Pathways to Freedom program 2017, kicked off to a very busy week! The students were introduced to how the 2 weeks would progress, the itinerary for the weeks including any documentation needed and the program finale details.

Week one students got to take a trip through the last stop of the underground railroad path in the US before concluding in Canada. Second Baptist Church located at 441 Monroe Ave, Detroit is the original church and location of this stop. The students got to learn the history of the path, the church history and what this location and information meant to our history.

The pictures below are from that day and include information seen while on the tour at Second Baptist Church.

The following day after the visit to Second Baptist Church, the students and trainers traveled to Canada to The Walls-Freeman Farm where the underground railroad path commenced.

Also during the first week, student were giving roles for the finale skit of the famous Bus arrest of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Trainer Ms. Piaza is seen below, instructing the students of her vision for he skit while one student takes notes for everyone and the others listen.

Etiquette, another important piece of what Pathways to Freedom students learned. Trainer Mrs. Campbell teaches the students proper table etiquette with props, while they all take notes and listen intuitively.

Week 2, students got to take the etiquette training learned and put it to use when they introduced, listened and thanked speakers for the day and ate a formal lunch.

The student got the spend some time working on their journal entries from all the notes they compiled on the speakers that spoke with them, presenters that did presentations with them and the trips they took learning about Second Baptist Church, The Walls-Freeman Farm and the underground railroad.

Just one day left of the Pathways to Freedom program and the students travel down to the Rosa Parks Transit Center where they learn about voting rights from trainers Mrs. Cabil and Ms. Bradshaw, and how Mrs. Parks and well as all other blacks, were subjected to jar guessing as a form of validating whether they could vote, in addition to taking the written test.

While there, students also got a chance to hear from Officers McCall and Rideaux in regards to safety when encountering a police officer.

Student got a chance to practice their roles for the Bus skit of Mrs. Rosa Parks arrest on December 1st, 1955.

The Pathways to Freedom program was a busy 2 weeks for all involved and the students got to see, do and learn a great deal about untold history of African Americans, Detroit, Mrs. Parks and life skills.