All-expenses-paid social justice trip in works for WHS Class of 2025

Raider Times photo / Equal Justice Initiative ∕ Human Pictures

“Raise Up” is a bronze and cement sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas on the grounds of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala.

The trip is being overseen by Casey Andrews, head of Watertown High’s English Language Arts department. 

Founded in 1989, the Equal Justice Initiative is a nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance to prisoners and services to impoverished Americans, as well as bringing attention to the death penalty and racism. 

“Together, the two sites create an impactful experience that weaves together a reckoning with the US’s past with some sharp analysis of the current social and political landscape,” says Ms. Andrews. “The United States has a complicated relationship with history. This is an opportunity to dive deep into the landscape of what has happened in our country, as well as what is currently happening, and determine how you want to address it in your own life and community.”

In in email to the Raider Times from the Equal Justice Initiative, its communications manager said the group is “so glad your group is planning to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum next spring.” 

Students must apply for the trip via a Google form, answering questions about why they want to go and what they bring to the table as leaders. Ms. Andrews and a selection panel of teachers and administrators are “interested in students who are passionate about learning more about history and social justice, and students who are willing to invest their time and energy into learning and sharing that learning with others.”

“The content of the trip requires students who are able to be self-aware and engaged in their own learning process,” she said. “Not all leadership looks the same. We’re looking for students who, in a group experience, can be aware of their own thoughts and feelings as well as responsive to the needs of others.”

About a dozen students will be chosen for the trip, so Ms. Andrews asks that students “write honestly and with enough detail [so] that adults who don’t know you can get a sense of who you are.” The application also requires students to provide one WHS student and two WHS staff members as references, as a way for the selection committee to get to know the applicants better.

Depending on the size of the applicant pool, brief interviews may be conducted, with the finalized list of chosen students released by the end of April. Alternates will be selected as well. Funding will cover the students’ airfare, food, and lodging. 

Students on the trip will also take time to participate in a community service project, ensuring, according to Ms. Andrews, “that while we are visiting and learning from people in Montgomery, that we are also giving back and contributing to the community there.”

The idea for this trip arose in 2018, when Ms. Andrews was teaching in the Boston Public Schools system. Students in one of her classes fundraised for the same trip, and “after a first successful trip, students and I drafted grant applications to ensure that we could have a second year of students attend. Unfortunately, COVID-19 stopped our plans.” 

When Ms. Andrews came to WHS, the funds were still waiting to be used, prompting the organization of next year’s trip. Ms. Andrews described the original trip she led as “powerful.”

“One of the most moving experiences was meeting one of the formerly incarcerated people who are featured in one of the museum’s exhibits,” she said. “That really impacted several students to develop activism projects about incarceration in the US.”

Once home in Boston, her students created a gallery showcasing art and writing about their time in Montgomery, as well as ways for people to get involved in activism. 

Ms. Andrews hopes that the WHS students who go on the trip will create their own projects to share their experiences.

There will be another information session about the trip on Wednesday, March 15, at 8:15 a.m. in Room 350. Students of the Class of 2025 can apply through this link. If they have any questions, they can reach out to Ms. Andrews at [email protected].

–March 6, 2023–