Civil Rights Pilgrimage

This pilgrimage will traverse the U.S. South to experience places and learn about people that comprised the U.S. Southern Civil Rights Movement. The application for the 2024 pilgrimage is available online. Applications are due by Wednesday, March 10, 2024.

Program goals

Applicants should be open to the program's three goals:

  • Engage in personal formation through learning about the discernment processes of well- and lesser-known figures of the Civil Rights Movement.
  • Experience a deepening of faith rooted in a commitment to racial justice and an understanding of religion that recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of all people.
  • Learn Civil Rights Movement history including its various influences, motivations, aims, actions, outcomes, and impacts.

Past Pilgrimages

Please note that future pilgrimages may not follow the same itinerary of those highlighted above.

Program structure

All participants are required to take part in the following components of the pilgrimage:

  • Pre-trip meetings to meet the group and prepare for the trip.
  • Pre-trip reading to familiarize oneself with the timeline of the Civil Rights Movement. (Book or articles will be provided.)
  • Week-long tour of the South that integrates visits to museums, churches, and memorials with reflection, journaling, and community building.
  • Post-trip reflection paper and presentation to share how the experience impacted you and what you learned.

Logistics and details

The 2024 Civil Rights Pilgrimage will take place in summer from May 12-18. Planned stops include Ferguson, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Rulevile, Mound Bayou, Glendora, Greenwood, Jackson, Canton, and Meridian, Mississippi; Selma, Lowndes County, and Montgomery, Alabama; and Louisville, Kentucky.

We will visit museums, churches, memorials, restaurants, and parks in several cities. We will travel via chartered bus and stay in shared hotel rooms.

This trip is highly subsidized for student participants. Students selected to participate in the program are expected to pay a participation fee to help cover costs associated with transportation, lodging, and museum fees. The amount of the student fee for 2024 is $300. If additional financial assistance is necessary, please indicate so in your application.

Application process

All Marquette students are welcome to apply regardless of class standing or program (undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral). Space on the trip is limited, but we will accomodate as many applicants as possible. The application process has two-steps:

Step 1: Complete application

Please complete the online qualtrics application form. Applications are due by Wednesday, March 10, 2024. If you encounter any issues with the application, please contact christopher.jeske@marquette.edu.

Step 2: Complete interview

Applicants will then be invited to participate in a 30-minute interview. This will include discussion of a short reading and short video, which will be provided.

Please direct any questions to Chris Jeske (christopher.jeske@marquette.edu).