Civil Rights Pilgrimage

Your journey through college is one that changes your life, broadens your horizons, and enhances your critical thinking skills. We firmly believe that the college journey should also open hearts and minds to histories and experiences sometimes not fully appreciated by all. The Civil Rights Pilgrimage through UW-Eau Claire is a unique opportunity to travel the path of the civil rights movement and walk through these pivotal places and stories in our history.

Each year, we offer two travel immersion experiences for you to explore issues of social justice and the history of the civil rights movement in the United States.

2025 details

The trips for the 2025 academic year will begin on Friday, January 10, or March 14, 2025. Participants will travel to Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Montgomery, Tuskegee, Selma, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Money and Jackson, Mississippi; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. Participants will return to Eau Claire on Monday, January 20, or Sunday, March 23, 2025.

Class

Students can participate on the Civil Rights Pilgrimage independently or they can take the 3-credit travel seminar offered through Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. The class is offered in Spring 2025 as WGSS 222. Students enrolling in the course will apply for a Domestic Intercultural Immersion Scholarship which covers the cost of the trip.

Registration information

Register Here January

Register Here March

Be a part of a journey through history

See how the Civil Rights Pilgrimage has shaped students, faculty and educators. Watch even more videos on our annual immersion program by visiting our Civil Rights Pilgrimage YouTube playlist. 

Help fund the Civil Rights Pilgrimage

Without the continued support from the UW-Eau Claire Foundation and generous community donations, the UW-Eau Claire Civil Rights Pilgrimage would not be possible for many students and area teachers. It is through their contributions that students and teachers are able to learn in great depth and experience the civil rights movement. Please consider donating.

Learn how you can donate to Civil Rights Pilgrimage scholarships

For questions, contact:

Additional information and resources