From Sewanee to Selma: Identities, Stories, and Civic Engagement

Arriving approximately two weeks before other first-year students, FYP students learn about Sewanee’s Domain and the surrounding community.  The course not only gives students the opportunity to settle in early, learn tips about getting around campus, and better understand academic life in college, but it also challenges them  to critically examine the concept of place and how each of us affects, is affected by, and fits into the different places in our lives. 

 

During the fall 2023 semester, the Office of Civic Engagement, with support from the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation, offered a course in FYP. This new and different path for FYP  allowed students to not only take a deep look into Sewanee’s history but also to partner with the city of Selma, Alabama. Students were challenged to consider and reflect on their own identities and the lived experiences they bring with them as new members of the Sewanee community, while also examining the lived experiences of diverse community members in Sewanee and  Selma.  

Through a generous grant from the McCrickard Faculty Development Fund, the class traveled to Selma for three nights to engage in experiential  learning and relationship building with community leaders.  They met with leaders from different faith traditions to learn about their role in the Selma Voting Rights Movement, heard from Selma artists who build community through a variety of mediums, listened to stories from Black business owners in Selma, and visited the Equal Justice Initiative and Legacy Museum and Memorial in Montgomery. A highlight of the experience was hearing directly from Foot Soldiers who recounted stories from Bloody Sunday and their memories from Selma during the Voting Rights Movement.  

Back at Sewanee, students worked closely with Dr. Woody Register and the Roberson Project to learn more about Sewanee’s history and to share ideas for expanding the new Heritage Trail in Sewanee that celebrates the historic Black neighborhood of the St. Mark’s community. Students also assisted Dr. Chris Van de Ven who has worked to build GIS map information on the site of the former Kennerly School.  Dr. Lydia Reinig, Director of Dialogue Across Difference, instructed students in the art of listening to others’ stories as well as the craft of creating and executing personal interviews.  Students then conducted an interview with a community or family member in order to learn more about those individuals’ personal narratives, lived experiences, and stories.  

The course was an overwhelming success, allowing students to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the stories that shape all of our lives.  Students learned more about the important and often overlooked history of their new Sewanee home and the crucial role of Black communities and young people in the Voting Rights Movement over fifty years ago.  As Wesley Inman (C’27) shared, “From the experience gained from our trip to Selma, AL,…this course allowed me to attain a greater understanding of what it meant to live in a strong and united community, as well as what it meant to risk everything for the freedom of your peers during the Civil Rights Movement, way more than any book or article could."  And Pierra Mutavu (C’27) shared, “The course presented me with insights that aided me in establishing my place within this new community-- by understanding my identity and how it shapes my story and those surrounding me.”