"Understanding, Empathy, & Purpose" at The National Memorial for Peace and Justice
Saint James School students at The National Memorial for Peace and Justice: the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence.
Each year, Saint James tenth grade students visit the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The Legacy Museum, established by Bryan Stevenson and the EJI, tells the story of slavery in the United States and the lasting effects it has had in history. In confronting the past, we know our students are today becoming ready to act with character, courage, and knowledge in the future.
Annually, STJ English teacher, Mrs. Joanna McCurdy, assigns an essay prompt for her students to complete reflecting on their experience. Please find excerpts from some of the essays below.
Saint James students at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
After a trip to the museum, I have been given insight into how I view myself and the way that I interact with others. The field trip has shown me that as a society we take a lot for granted. Overall, the trip was a fundamental experience in teaching me how much a person’s ancestry and generational trauma goes into their identity and how it is sometimes easy to overlook that background…This trip was enlightening in many ways. The Legacy Museum is such an important part of our community. It brings up conversations that are uncomfortable, but deserve to be talked about.” -Jakiyah Hyman, class of 2026
“The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice stand to remind people from all backgrounds to advocate for a safer world.”
“The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice impacted my thoughts and life by giving me more knowledge to understand identity, empathy, and the purpose of knowing history.”