"Empowering Black Students: Visiting U.S. Slavery's 1619 Birthplace"

A group of Black students from Granby High School in Norfolk, Virginia, took a controversial field trip to Fort Monroe, the birthplace of American slavery, and found it to be an empowering and eye-opening experience. Their teacher, Edwin Allison, believes that learning about the impacts of systematic enslavement is crucial to their education. The students expressed how the trip added depth to their understanding of Black history and how it has empowered them to be leaders and mentors in their communities. Despite the controversy surrounding the program, the students felt that the course will break down barriers and enlighten students, without fostering guilt among white people.