Our first stop for our field trip was Greensboro. Greensboro has a rich history and we wanted to explore as much of it as possible. Firstly, we went to the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum. The museum is home to the Palmer Memorial Institute which was a prestigious school run by Charlotte Brown to teach young African Americans in the humanities, STEM and etiquette. Here, we were privy to knowledge about not just the school, but Ms.Brown as a person. She had very little money but a dream to create a legacy. She moved to Sedalia, NC at the age of NC and a vision for excellence. Her determination inspired all of us to achieve great things as well.
Many of Ms. Browns’ students went on to be doctors,lawyers, and make their own mark on the world. 97% of all of her classes went to college. Most of them ventured to HBCU’S. These students wanted to continue their excellence so they chose colleges or universities that promoted this, A&T being one of them. Our tour guide Ashanti took us on a private tour of the campus and we walked away convinced that Ms. Browns’ students were well equipped to conquer the world with the help of A&T. North Carolina’s Agricultural and Tech College is not only a great place to learn but is a standing artifact for events like the Greensboro Four, who fought for equality in public eateries. These 4 freshman started the “sit-in” tactic which spread its way all over the United States.
Finally, we participated in a guided tour of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. This interactive museum was filled with cool hologram images, touch screen maps and renovated decor that made learning fun. In our tour, the theme of Tapestry was constantly reiterated. Our guide Daniel explained that Civil Rights was never white or black, or cut clean, it was a mix of different people and things to create an era. In an hour, we dove deep into all of the many fabrics that were weaved into this tapestry of rights and how we, the future, will continue to make it grow and change.
