Members of the Charlotte group New Generation of African American philanthropists will travel Friday to Alabama for a three-day pilgrimage focused on the Civil Rights Movement.
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Two dozen community members will travel by bus to prominent sites, including the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. The church served as a center for civil rights organizing and was the site of a 1963 bombing that killed four young Black girls.
Valaida Fullwood co-founded New Generation of African American Philanthropists.
“We want to go back and connect to that history,” Fullwood said. “The struggle, the courage shown by our forebears, and be inspired for the work ahead.”
NGAAP is a collective that distributes grants to nonprofits supporting Black communities. As part of the trip, community members will also tour the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and visit the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, which explores the history of lynching, enslavement, and ongoing efforts to overcome discrimination in the United States.
Fullwood says the trip serves as an opportunity to reflect.
“There’s much to be learned, and to be grounded in what we have overcome, the challenges that have been faced, the threats our community has experienced, and the triumph over them,” Fullwood said.
The trip comes as the group celebrates its 20th anniversary in Charlotte.
