Our last day on our trip was amazing. We were able to learn about the history of Memphis and the work of many talented people who made a difference in the civil rights movement. Ms. Elaine Turner is shown here guiding our historical tour. We saw so many of the sites from the movement. It was very interesting to also learn about the slave auction markets and the origins of the KKK in Memphis. It was sad to know that people would be capable of such behavior.

We also visit St. Jude's Hospital and learned more about what motivated Danny Thomas to develop the hospital in Memphis.Miranda and Morgan are enjoying the beautiful tribute garden at St. Jude's in another picture.

We also learned about slavery and the underground railroad at Slave Haven in Memphis. The girls were able to see many artifacts from the slavery period. They also got to go in to a room used to hide people waiting for passage on the underground railroad. This learning opportunity helped to further enrich our knowledge gained at the Amistad Research Institute. We also learned about African American inventors who made many of the products we enjoy today. We also learned about modern day prejudice issues.

Then we went to the National Civil Rights Museum. It took us four hours to get through the whole museum. The girls learned so much during our time there. And, they commented when we were done about how cool it was to have been to so many of the places featured in the museum.

We ended our day with a lecture from two women who were a part of the Memphis movement. They shared their personal stories and talked about their experiences being arrested and going to jail. They both started in the movement when they were teenagers so Miranda asked herself once again if she would have the courage to do that now as a 13 year old.

This was such a wonderful experience for me to share with my girls. I think they better understand now why their mom works so hard to end racism in our community. In the future, I hope that they will be inspired to question the status quo, be brave in the face of adversity, and stand up for what is right. I'm also real proud of the remarkable young women they are becoming. Even though they had a lot of fun, they took the trip very seriously and worked to make sure they were learning throughout the experience.

And, I am grateful to Emily and Anika for sharing the trip with us. They are great young people and made the trip more fun for all of us!