ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
After 23 days, 31 teenagers from across the St. Louis area came home after the trip of a lifetime. They are members of an organization called Cultural Leadership, which came to St. Louis six years ago as a way for African American students and Jewish students to spend a year learning about each others' lives and culture. The highlight of that year is a cross-country trip to learn first hand about civil rights and social justice.
The group returning Thursday went to about a dozen cities in the east and south, hearing from 86 speakers as diverse as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Reverend Al Sharpton.
They also visited dozens of historic sites and museums including the Holocaust Museum in Washington and the Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot.
"It had a great impact on me. It was really changing. I have a new perspective on the world and how I am going to help change it" said student Caroline Stoner.
"It was just one of the best experiences of my life. It was long and tiring, but I am a better person after it," said student Trevor Green.
Once the welcome home was over, every student made a presentation about their trip and each said the experience moved them to look for ways to fight for social justice and civil rights now and for the rest of their lives.
The Cultural Leadership program includes students from 19 different local high schools and is open to teenagers of all faiths. They have monthly programs during the year, including one in which they swap high schools for a day.
The group returning Thursday went to about a dozen cities in the east and south, hearing from 86 speakers as diverse as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Reverend Al Sharpton.
They also visited dozens of historic sites and museums including the Holocaust Museum in Washington and the Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot.
"It had a great impact on me. It was really changing. I have a new perspective on the world and how I am going to help change it" said student Caroline Stoner.
"It was just one of the best experiences of my life. It was long and tiring, but I am a better person after it," said student Trevor Green.
Once the welcome home was over, every student made a presentation about their trip and each said the experience moved them to look for ways to fight for social justice and civil rights now and for the rest of their lives.
The Cultural Leadership program includes students from 19 different local high schools and is open to teenagers of all faiths. They have monthly programs during the year, including one in which they swap high schools for a day.
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