BK2BAMA, The Name
BK |
All students attend Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate Charter School (BSC), a Title I charter school run entirely on public funds. BSC operates on a per-pupil budget equal to that of any other New York City public school. 69% of its eighth graders qualify for free lunch, and an additional 6% receive reduced-priced lunch. The eighth-grade student population identifies as 66% Black or African American, with 31% Hispanic, 4% American Indian or Alaska Native, 2% Asian, and 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. BK2BAMA is proud to include students receiving special teacher support services. |
The students prepare throughout the academic year for what culminates in a trip South. BK2BAMA is funded entirely by student and faculty fundraising and relies on the generosity of its donors. The school provides no aid. Families are not required to contribute anything. Student fundraising remains a cornerstone of the program. Each student creates up a fundraising page, sets a goal, and is held accountable for reaching out to loved ones in their communities for support. We patronize almost exclusively Black-owned and operated businesses in Atlanta and Alabama. |
BAMA |
Most years, selected 8th graders spend a week in Alabama and Georgia, visiting sites of historic sites relating to Black history and the Civil Rights Movement while also learning about the current challenges facing America and people of color in particular. Students meet with leaders and foot soldiers of the Movement, both past and present. In the months preceding the trip, students attend twice-weekly meetings and field trips to prepare for the trip. |
BK2BAMA Mission
BK2BAMA strives to develop proud, confident, proactive young
leaders who recognize and embrace the privileges and
responsibilities of citizenship. To that end, BK2BAMA intimately
exposes students to the rich history of the modern Civil Rights
Movement and engages them in the ongoing efforts being made
to build a more equitable, just, tolerant America and world.
Engage
Meet and listen to the foot soldiers tell their stories of the Civil Rights movement.
Lead
Draw from the courageous leaders of the Movement and cultivate confidence and courage to lead.
Apply
Apply those leadership skills at home by engaging peers in community based activities of service.
Serve
Explore and deliver services at home and in our community.
BK2BAMA is a full-year program. While the trip to Alabama and Georgia during April break is undoubtedly the highlight, between September and April, the group meets about twice a week to prepare. These meetings include lectures, debates, fundraising discussions, film screenings, and field trips around New York City. These are some of the places we go to.
BK2BAMA is grounded in experiential, inquiry-based learning and emphasizes the integral role average citizens played in the success of the Civil Rights Movement through the use of oral histories. Here are some of the foot soldiers students have met through the program.
Charles Person
Original Freedom Rider, member of the Atlanta Student Movement, and Vietnam veteran
Dr. Viola Bradford
reporter for the Southern Courier during the creation of Stokely Carmichael’s Lowndes County Freedom Organization
Reverend Robert and Jean Graetz
Members of the executive committee of the Montgomery Improvement Association during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956
Sam Walker
Activist, Selma voting rights campaign, 1965
Samuel Walker Sam Walker is a widely quoted expert on issues of civil liberties, policing and criminal justice policy. He is the author of 14 books on those subjects, which have appeared in a combined total of 39 different editions. He has been interviewed in...
Sheyann Webb-Christburg
One of the youngest marchers on “Bloody Sunday,” Selma to Montgomery Marches, 1965
Catherine Burks-Brooks
Freedom Rider, 1961
Joyce Vance
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, 2009-2017
Joyce Vance Joyce White Vance is a Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law at Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law at The University of Alabama. She served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017. She was...
Sometimes I hear people saying, 'Nothing has changed.'
Come and walk in my shoes.—John Lewis
BK2BAMA is back for its eighth year with a team of fourteen incredible students, who have been preparing for our trip since September. This year’s cohort’s citizenships and curiosity set it apart.
My life goal is to push myself and gain one heck of a future that I and my family will be proud of. I want to do what others cannot. I want to be a strong female role model little kids can look up to just like the three amazing feminists I admire, Oprah Winfrey, Alice Walker, and Angela Davis. They shed a light on issues many of us are blind to and inspire others to strive for their best.
I admire Bryan Stevenson because he and everyone at the Equal Justice Initiative tell the true, traumatizing story of racism and how our society has been shaped by our troubled past. My favorite civil rights activist is Martin Luther King, Jr. because he truly stood against the mistreatment of Black Americans. He remained motivated and persevered even while people plotted his downfall.
