The Central High School is continuing its “Tradition of Excellence” by exposing its students to social justice.

Students in Sandra Boyer’s “Facing History & Ourselves” class recently attended a Student Leadership Conference, which centered around social justice, standing up to bigotry and hate and teaching leadership skills. 

The scholars also heard from Lynda Blackmon Lowery, who shared how young people today can make a difference in the face of the continuing struggle for social justice. Lowery was the youngest person to participate in the “Bloody Sunday” march in 1965, a historic three-day Civil Rights march along a 54-mile highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. Lowery turned 15 on the second day of the march. On “Bloody Sunday,” March 7, 1965, Lowery and at least 600 other nonviolent protesters were confronted and beaten by Alabama State Troopers while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The march, and the participation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., raised awareness of the difficulties faced by Black voters, and the need for a national Voting Rights Act.

“Facing History & Ourselves” calls on citizens to connect the choices of the past to those faced today. “To build a more just and equitable future, we must face our history in all its complexity,” it proclaims.

According to its website, Central High School’s mission is for each student to achieve the academic and social skills necessary to be competitive in a global environment and to be successful workers, citizens, and lifelong learners. By enhancing its tradition of excellence, the faculty and staff of Central High help its graduates become successful citizens and leaders of tomorrow. 

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