- December 30, 2025 Social Justice, Association, Sister Stories
By Sarah Baker, Assistant Director of Communications
On Oct. 20, a diverse group of 35 travelers, including sisters, associates, staff members, and family and friends of the CSJ community, embarked on a four-day pilgrimage through the U.S. South that profoundly transformed us all.
Building on the St. Charles Lwanga Center's October 2024 trip to Mobile and Montgomery, Alabama, this pilgrimage aimed to connect historical social justice issues to present-day realities and expose us to lesser-known aspects of different cultures. As Associate Corliss Cox put it, "We don't know what we don't know."
Our journey wound through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, tracing the footsteps of those who fought for civil rights and explored the rich cultural heritage of the Mississippi Delta. What we discovered was far more than historical facts — we found living connections to today’s ongoing struggle for justice and equality, and a profound sense of unity in diversity.
Our first stop was at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza, Arkansas, where we learned about the struggles of Delta sharecroppers. From there, we explored blues heritage at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas, and the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi, connecting cultural expression with stories of oppression and resilience.
A particularly eye-opening visit came at the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians reservation in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The driving tour and visit to the Chahta Immi Cultural Center revealed surprising parallels between Native American and African American histories. We also visited Holy Rosary Indian Mission, where Father Bob Goodyear, who has served the three reservation churches for nearly 35 years, shared about the ongoing spiritual and cultural struggles of his community.
In Selma, the pilgrimage reached its emotional peak. At the Selma Dallas County Public Library, we met Dianne Harris, who shared her personal testimony as a foot soldier during the Civil Rights Movement. At just 15 years old, she and her 13-year-old brother participated in several of the 1965 marches, fighting for their parents’ right to vote, including marching at the back of the group on Bloody Sunday.
Her firsthand account revealed details many of us had never known — how anyone with a horse was deputized, how the police force waited beyond the bridge's bend to surprise and swarm the marchers, and the absurd voting tests used to discourage Black citizens from voting: a 68-question Alabama literacy test and guessing quizzes — how many jelly beans are in a gallon-sized jar, how many soap bubbles are in a bar of soap or how many drops of water are in the Alabama River.
We then walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge ourselves, a moment of profound reflection on the courage and sacrifice of those who marched and crossed the bridge on Bloody Sunday.
Next, we traveled to Birmingham. We toured the 16th Street Baptist Church, site of the 1963 bombing that killed four young black girls, and Kelly Ingram Park, where children faced police dogs and fire hoses during the Children's Crusade. That evening, we gathered for dinner, reflection and prayer with the Very Reverend Vernon Huguley, pastor at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Hoover, Alabama, who shared about his challenges and experiences as a black priest.
Our journey concluded with a visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute before traveling to Nashville to learn about the women's suffrage movement and the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Witnessing such history was overwhelming and eye-opening. As Sister Marion Weinzapfel mentioned, "We can't bury this history or we will repeat it, which we are doing now."
This journey was a powerful reminder that understanding our past is essential to shaping our future. It's begins with each of us and working together to continue learning and listening and building relationships across differences. Together, we must continue to act with courage and conviction — just as those who marched before us did.
We returned home forever changed and deeply grateful — not just with memories but a renewed commitment to continue working toward justice. Together, we are the heart of justice.
