This seven-day Civil Rights Pilgrimage is a journey from sin, to repentance, and finally to reconciliation. We explore slavery, racism, and Jim Crow on this pilgrimage through Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma. Learn about civil disobedience, the role of faith, and the people who made the Civil Rights Movement possible. Most importantly, we will think together about how to bring the values of equality and justice home with us. This itinerary gives you an idea of what to expect, but the final schedule may be adjusted for guide availability or site access restrictions. 

Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance is available from Trawick International while completing your registration or until 48 hours before departure.

1. You should be able to walk, with luggage, for up to half a mile on uneven surfaces, such as cobblestones.

2. On most days, you will be out of the hotel between 9am and 5pm, with breaks along the way and some free time to rest.

3. You should be able to walk 12,000 steps per day and stand while listening to our professional guides

4. You should be able to sleep in hotels located in city centers, which may have road noise. Air conditioning in Europe is less effective than in the US and may not cool your room as much as you're used to back home.

5. You should, after a brief orientation, be able to navigate towns and cities on your own.

The group departs Phoenix at 6:05am on Delta flight 918, direct to Atlanta. We arrive at 12:46pm and travel directly to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights before checking into our hotel. We'll have some free time before gathering for worship and our opening meal. Dinner (included) and overnight at Kimpton Shane, Atlanta.

Today we explore Atlanta, including visits to MLK’s neighborhood of Sweet Auburn, a historic African American neighborhood that was the center of Black commerce and the largest concentration of Black-owned businesses in the US. We’ll visit the MLK Home and Ebenezer Baptist Church, rounding out our understanding of the Rev. Dr. King’s early life, education, and early call. In the later afternoon, we’ll depart Atlanta for Birmingham, arriving in time for dinner (on your own). Overnight at Tutwiler Hotel, Birmingham. 

Our time in Birmingham starts this morning with a visit to the 16th Street Baptist Church, site of the terrorist bombing that took the lives of Addie Mae Collins, Carol McNair, Cynthia Wesley, and Carole Robertson on September 15, 1963. We’ll visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, just across the street, before pausing for lunch (included). Departing BCRI, we’ll visit Kelly Ingram Park, site of many of Bull Connor’s violent attacks on peaceful protestors. From Kelly Ingram Park, we’ll depart for our driving tour of Birmingham with our expert local guide. Dinner (on your own) and overnight at Tutwiler Hotel, Birmingham. 

Today, we depart Birmingham early so we can have a full day in Montgomery. We arrive at 9:30 at the Equal Justice Institute’s Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. This day will be mostly self-guided; we will start together at the Museum, but you will be on your own for lunch and will take the provided shuttle to the National Memorial. Dinner (on your own) and overnight at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel.

Today, we spend more time in Montgomery, digging into the deep racial history of this town with our guide, Wanda Battle. We’ll begin with a visit to the Rosa Parks Museum. Following the Museum, we’ll visit Rosa’s apartment and other significant historical sites, including Holt Street Baptist Church, Dexter Avenue Baptist, and the Women of Gynecology exhibit. Dinner is on your own and overnight at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel.

We travel to Selma today, visiting Brown Chapel AME church, the church that launched the Selma to Montgomery march, the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge, and the National Voting Rights Museum. Lunch (included). In the afternoon, we will have free time for unpacking our experiences once we return to Montgomery. We’ll gather in the evening for worship and our closing dinner (included). Overnight at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel.

Your morning is free to say goodbye to Montgomery before departing around 11am for Atlanta. We arrive in Atlanta by 2pm and depart on Delta 836 to Phoenix, leaving at 4:25pm and arriving in Phoenix at 5:32pm.