Robbinsdale Cooper Students Take Tour Through History

They weren't your average tourists. The 21 local students that stepped off the bus in Louisville, Ky. were embarking on a Civil Rights journey through the South.

Over the next five days, the scholars would visit a variety of sites infused with African and Black American history, including the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. 

 "Our students really took away a sense of empowerment," said Integration and Equity Program Director Kenneth Turner, who helped chaperone the trip. 

 Attendees "were able to come together and talk about race, poverty and education - conversations often missing in a regular classroom," he said.

 But the students, who hailed from and Anoka-Ramsey Community College, did more than just talk amongst themselves. They journaled, Tweeted, and posted reflections on Facebook, as well as held discussions with African American professors at the University of Louisville.

 For Turner, these discussions were the most memorable and powerful part of the trip. "Students were able to see folks who looked like them, folks who had obtained Phds," he said. "It helped our kids understand what they can achieve."

 The trip was made possible by integration dollars, state funding used to "promote diversity, cultural competence and equity of opportunity within school districts," said Tia Clasen, Marketing and Communications Program Director for Robbinsdale Area Schools.

 Students were selected for the excursion based on leadership, academics, and letters of recommendation. Both Clasen and Turner hope to continue, and eventually expand, the Civil Rights tour in subsequent years.   

 "Sometimes we don't listen enough to what children are saying," said Turner. "This experience taught us how to better interact with students, especially regarding conversations of race."

 Clasen agreed, noting she was inspired by trip participants' attitude towards higher education following their presentation at an April Board of Education dialogue.

 All four Cooper high school seniors who attended the Civil Rights tour will continue their studies at four-year institutions. No students could be reached for comment.