To Celebrate Black History Month, Westminster Middle School Students Hear from Selma Participant

Westminster Christian Academy 7th grade students recently participated in a black history and diversity day field trip and had the opportunity to learn about the Civil Rights Movement from a firsthand source.

Alvery Williams, who participated in all three Selma marches and knew Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visited Westminster to share with the students his experiences participating in the marches and interacting with Dr. King.

“We had the kids watch the movie Selma as a way for them to have their own Selma experience,” said Westminster Director of Diversity Aaron Layton. “To follow that up, we wanted to bring someone to the students who had experienced these events and could speak to the students about them.”

Dr. Jim Sefrit, who retired as Westminster’s assistant head of school in May 2015, joined Williams in speaking to the 7th graders. Students had the chance to listen and ask questions as Williams and Sefrit discussed their different experiences of the Civil Rights Movement growing up.

“The purpose of the day was to expose every 7th grader to the idea that God is the creator of diversity and that America is a place where diversity must flourish,” said Westminster 7th grade global studies teacher Andy Kerckoff. “We wanted to show them that America has a long history of wrestling with the problems of slavery, racism, and the denial of civil rights. We wanted them, to a certain extent, to feel the pain of black history in America, but we also wanted them to see that America has been making progress since its inception.”