Craig Wilson is the editor of the Hill & Lake Press. He lives in Lowry Hill.
Ella Baker Global Studies and Humanities Magnet School is preparing to send its eighth grade class on its third annual Civil Rights Tour, a signature capstone experience that brings students through key sites of the Southern Civil Rights Movement.
Teacher Sam Quincy, who helped launch the trip several years ago, says the tour has become one of the most powerful learning experiences the school offers.
Ella Baker, located on Hennepin Avenue, is a global studies magnet school that builds its curriculum around what Quincy calls “global competencies,” skills and attitudes students need to collaborate, show empathy and use evidence to support their ideas. “It’s a liberal arts look at education,” he said. “Working with others and choosing empathy are two of my favorites.”
The school adopted its current name in recent years, moving away from the former Thomas Jefferson School designation. Thename change came through a community and student process that aligned with the school’s new magnet identity.
Quincy recalls that numerous ideas were proposed, including references to local places, but younger students ultimately drove the vote to honor Ella Baker.
“She’s known as the grandmother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Quincy said. “She taught so much to Martin Luther King and leaders of SNCC. The students really latched onto her, and it was a great choice.”
“ The tour is also more expensive this year. With district budgets tighter and experiential learning funds reduced, Ella Baker families must rely heavily on fundraising.”
The upcoming Civil Rights Tour reflects that legacy. Students will begin in Atlanta, visiting Dr. King’s birth home and Ebenezer Baptist Church, then travel by bus to Montgomery to tour the Legacy Museum, created by Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative.
Quincy describes the museum as “the best I’ve ever been to,” noting its sweeping narrative of African American history beginning in the 1600s.
From Montgomery, students will stop in Selma to study the 50-mile march and the events of Bloody Sunday, then continue to Birmingham to visit its civil rights museum and key historical sites.
The group will end the trip back in Atlanta, with a visit to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Quincy said this year’s eighth graders, many of whom have been in the magnet program since fourth or fifth grade, are particularly well prepared to engage with global human rights themes.
The tour is also more expensive this year. With district budgets tighter and experiential learning funds reduced, Ella Baker families must rely heavily on fundraising. A flyer for the trip notes that $25 covers a meal, $50 supports a day of bus travel and $100 pays for a hotel room. Quincy said community support has been strong, with help from Washburn High School’s student government and National Honor Society.
“It’s been more work, but it’s building excitement,” he said. “Students are more invested than ever.”
Quincy added that the trip often becomes a defining moment for students before they enter high school. He recalled a past participant whose experience on the tour helped shift his sense of direction and confidence. That student is now preparing to graduate and considering a future in education.
“Big experiences like this help kids look ahead and dream big,” Quincy said. “That’s what this trip is all about.”
