'Journey to Freedom' brings students closer to Black history

USA Today

3 days ago

A mentoring program for Black girls and young women takes participants on a 14-day tour to learn about Black history, the Underground Railroad.
WASHINGTON ‒ Samaria Helton had learned about Thomas Jefferson in school, but she didn't know the former president had hundreds and hundreds of enslaved people until she recently visited his Monticello plantation in Virginia.
The visit was important in her quest to know more about Black history, she said.
'This is my history,'' said Helton, a 16-year-old high school junior from Sanford, North Carolina. 'I need to learn my history.'
Monticello was one of several stops on a 14-day journey north for Helton and eight other middle and high schoolers in Leadership LINKS Inc., a mentoring program for Black girls and young women. They are learning firsthand about Black history as they visit historic Black churches, former plantations, the national African American museum and other sites that tell that story.
The trip, 'The Journey to Freedom," also takes participants through states where abolitionist Harriet Tubman led enslaved people, including herself, on the Underground Railroad to freedom.
Organizers said the trip is particularly important now with the stripping of Black historic figures, including Tubman, from websites, the banning of books, the dismantling of education programs and attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
'Knowledge is a core value for us,'' said Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, a co-founder of Leadership LINKS. 'We're passing on this history across generations.'
'Representation matters'
Though the early part of the trip includes stops with Black history connections, it's at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Maryland June 25 where the girls began tracing her path.
More: Who gets to write America's history? Activists aim to protect Harriet Tubman, other sites
The program aims to introduce the girls to Black female leaders, both historic and present-day, 'so they can see what they can become,'' said Robinson, a graduate of the Naval Academy.
The girls had already studied abolitionist Sojourner Truth, so it made sense to focus next on Tubman, Robinson said.
'Not just the mythical figure of Harriet Tubman, but for them to know the full history of her life,' she said, noting that Tubman faced many barriers escaping to freedom. 'That didn't stop her from liberating herself, liberating her family and fighting for liberation for others.'
Helton, the high school junior, appreciated the focus on Tubman
'There's a lot to learn from her, to follow her path and fight for our people like she did.''
Juneteenth kicks off trip
The trip began on Juneteenth in North Carolina, where the girls celebrated with a soul food dinner and a documentary, 'Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom Documentary.''
'It was a fun way to kick off our trip,'' said Capria Daniels, 16, a high school junior from Clinton, Maryland.
Daniels said she couldn't pass up the opportunity to join the two-week trip.
The girls, who range from sixth graders to seniors in high school, came from Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The trip is funded by grants and donations.
Stops include the University of Virginia, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Howard University, a historic Black school in Washington, D.C. There's also a visit to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia and Tubman's home in upstate New York. The journey ends in Toronto, where many enslaved Black people fled.
There are also lighter outings, including the musical 'Hamilton' on Broadway. At some stops, guest speakers discuss the importance of leadership.
Daniels said the stops provide a 'better understanding of where I came from so I can teach the next generation.''
'Most of it is sugarcoated'
Beyond site visits and reading assignments, the girls have a passport book to collect stamps at each stop and jot down reflections.
They are also equipped with a songbook to learn classic protest songs, such as ''Eyes on the Prize'' and contemporary gospel songs like ''Goodness of God.''
But at the heart of the trip is visiting sites with connections to Black history.
'That makes what we read about real for them in a very different way,'' Robinson said.
Helton and Daniels said history lessons in school often don't tell the whole story, including the brutality of slavery.
'We learn the basics, and most of it is sugarcoated,' Helton said.
During a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which has come under attack by the Trump administration, Helton said she learned more about the horrid conditions of millions of Africans packed into slave ships.
'It was sad just to know they had to go through that,'' she said.
Destiny Davis, 20, a summer intern for the program, said even colleges have fallen short in teaching the truth about Black history.
'They leave out a lot of graphic information,'' said Davis, a junior at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. 'They're teaching you the history they want you to know.''
For Daniels, each stop meant learning something new.
'It definitely taught me a lot more about my history.'