Welcome to Sojourn to the Past

On our Sojourn journeys we emphasize the importance of inclusiveness and acceptance of all people. Sojourn speakers Minnijean Brown Trickey and Elizabeth Eckford encourage reaching out to others regardless of whatever invisible barriers exist because you never know what positivity your extension of friendship/humanity can generate. Our students learn that they can become friends with others whom they preconceived as different from themselves.

Upon return from the Sojourn experience many students are shocked to see through new eyes the division that exists in their own schools. Our Sojourners attest that there is noticeable racial separation between the students at their schools. Sojourn alumni has reported post-journey that they attempt to cross the invisible boundaries that visibly separate society–they befriend students they have never spoken to before, of different ethnicities, economic backgrounds and varying interests.

Teaching Tolerance, a project started by the Southern Poverty Law Center, offers ideas to teachers across the nation that help promote tolerance and acceptance and fight prejudice and discrimination amongst their students and schools. In a recent article, Teaching Tolerance suggests schools participate in “Mix It Up at Lunch Day” on November 9th. The website offers different ways to cross borders, as well as how to publicize the event.

Students: suggest Mix It Up to a teacher or counselor at your school and have an official event! Teachers: Teaching Tolerance offers (free!) tools to enact Mix It Up on their website.

Congressman John Lewis urges that “we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we will perish as fools.” Reach out to your peers at school, your brothers and sisters, and share the lessons of acceptance, nonviolence and compassion!

Visit the Teaching Tolerance Mix It Up web page by clicking HERE.

“You might be someone’s hope someday…you might help someone live another day.” -Elizabeth Eckford of the Little Rock 9

Often the word “donation” is associated with monetary contributions, which can deter many (especially with today’s economy) from providing the assistance they might otherwise happily bestow. There are, however, many other ways for us to give back and help others in need.

We can donate our time. Try volunteering at a local community center for at risk youth, assisting the elderly at a senior center, lending a hand in a community garden or serving soup at a homeless shelter. Giving a few hours out of each week to places like these helps to establish and perpetuate a more inclusive, happy, healthy and safe community. Not only is volunteering personally rewarding, but it can also be fun as you get to meet new interesting people, and can always invite friends or family members to share your experience.

We also have numerous resources to share that are not obvious choices as necessities for those in need. This article from the Huffington Post suggests twenty five different ways that we can donate without spending a dime. From cutting your hair for the foundation Locks of Love to “donating” the bumper of your car to stickers spreading your humanitarian ideas, the article suggestions are not only useful and very practical, but inspire creative thought to all of the other resources that we may be able to share with others.

What else can you think of? Submit your ideas here. Everyone has something to share! “Be the change you wish to see in the world” and start a new project to give back today.

** Please also read Investigative Reporter, MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, and Sojourn Speaker Jerry Mitchell’s post on thinking differently related to nonviolence featuring Sojourn to the Past founder Jeff Steinberg by clicking here.

On Sunday, September 5, our nation lost a man who as a teenager helped to pave the way toward equality in education for all students. Jefferson Thomas, one of the Little Rock Nine, signed up to enroll in Central High School when he was 15 years old. When the Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, a staunch segregationist, closed down all of Little Rock’s high schools in order to prevent further integration, Thomas waited along with Carlotta Walls to return to Central High where he graduated in 1960. The actions of these nine brave students set an example for the entire country and contributed to the movement in desegregating the U.S.

Thomas’ fellow Little Rock Nine members recall his impressive athleticism and uplifting, witty sense of humor. Carlotta Walls, Melba Pateal Beals and Minnijean Brown Trickey have contributed to NPR and CNN tributes to Jefferson Thomas. They tell how Thomas used to run home after school; his speed and athleticism may have saved him from a lot of trouble. They recalled how determined Thomas was to make a difference even in such dangerous and frightening times. Still, Thomas kept a sense of humor that importantly kept his friends smiling while having to face terrorism within the walls of their high school. Trickey, Walls and Beals have expressed their deep sadness losing such a fine, close friend with whom they endured so much.

President Barack Obama, who invited the Little Rock Nine to his inauguration, and former President Bill Clinton who awarded the group the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999, both issued statements following the news of Thomas’ passing. President Obama cited the courage of Thomas and the Little Rock Nine as a major inspiration for him growing up; acknowledging the fact that the group contributed greatly to the privileges that we all enjoy today. Clinton stated that “America is a stronger, more diverse, and more tolerant nation because of the life he lived and the sacrifices he made.”

Jefferson Thomas continued to serve his country after high school. Thomas served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam following his graduation, and returned to participate in community service and promoting justice and equality for the remainder of his life. Jefferson Thomas was an ordinary young man at the age of 15 when he entered Central High School, and he accomplished extraordinary achievements. We must never forget the lessons he has exemplified of equality, fairness and acceptance. His memory gives us courage and the knowledge that we each are capable of creating positive change.

To read Huffington Post’s article commemorating the life of Jefferson Thomas click here.