Youths to tell of civil rights tour

Last Updated on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 02:21 pm Written by STAFF Wednesday, August 22, 2012 02:03 pm

From left, Ryan Sturts, Deanna Terrazzini and Casey Sturts visit the tomb of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Ga.

GALLOWAY – Three local youths who toured sites of interest to the civil rights movement July 22-29 will speak about their experience at the Unitarian Universalist Center Sunday, Sept. 2

Ryan and Casey Sturts of Dorothy and Deanna Terrazzini of Ocean City traveled to Georgia and Alabama to visit places of significance in the U.S. civil rights movement as part of a Civil Rights Journey for youth sponsored nationally by the Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice.

Stops in Atlanta, Ga. included the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, King’s childhood home and the Ebenezer Baptist Church where King was a co-pastor.

In Alabama, they visited the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery and the Rosa Park Museum. Along the way, the teens also met with community leaders.          

The Sturts and Terrazzini are members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore in Galloway, and their trip was funded entirely by donations from the congregation.

“Our faith teaches us to open our eyes to truth, even tragic truth,” Pastor Charlie Dieterich said. “Walking the path teaches history better than any schoolbook, and these students have made their pilgrimage. The work of social justice is not complete; it’s only by understanding where we have been that we can move forward."

Founded as a Christian faith, modern Unitarian Universalism welcomes people with diverse beliefs and life experiences, including a wide range of religious and non-religious backgrounds. There are 21 such congregations in New Jersey and more than 1,000 nationwide. 

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays at 75 S. Pomona Road, across from Stockton College. The congregation has 115 members from the five counties of the southern New Jersey shore. For information see www.uucsjs.org.