University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Travel to Selma for B1G Life Experience
7/20/2022 11:48:00 AM | Athletics, Student-Athlete Development
These #Gophers are six of 100 B1G student-athletes, coaches and administrators traveling to Alabama for the #B1GLife Series civil rights educational experience this weekend!
— The Gopher Way (@thegopherway) July 15, 2022
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All 14 Big Ten institutions gathered on July 15 in Montgomery. After check in, attendees listened to keynote speaker Sheyann Webb-Christburg. Known as Martin Luther King Jr.'s youngest freedom fighter, she spoke to the group: "Athletes, the struggle is not over. Racism still rears its ugly head & attempts to rid people of respect they deserve as human beings. Each of us bring to this world special talents and abilities. There's someone somewhere that benefits from your contribution to this world." The attendees also viewed of an episode of the documentary series "Eyes on the Prize."
Ready for Day ✌️of our #Gophers in Alabama and #B1GLife experience!
— The Gopher Way (@thegopherway) July 16, 2022
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The trip continues Saturday in Selma at the First Baptist Church, where hundreds of students coordinated by the Dallas County Voters League began their days' long journey from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. First Baptist was a focal point of the meeting and non-violent teaching sessions sponsored by the Student Nonviolent Coordinatin the church to plan rallies and demonstrations of early 1965 which culminated in the Selma-to-Montgomery march. Lynda Blackmon Lowry, author and civil rights activist spoke to the group. She was the youngest person at the march at 15 years old in 1965.
All attendees then walked from First Baptist Church in Selma across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of Bloody Sunday and Turnaround Tuesday.
Our #Gophers walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge as a part of their #B1GLife experience with the @bigten.
— The Gopher Way (@thegopherway) July 16, 2022
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/fTLOBYdjO5 pic.twitter.com/mBDfejn30c
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 50 𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧?#B1GLife attendees walked from First Baptist Church in Selma across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of Bloody Sunday and Turnaround Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/5qJDrZ7oKS
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) July 16, 2022
🗣 @Gopher_Rowing's Natalie Doebler (@nataliedoebler) on her #B1GLife experience.
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) July 17, 2022
🤝 @GopherSports pic.twitter.com/9bNk9rl3LD
In Montgomery, the group visited the Interpretive Center at Alabama State University, a historically black university (HBCU), and learned more about the profound impact that students had on the civil rights movement. The group also visited the Civil Rights Memorial Center, the Alabama Department of Archives and History, and the award-winning Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) Legacy Museum, which provides a comprehensive overview of America's history of racial injustice – from enslavement to mass incarceration.
On Saturday evening, trip attendees heard from EJI Legacy Museum founder and social justice lawyer Bryan Stevenson before forming small groups to discuss their experiences. The small group debrief sessions will be led by campus Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion directors.