Americans hold in common the aspiration for “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” for all. But the perception that our past and present are widely different from our neighbors has created a disjointed narrative of who we are. Through a trip with ReStory US, we come to understand how we are all connected though a history that has shaped the formation of every community. As such, it gives us more holistic vision for how we might heal not only our home community, but our nation as a whole. 

This journey will provide you with the tools, relationships, and inspiration to wrestle with a more complete telling of the American story. With it, we can better work to heal the racial injustice, inequality, and political polarization that plague our nation today. 

We engage with a variety of opportunities that prompt exploration, listening, learning, and connection. These include: 

• Visits to museums and historic sites that focus on crucial aspects of our history, from slavery, to Jim Crow, to the civil rights movement. 
• Meeting with peacemakers from the civil rights leaders and movement builders to nonviolence educators. We also meet with public historians, artists, and community stakeholders. 
• Participation in a Kingian Nonviolence training. 
• Discovering the impacts of racial injustice on climate, the environment, and medicine.
• A visit with indigenous communities in coastal Louisiana, examining the effects of climate change in their community.
• Learning about enslaved women from Alabama who endured unethical medical experiments and helped shape modern gynecology, and how racial disparities in healthcare persist today.
• Exploring local culture through art and cuisine. 
• Sharing space and meals with locals from diverse communities. 

Will I be able to apply what I learn in my community even if I don’t live in the South?  Through a trip with ReStory US, we come to understand how we are all connected through a history that has shaped the formation of every community in this country. As such, it gives us a holistic vision for how we might heal not only ourselves, but our communities as a whole.  

What does the cost of this trip cover?  The cost of the trip covers everything within the itinerary, such as Telos staff, meals, snacks, accommodations, transportation, museum and historic site admissions, and guest honorariums.  *Costs do not cover flights. This is the responsibility of each participant.*

Arrive in New Orleans by Midday

Check-In to Hyatt Centric, French Quarter

Welcome Gathering and Trip Overview

Gather in Congo Square

Dinner

ReStoryUS Orientation & Breakfast

Visit to the River Parishes & Historic Site Tour

Food From The Diaspora Dinner & Music

Check-out of hotel & Drive to Selma, Alabama

Tour of Civil Rights Sites in Selma with Joanne Bland

Check-In at St. James Hotel, Selma, Alabama

Walk across Edmund Pettus Bridge

Dinner with Community Member

Check out of St. James Hotel

Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, & Reconciliation

Lunch

Check-In to hotel

Anarcha, Lucy, & Betsey Monument

Dinner

Breakfast & Conversation

Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration

National Memorial for Peace and Justice

Lunch & End of Trip Conversation