One my favorite quotes is Frederick Douglass’ “If there is no struggle there is no progress” because in life you will always face obstacles in order to learn and succeed. In my family education is very important because it is what you need to be amazing in life. When I was in public school I was not focused and was never challenged. As a result, I was never on the honor roll. But now that I’m at Brooklyn East Collegiate, a charter school, I am pushed be my best and follow the school’s high expectations. This is valuable because it encourages me to be a better student and person.

At my old school, we never learned about black history despite it being a mainly black school. But when I came to Brooklyn East in fifth grade, I began studying the topic in more depth. I just finish John Lewis’ first March book about his early years involved in the Civil Rights Movement as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. I’ve also read Warrior’s Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, who was a part of the “Little Rock Nine.” Finally, in reading we’re about to start The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

Going on this trip will give me a clear sense of what I have actually learned. For example, I’m curious to see how I’ll feel when we go to Selma and walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge like MLK and other activists once did. This is much more than nine middle schoolers going on to Alabama. It is an experience and opportunity for us to visually see what we have learned in books and to broaden our understanding of black history.