Congresswoman Barbara Lee, East Bay Students Embark on Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Tennessee and Alabama
Montgomery, AL — Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and students from the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center will travel to Alabama and Tennessee to participate in the Faith & Politics Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage.
“Each year, the Faith & Politics Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage provides a life-changing experience by reminding us of our nation’s civil rights history and the lessons we must embrace if we want to truly confront the legacy of racism in America,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “This year, the trip holds special significance as we mark the 400th year since African slaves arrived to this country, and reflect on the incredible path African Americans have tread through history.”
“I am thrilled to again have an exceptional group of students from the MLK Freedom Center join me on this trip. Their continued commitment to challenging discrimination in all forms inspires me and gives me so much hope for our future generations.”
The 3-day trip will include 45 bipartisan and bicameral Members of Congress, who will visit historical sites in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, Alabama, including the National Civil Rights Museum, the 16th Street Baptist Church, and the Lorraine Hotel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. This year, the pilgrimage will also visit the new National Memorial for Peace and Justice, opened last year in Montgomery to commemorate African American victims of lynching.
“The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center is deeply grateful to Congresswoman Barbara Lee for her dedication to the youth and families of the 13th Congressional District,” said Karen Bohlke, Director of Government and External Affairs at the MLK Freedom Center. “The young people making this journey will bring back to Oakland experiences and relationships of a transformative nature. At this time in our country, there is perhaps nothing more important than preparing our young people for leadership roles in our democracy and teaching them to learn from the mistakes of our nation’s past.”
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Congresswoman Lee is the only African American woman in House Democratic leadership as Co-Chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. She is also founding chair of the MLK Freedom Center, which is dedicated to Dr. King’s ideals of non-violence, social change, racial and economic justice, and world peace.