softness of our new trip hoodies, and excitedly checking the weather as Atlanta promised nearly 30°C and sunshine.
Despite arriving in Atlanta so tired that we could barely stand up (3am UK time), our bus driver said, “Welcome to the USA, the United States of Atlanta,” and everyone left the airport with smiling faces and a renewed excitement for the trip ahead.
In Atlanta, we were lucky enough to have a brilliant tour guide, who showed us around the Martin Luther King Jr National Historical Park, including his birthplace, crypt and a museum, as well as the Ebeneezer Baptist Church where he preached. When, at the end of the day, we discovered that we had two hours to spare after looking around the incredible APEX museum (African American Panoramic Experience), and after enjoying a quick sunbathe in the Atlanta Centennial Park (set up when the Olympics were held there in 1996), we went to the Georgia Aquarium, where all of our photography skills were proven on jellyfish.
For the next couple of days, we travelled through Alabama, starting in Montgomery, moving to Selma (where we walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, site of the Selma marches and Bloody Sunday), and finally ending up in Birmingham. In Montgomery was my favourite visit of the trip – the Legacy Museum, which had two sister sites: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Legacy Sculpture Park. These three places provided moments of genuine reflection for everyone, with everything carefully designed to have a moving and impactful effect on visitors. This began with an ominous sound of waves as you first enter the museum, set to mimic that of the Atlantic Ocean, evoking the journey taken by millions of enslaved people from Africa to the Americas.
Alongside many other interesting places, like the Kelly Ingram Park, the Rosa Parks Museum (in which we went on a time capsule bus) and the 16th Street Baptist Church, we did some more recreational activities, like bowling, and going to Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta. We also had a lot of fun trying American food, Chick-fil-A becoming a unanimous favourite.
When you study GCSE history, it’s quite easy to just learn the facts, and become quite detached from the reality and impact of what happened. I found on this trip, especially with a topic so relevant and important as the Civil Rights Movement, that going to the places where these events occurred deepens your understanding, and allows you to empathise with the actual events, not just some words in a textbook.
Thank you so much to the three brilliant teachers who made this trip possible – Mrs FitzGerald, Miss McQuillin and Mr Beverley. I doubt that I will ever forget such a wonderful experience.
Grace Flowers, L6
