More Than a History Tour

Sister Donna Del Santo and the Nazareth University group at the Maya Lin Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center

In January, Sister Donna Del Santo participated in a powerful Civil Rights Journey with nearly two dozen students and staff from Nazareth University. The journey, organized through the Living Legacy Project, took the group to key historical sites across six cities in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, offering an in-depth exploration of the Civil Rights Movement.

The trip began in Birmingham, Alabama, where the group visited the Bethel Baptist Church, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, and Kelly Ingram Park, all of which played pivotal roles during the Civil Rights struggle. The group then traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, where they toured the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the State Capitol, and the Maya Lin Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“The day was very emotional and difficult given the realities we were exposed to through the various museums,” shares Sister Donna. “They are realities that we need to keep before us every moment of every day so that they're never repeated.”

Later, the group crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge and visited the Civil Rights Memorial Park, which honors those who fought and died for justice during the Civil Rights era. The journey continued with a stop in Selma and a visit with Sisters Pat Flass and Kathy Navarra on the SSJ Alabama mission. The group helped Sister Kathy at the Bosco Nutrition Center which serves thousands of meals a day to those in need.

Over the following days, they also visited additional Civil Rights sites across Mississippi and Tennessee, learning about the violent and unjust acts committed against people of color. The tour ended with a stop at the Lorraine Hotel, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968—"a poignant last stop for us, recognizing that working for justice could cost one their life,” adds Sister Donna.

“The pilgrimage was so much more than a history tour. It was a journey of pain and tears for the inhumane actions against so many of God's children,” continues Sister Donna. “In addition to visiting historical sites, we met unsung heroes and foot soldiers of the Civil Rights movement, and spent time exploring what today’s racism, white privilege, and systemic inequality look like in the towns we visited–and in our own hometowns. As a spiritual pilgrimage, we reflected on what we experienced together and how we can apply what we learned to make a difference in today's world.”

Sister Donna has shared more about her experience in her Civil Rights Journey blog, which you can read here.