When I grow up, I want to be a Supreme Court justice. Lots of people say it’s not realistic and encourage me to just be a lawyer, but I’m determined to be a judge because I believe judges today don’t always think outside the box or consider how their actions will affect others.
My mom immigrated to America from Mexico about twenty years ago. I have learned many things from my family and culture. My hero is Elvia Carrrillo Puerto. She is a Mexican socialist politician and feminist. She worked hard to ensure Mexican women gained the right to vote.
I either want to be a doctor or an NBA player when I grow up. Saving lives has always been such a big goal of mine. Life is such a valuable thing, and everyone should be able to enjoy it. Bad things like war and gun violence happen all the time and being a doctor would help me save lives and not leave loved ones in despair.
When I grow up I want to become a neurosurgeon and traveling doctor because there’s lots of people dying from brain tumors. In poor countries in particular, people often don’t have the resources they deserve. As a traveling doctor, I’d try to fix that.
My favorite civil rights quote would have to be “You must never be fearful about what you are doing if it is right,” by Rosa Parks. This quote resonates with me because it reminds me to not be afraid of what I’m doing as long as it’s the right thing.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, but my family is from Guatemala and Guyana. When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut so I can go to space and fix rockets. My favorite civil rights leader is Martin Luther King Jr because no matter how many times he was arrested or beat up, or even made fun of, he still fought for equal rights in the U.S.
Just like Michael Jordan, I would like to play in NBA when I grow up. Martin Luther King also inspires me because he changed American society for the better, despite all of the white Americans who strongly disagreed with him and made it difficult for him to end segregation and promote peace.
I admire Giannis Antetokounmpo because he is a good basketball player and I like playing basketball. Furthermore, he’s Nigerian, like me. I am creative and love building things. When I grow up, I want to be an electrical engineer and architect.
My family and I are from Nigeria and are Muslim. Being Nigerian has taught me many things including how to cook special dishes and be a proper person in society. For example, my family has taught me the importance of discipline. I admire my sister. Being the oldest, she had to take care of my two brothers and me, especially when my mother was pregnant. I look up to my sister’s courage and perseverance.
I proudly identify as African American and Guyanese. When I grow up, I want to be a neurosurgeon because I want to help people live a better, healthier life. I want to help both patients and their families because I know what it feels like to have to worry about your loved ones being gone one day.
My favorite civil rights figure is Martin Luther King, Jr. because he stood up for Black people during a time in which Black people faced racism. In school last year, I really enjoyed reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. This book is about somebody wrongfully convicted of a crime. At first, he did not have a lawyer, but then Stevenson stepped up and helped prove he was innocent.
I have many heroes. Some are people I know, but others don’t know me. My mom is my hero because she tries her hardest and makes time to spend time with my brother, sister, and me. My mom has built so many amazing memories for our family. My dad is also my hero. He always makes my siblings and me smile or laugh, even though sometimes he’s not trying to. I’ve never met Angela Bassett, but I also look up to her. She is a successful Black woman who inspires girls, especially girls of color, to do what they want and believe in life.
BK
All students attend Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate Charter School (BSC), a Title I charter school run entirely on public funds. BSC operates on a per pupil budget equal to that of any other New York City public school. 69% of its eighth graders qualify for free lunch, and an additional 6% receive reduced-priced lunch. The eighth-grade student population identifies as 66% Black
or African American, with 31% Hispanic, 4% American Indian or Alaska Native, 2% Asian, and 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. BK2BAMA is proud to include students receiving special teacher support services.
2
The students prepare throughout the academic year for what culminates in a trip South. BK2BAMA is funded entirely by student and faculty fundraising, including individual appeals, grant writing, bake sales, basketball tournaments, and more. The school provides no aid. To ensure the program is affordable for all students, guardians are not asked to contribute anything. Student fundraising remains a cornerstone of the program. Each student creates a fundraising page, sets a goal, and is held accountable for reaching out to loved ones in their communities for support.
BAMA
Each year eight eighth-grade students spend four days in Alabama touring Birmingham, Lowndes County, Montgomery, Tuskegee, and Selma. Students meet with leaders and foot soldiers of the movement like Sheyann Webb-Christburg, Catherine Burks-Brooks, Jean and Robert Graetz, Joyce Vance, Terry Collins, and Robert Posey.