Spring break trip provides reflection and reverence

As part of Exeter's Global Initiatives program, students traveled to Alabama to study racial injustice and the ongoing legacy of slavery. 

By
Adam Loyd
March 22, 2023
Students pose for a photo during a trip to Alabama

In a tradition that’s become synonymous with the March break, Exeter's spring travel programs once again hit the road for experiential learning opportunities. From backpacking in Utah to performing music in Puerto Rico and preseason athletics training in Florida, students fanned out across the country for enrichment opportunities away from campus. 

Eleven Exonians traveled south to Alabama to participate in a civil rights-centric program for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Students toured national landmarks throughout the state and spent time at social justice activist and Exeter’s 2019 Bragdon Fellow Brian Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative.

Among the stops were tours of the 16th St. Baptist Church, Martin Luther King's former residence, the Legacy Museum and the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

"[We] felt a sense of reverence for the place where such important work was done and a sense of gratitude for the sacrifices made by King and his family," said a combined reflection from Peter Lee '26, Chaemin Lee '26 and Abesolam Webb '26 on their time spent at the King family home.

View more photos from trip below and on Instagram.

Students walk the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

The group poses for a photo in front of the Legacy Museum in Montgomery.

Students stop to sample southern treat Moon Pies.