Applications open for Civil Rights and Blues Pilgrimage
On July 17th – 25th, 2027, Rev. Justin White and Rev. Katie Ladd, along with faith leaders, civil rights leaders, and racial justice advocates in Mississippi, will lead a Civil Rights and Blues Pilgrimage that will end in Memphis.
This pilgrimage will explore the intersections of the Civil Rights Movement, the Blues, religious activism and complicity in the context of civil rights, and the role that institutions of higher education and churches played during Jim Crow, Freedom Summer, and today.
The pilgrimage is open to college students and graduate students involved in United Methodist Campus Ministries, camping and retreat ministries, and local church ministries who are between the ages of 18 and 35.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Ministry Opportunity Fund, funding is available for 8 student participants. Our hope is to secure additional funding so that more students can experience the pilgrimage.
If you know of any college or graduate students who would be good candidates for this trip, you can find the application linked here: Mississippi Pilgrimage 2027 Application
November 30 is the final application deadline, but there’s no need to wait! We encourage students to apply early, as applications will be reviewed as they are received.
The cost of the trip is $300. All flights to and from the destination, lodging, meals, and reading materials will be provided for the participants.
Key stops on the pilgrimage include:
- Places of importance in the life and death of Emmett Till
- The home of Fannie Lou Hamer
- The Delta Blues and Grammy Museum in the Mississippi Delta
- Places of importance from Freedom Summer
- Churches, colleges, and universities at the center of the struggle for civil rights and liberation.