Understanding the Civil Rights Movement

Travel from Jackson to Montgomery visiting important sites of the Civil Rights movement. Walk across Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge and through the doors of Little Rock High School. Meet with 16th Street Baptist Church bomb survivor Carolyn McKinstry, Bloody Sunday foot soldier Annie Pearl Avery, and many others. Experience the Memorial for Peace and Social Justice in Montgomery and meet with staff at the Equal Justice Initiative.

Dates
Oct 8 - Oct 15, 2023  (8 Days)
Cost
$4,995 per person, double occupancy
For more Information
travel@commonwealthclub.org

(415) 597-6720

    Sunday, October 8
    Jackson, MS

    Independent arrivals in Jackson. Transfer to the Westin Jackson. Afternoon visit to the newly opened Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. This museum provides an honest and painful account of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, beginning with the back story to the civil rights period – the European slave trade. Evening welcome reception and dinner at the hotel.
    Westin Jackson Hotel (D)

    Monday, October 9
    Jackson, MS

    Our morning begins at the Medgar Evers Home Museum, where Evers lived and was later assassinated in 1963. Continue to Malaco Records, an American independent record label based in Jackson, that has been the home of various major blues and gospel acts. Stop by the Big Apple Inn, where we will meet with the owner, Geno Lee, whose unique delicacy, Pig’s Ear Sandwich, has attracted the likes of BB King and even President Obama. Explore Farish Street with a local business owner, passing by the Collins Funeral Home, where a throng of 4,000 mourners marched after the death of Medgar Evers. After lunch, we meet with Dr. Robert Luckett, Director of the Margaret Walker Center at the COFO Civil Rights Education Center. After time to freshen up we have dinner in a private location, with music from a local Blues musician.
    Westin Jackson Hotel (B,L,D)

    Tuesday, October 10
    Mississippi Delta / Little Rock, AR

    Depart Jackson this morning for Little Rock, stopping by the BB King Museum. Continue to Baptist Town where Mary Hoover will prepare barbecue ribs before stopping in at Hoover’s Store and the Back in the Day Museum, owned by Sylvester and Mary Hoover. Tour the Back in the Day Museum, a community museum exploring the history of African-American culture in the Delta. Continue on to the nearby town of Money to see the remains of the Bryant’s Grocery, the site associated with the murder of black teenager Emmett Till. End the day in Sumner at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center and learn of the apology resolution written by the community during a discussion in the courthouse. Enjoy dinner at Sumner’s Grille before continuing on to Little Rock. 
    Burgundy Hotel (B,L,D)

    Wednesday, October 11
    Little Rock / Memphis, TN

    Today begins with a visit to Little Rock High School, a national emblem of the often violent struggle over school desegregation. The crisis here forced the nation to enforce African-American civil rights in the face of massive southern defiance during the years following the Brown decision, a major triumph of the movement. Here we will have the opportunity to meet with one of the students from that time. Continue on to the William J. Clinton Presidential Center housed in a gleaming modern space overlooking the Arkansas River. Continue on to Memphis and check into our hotel before dinner at a local iconic Memphis BBQ restaurant. 
    Memphis Hotel (B,L,D)

    Thursday, October 12
    Memphis

    Begin the morning at the Lorraine Motel, now the home of the National Civil Rights Museum. Martin Luther King, Jr. stayed at the motel on April 4, 1968, the day of his assassination. Enjoy lunch at The Four Way, one of the oldest soul food restaurants in Memphis whose regulars included Martin Luther King Jr, Isaac Hayes and Aretha Franklin. This afternoon, we will focus on Memphis’ music history with a visit to the Stax Museum of American Soul, located in Soulsville. End the day with a visit the Slave Haven Underground Railway house, where dark cellars, hidden passageways and trap doors were used by runaway slaves attempting to flee north to freedom. Dinner is at your leisure this evening. 
    Memphis Hotel (B,L)

    Friday, October 13
    Birmingham, AL / Selma / Montgomery

    This morning, travel to Birmingham and stop at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church where a bomb killed four young girls as they prepared to sing in their choir on September 15, 1963. We have asked Carolyn McKinstry, who was 14 and inside the church when the bomb exploded, to join us on our visit. After lunch, drive to Selma for a conversation with Foot Soldier, Annie Pearl Avery at the Selma Interpretive Center. Continue to the Edmund Pettus Bridge where we will walk two by two in memory of those who were beaten while seeking the right to vote. Continue on to Montgomery and check into the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel.
    Renaissance Montgomery Hotel (B,L)

    Saturday, October 14
    Montgomery

    Begin the morning with a visit to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Parsonage where Martin Luther King Jr. lived as a pastor. End the morning at the Legacy Museum, situated on the site where enslaved people were once warehoused. After lunch, visit the newly opened National Memorial for Peace and Justice, created by the Equal Justice Initiative. End the day with a debrief led by staff members of the Equal Justice Institute. Enjoy a farewell dinner at the Central Restaurant. 
    Renaissance Montgomery Hotel (B,L,D)
     

    Sunday, October 15
    Montgomery

    Independent transfers to the airport for return flights home. (B)

    $4,995 per person, double occupancy
    $6,205 single occupancy 

    Included:
    Accommodations and meals as per itinerary; all sightseeing in an air-conditioned coach; bottled water on the bus; all entrances and events as listed; Discussion Leader to accompany the group; pre-departure materials and reading list; services of a professional tour manager to accompany the group;  Welcome and Farewell receptions; gratuities

    Not Included:
    Airfare to Jackson and back from Montgomery; alcoholic drinks except for wine and beer at welcome and farewell events; excess luggage charges; trip Insurance; items of a purely personal nature

    What to Expect
    Please note that our itinerary involves some time driving from city to city, as well as a fair amount of walking around the sites including climbing up and down stairs. Some days have an early-morning start and include a full day’s schedule of activities, lectures and special events. Participants must be in good health and able to keep up with an active group. The temperatures in the region average in the 70's to 80's (°F) and can be humid. This program will be covering topics that include violence, and that may be difficult for children. Lectures and discussions are geared to an adult audience. Therefore, we do not recommend this program for people under 16 years of age.

