Harlem Field Trip

The Ledyard High School Encountering Differences group enjoyed a very enlightening field trip to Harlem, NYC yesterday with our peers from Fishers Island School, East Lyme High School, Old Saybrook High School, and of course the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut.

Our first stop was the Canaan Baptist Church. Martin Luther King Jr. installed Wyatt Tee Walker as senior pastor in 1967. King spoke there 11 days before he was assassinated in '68. Walker went on to continue King's activism. Nelson Mandel spoke there after 27 years in prison. So many more spoke from the very pulpit we stood beside. The history and energy in the room was deeply, deeply real.

From there we went to Jacob Restaurant for our soul food lunch. The buffet was incredible. Cold food, hot food, so much food (and, yeah the mac and cheese...)!

After lunch we headed to the Apollo Theater. We had an amazing tour from Mr. Apollo (Apollo Theater historian Billy Mitchell). Too much to say here, but suffice it to say that the Apollo isn't a black theater and literally anyone and everyone you can think of who is really famous has played there! The writing is on the walls and in the infinite stories of "Mr. Apollo." Oh yeah, Natalie and Ethan performed on stage; it's official they performed at the Apollo!

From there we went to the Museum of the City of New York. We were so fortunate to have an amazing tour guide for the Activist New York exhibit. The exhibit accented all that we did, and more!!

On our way out of Manhattan we stopped at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. The executive director of the Jewish Federation, Jerry Fischer, engaged us in a passionate closing presentation in the neighborhood he grew up in; Jerry was there the day Malcom X was assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity.