Range Rider

11 Madison Houston, a junior psychology major, said that the highlight of the trip for her was visiting Martin Luther King Jr.’s home. “Our tour guide had so much wisdom,” she said. “She really made Martin Luther King Jr. come alive for me. Seeing his actual home helped me to see him as a real person.” The students also visited the Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson, Miss.; the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, Ala.; and the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Ala. In Selma, students walked from Brown Chapel to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and then across the bridge. “We walked in the footsteps of those who marched on ‘Bloody Sunday,’” said Dr. Swenson. “This was a very emotional and humbling experience.” The gravity of the events that happened in the past gave students and faculty a new perspective on the issue of racism today. Bailey Nichols, a junior psychology major, said that the first step to resolving the problem of discrimination is to strive to understand it. “The best thing for our nation is to be educated, no matter how hard the concept or how devastatingly honest history can be,” she said. Dr. Patterson encouraged students to remember the power they have within themselves to make a difference in the world, whether that be through citizen leadership behind the scenes, or in a vocal and public way. The three professors hope to do the trip every other year and add other disciplines to the mix. After returning to Abilene, Reggie Davis reflected on the impact of the fighters in the Civil Rights Movement. “This is all stuff that does affect me,” he said. “If it weren’t for those brave individuals, I wouldn’t have the same opportunities that I do today. I’m very grateful for their sacrifice and commitment.” Madison Houston Bailey Nichols Students met with Hardin-Simmons’ first African American graduate, Richard David Dean ’67, and his wife, Justine. See more at: www.youtube.com/ hardinsimmons