    Throughout the trip participants will hear from a variety of guest speakers such as 16th Street Baptist Church bomb survivor Carolyn McKinstry and Bloody Sunday foot soldier Annie Pearl Avery, to name just a couple of the incredible people you will meet.  

    Trip Educators
    Robert Greene, Discussion Leader
    Robert Greene, Discussion Leader

    Robert Greene is the CEO/Principal of Cedar & Burwell Strategic Consulting, specializing in the application of DEIBA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, Belonging, and Accessibility) technologies in broad-scale organizational development consulting. Prior to Cedar & Burwell, Robert served as a teacher and administrator in educational organizations, department leader in for-profit organizations, and trustee and director for non- profit and social entrepreneurship agencies.

    He brings insightful thinking, writing, and consulting to issues ranging from organizational development and leadership design; diversity and inclusion leadership and management strategies; human resources and organizational culture consulting; wealth and social class disparities; the impact of identity differences in employee culture; and bias awareness and bias resistance training to his current professional engagements. Robert has also been a peer reviewer for one of the most exciting recent contributions in social psychology around unconscious bias, The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias, by Dolly Chugh.

    He's partnered with an extensive and varied list of leaders and organizations including Berkeley Law School; BlackRock; Capital Group; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Harvard-Westlake School; Marin Country Day School (CA); Media Rights Capital Studios; Occidental College; Phillips Academy Andover; St. Mary’s College; SFFilm; and YPO among many others.

    Midwest by birth, southern by heritage, east coast by education, and west coast by adaptation, Robert earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brown (econ/political science) and Harvard (administration, planning, and social policy) respectively.

    The Commonwealth Club (CWC) has contracted with Distant Horizons (DH) to organize this tour. This trip is based on a minimum of 15 guests and a maximum of 24. 

    Reservations:
    A $1,000 per person deposit will reserve a place for participants on this program. The balance of the trip is due 60 days prior to departure and must be paid by check made out to Distant Horizons. Should you want to make a reservation, please email travel@commonwealthclub.org and we will contact you. Or call (415) 597-6720.

    Cancellation and Refund Policy:
    Notification of cancellation must be received in writing. At the time we receive your written cancellation, the following penalties will apply:

    120 days or more before departure: $250
    119-90 days before departure: $500  of the $1,000 deposit
    89-61 days before departure: $1000 deposit
    60 days before departure: No refund

    The tour can also be canceled due to low enrollment. Neither CWC nor DH accepts liability for cancellation penalties related to domestic or international airline tickets purchased in conjunction with the tour.

    Eligibility:
    We require membership to the Commonwealth Club to travel with us. People who live outside of the Bay Area may purchase a worldwide membership. To learn about membership types and to purchase a membership, visit our membership page or call (415)597-6720.

    Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance:
    We strongly advise that all travelers purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance as coverage against a covered unforeseen emergency that may force you to cancel or leave the trip while it is in progress. Baggage insurance is also recommended. In the event you must cancel your participation in the travel program, trip cancellation insurance may be the only source of reimbursement. Information will be sent upon registration and can be viewed Travel Insurance Services website.

    Please note that many travel insurance companies do not cover cancellations due to concerns about COVID-19 unless you purchase a "Cancel for Any Reason" policy. Please speak with your travel insurance provider about your specific concerns related to coverage.

    Medical Information:
    Participation in this program requires that you be in good health. It is essential that persons with any medical problems and related dietary restrictions make them known to us well before departure.

    Itinerary Changes & Trip Delay:
    This itinerary is based on information available at the time of printing (January 2023) and is subject to change. We reserve the right to change a program’s dates, staff, itineraries, or accommodations as conditions warrant. If a trip must be delayed, or the itinerary changed, due to bad weather, road conditions, transportation delays, airline schedules, government intervention, sickness or other contingency for which CWC or DH or its agents cannot make provision, the cost of delays or changes is not included.

    Limitations of Liability:
    CWC and DH its Owners, Agents, and Employees act only as the agent for any transportation carrier, hotel, ground operator, or other suppliers of services connected with this program (“other providers”), and the other providers are solely responsible and liable for providing their respective services. CWC and DH shall not be held liable for (A) any damage to, or loss of, property or injury to, or death of, persons occasioned directly or indirectly by an act or omission of any other provider, including but not limited to any defect in any aircraft, or vehicle operated or provided by such other provider, and (B) any loss or damage due to delay, cancellation, or disruption in any manner caused by the laws, regulations, acts or failures to act, demands, orders, or interpositions of any government or any subdivision or agent thereof, or by acts of God, strikes, fire, flood, war, rebellion, terrorism, insurrection, sickness, quarantine, epidemics, theft, or any other cause(s) beyond their control. The participant waives any claim against CWC/ DH for any such loss, damage, injury, or death. By registering for the trip, the participant certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical, or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other participants. CWC/DH shall not be liable for any air carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket to or from the departure city. Baggage and personal effects are at all times the sole responsibility of the traveler. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort and well-being of the passengers.

    Registration
    Commonwealth Club of California-CST# 2096889-40