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The Museum Will Be Closed Tuesday, July 23 through Sunday, July 28

St. Petersburg, FL – July 16, 2024 – The Woodson African American Museum of Florida proudly announces the successful conclusion of their summer Freedom School. The program will culminate with 28 of the school’s top scholars embarking on a profound Civil Rights pilgrimage across the southern United States.

The Freedom School classes were led by The Woodson’s Education and Outreach Manager, Patrick Arthur Jackson, with a curriculum commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement. Scholars engaged in in-depth studies covering pivotal events such as the Children’s March of 1964, the Birmingham church bombing, Rosa Parks’ defiance and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the leadership of figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and John Lewis. They also studied the tragic lynching of Emmett Till and the events of Bloody Sunday.

The pilgrimage will take attendees from St. Petersburg to Atlanta, Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, tracing the footsteps of history before returning home. This journey is made possible through the collaboration between The Woodson African American Museum, the SPPF‘s High School M.A.S.T.R. Plan Program summer campers, and the AKA AKAdemy Exquisite Gems and Pathfinders, offering a remarkable educational experience of the Civil Rights Movement in the South.

Bridgette Heller of the Shirley Proctor Puller Foundation (SPPF) expressed “immense pride in the opportunity this curated experience has provided for the youth in their program.” Manitia Moultrie of the AKAdemy shared her excitement, stating, “This is an opportunity of a lifetime for our youth to be afforded this extraordinary experience.”

Terri Lipsey Scott, Executive Director of The Woodson, along with the museum’s dedicated staff, will accompany the scholars on this Legacy Pilgrimage, allowing them to witness firsthand the locations where history was made. Lipsey Scott stated, “Nothing can be more important than meeting the goals and mission of The Woodson when preserving, presenting, celebrating, and educating others regarding African American History.”

The program has been funded by the United States Department of Education and The St. Petersburg Police Department.