Appalachia Journey (May 2003)

While visiting parts of the Appalachian region (eastern Tennessee, Kentucky, western North Carolina), we listened to a history of exploitation and resistance. We heard from educators, community organizers, artists, politicians, representatives from the coal mining industry, religious leaders and students. The extraction of natural resources and underdeveloped infrastructure in Appalachia has led to high rates of unemployment and addiction. Yet in peoples' stories, there was a current of creativity, resistance and joy that left us with a deep impression of the region's complexity.

Mississippi Delta (May 2003)

There are 'pockets' in this country where reconciliation is not even an
operative word. Some of the levels of poverty we saw in Mississippi
rivaled those of the townships surrounding Johannesburg, South Africa.
The resiliency, pride and hospitality of the black community made me
proud. Overcoming ignorance, racism and deprivation in the Delta is
like swimming against the tide, yet the young American professionals
who have returned to the Delta are doing just that.
- Cynthia Shaw, Delta Journey Leadership Team

Read a Student Reflection from the Mississippi Delta Journey 2003

Montana Journey (May 2002, 2003, 2005)

In Montana, Journeyers visit the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations. While there, Journeyers visit with government officials, tribal elders and religious leaders to gain a better understanding of issues of race, poverty, health and indigenous culture, listening to how Native peoples relate to a dominant society that has a history of exploiting them.

Texas/Mexico border (May 2003)

We sought to understand how America and Mexico are mutually defined as neighboring countries. Partnering with the University of Texas at Brownsville and Curamericas, we met a diverse group of people from both sides of the border. We saw colonias built on landfills and witnessed the effects of environmental pollution on children and families. We visited community health clinics and maquiladoras (one producing auto parts and another flour for corn tortillas). Focusing on issues of public health, education, labor practices, immigration and poverty, we grew in our understanding of the area, the people we met, one another, and our individual vocation.