Before going on the Classrooms Without Borders (CWB) trip, I thought I already knew a lot about Black history. But this trip showed me how much more there is to learn—and how deep our history really goes. Some things I learned I had never even heard of before. And even the stuff I did know about, I now see in a completely different way.
This experience was eye-opening. In school, they give us the watered-down version. They don’t show us just how brutal and painful our history really was. But this trip didn’t sugarcoat anything. It was raw and real. It showed me the truth about how badly African Americans were treated—not just in the past, but how those effects still show up today.
One thing that really hit me was how I used to overlook people like Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman. Not because I didn’t respect them, but because I kept hearing the same stories over and over since I was a kid. I didn’t fully understand how complex and risky their work really was. They were putting their lives on the line for justice—and doing it all nonviolently. That takes strength I can’t even imagine. I have a lot more respect for them now.
I also learned things I never would’ve learned in school, especially about the KKK and the terror they caused in Black communities. Seeing that history up close made me realize just how far we’ve come—and how far we still have to go. It made me think about the people who fought for us before we were even born, just so we could have basic rights today.
Meeting the speakers on the trip was something I’ll never forget. They lived through the history we only read about in books. Hearing their stories, their advice, and seeing the emotion in their eyes—it stuck with me. I feel like I see the world differently now. Like I got a new set of eyes.
I’m so thankful I got to be part of this trip. It’s something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. I’m really grateful for the teachers and students I traveled with—they made the experience even better. Everybody was cool and respectful, and we learned a lot from each other.
And a special thank you to Ms. Kate Lukaszewicz and Mrs. Reid for giving me this amazing opportunity. I’ll never forget it. Thank you for believing in me and letting me be part of something this powerful.
