My 2023 FTNE #OLASTEOmoment
To say I was able to take part in such a life-changing experience is amazing. The OLASTEO Freedom Trail National Excursion taught me so much and helped motivate me to pursue higher education and cherish life's beautiful moments.
My favorite part of this excursion was the Legacy Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. This museum was extraordinarily intense and breathtaking. The sculptures and the stories of past ancestors created their own section in my brain about history. The theaters of families who shared their stories broke my heart and influenced me greatly. Not only did it leave me feeling more knowledgeable, but it also left me feeling resentment for all those who took part in those cruel actions. Although I am not African American, I felt sympathy towards their stories and fired up that they had to fight back. I can only put myself in their shoes and get the tiniest glimpse of what it would have been like to be abused and discriminated against. It is sickening and spine-chilling.
The lasting impact this beautiful museum left on me is great. It helped me become more intrigued by history and activism once I got back into my history class. It made me feel that the education I was being provided wasn't enough and was completely unjust. Never in my life have I heard stories like I did throughout this excursion. I feel it is unfair that stories about great icons and innocent victims are swept under the rug, yet we are taught lessons upon lessons about white male leaders who were pure evil. This entire trip opened my eyes to see the bigger picture of our society. We are not human in the eye of the white man, but we are intruders and less than. To this day, many minorities are still fighting for their civil rights and are left unheard and mistreated. Thinking that we are taught history is not to be repeated must be a myth because of our present situation. As a minority and a teenage girl, it is clear that we are the same society we were hundreds of years ago; the only difference now is that movements are ignored rather than beaten upon by the protectors of our country.
I am incredibly grateful to have taken part in this excursion, as it impacted me and taught me so much in such little time. This experience is one for the books and something I will forever talk about and share. OLASTEO is a fantastic organization that helps students like me learn about things never covered in school, gain a better perspective on our education system, and ignite new interests in our lives. If it weren't for OLASTEO, I wouldn’t feel as grateful as I am today to be living and loved.
