by Dr. Kimberly Davidson, Duquesne University
I enrolled in Classrooms Without Borders’ Marching Down Freedom Road seminar through my position as a professor in the educator preparation program at Duquesne University. My aim is to take what I learn and incorporate it in my courses. Before traveling south, to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, our group read and discussed primary documents and visited sites connected to the Freedom Movement in Pittsburgh. Walking the same streets where that history unfolded and reading firsthand accounts in the words of the people who lived them has been illuminating. We’ve also judiciously incorporated technology to further enhance the experience. For example, on one excursion, we travelled through East Liberty in Pittsburgh and stood in front of buildings I’d likely driven past many times. We peered through the Looking Glass App to reveal images of the history of activism for Black liberation they held, including the northern headquarters of the Council of Federated Organizations. In our next meeting, we went to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and attended the Teenie Harris photography exhibit that further fleshed out the imagery and history of African American individuals and communities in Pittsburgh during the 1950’s and 60’s. Having concrete references, artifacts, and experiences to pair with the abstract ideas from readings, viewings, and discussions has been valuable for organizing and reflecting holistically. These experiences made it clear to me that the struggle for justice was not confined to a handful of famous cities and names– it was local, persistent, and carried forward by everyday people who organized and refused to accept the limits placed on them.
Now we have arrived in Atlanta, and I find myself with a full-circle feeling about it. I lived in Georgia for seven years before recently moving back home to Pittsburgh, so I am seeing familiar landscapes, but with different eyes than the ones I had before. I will try to approach each stop on our journey with curiosity, and an open heart, mind, and ears. Learning from members of our group and the leaders who’ve spent their careers making sense of it all- educators and scholars as well as people who have actually lived through these moments is such a precious opportunity. I am struck by the fact that I had not previously learned this local history in my own K -12 and postsecondary education. Participating in this seminar gives me hope that my future teachers and their students will be able to develop critical background knowledge at younger ages.
