UE Journey to Justice

10/29/2026

Spring Break 2027: FULL! 💜💙
We’re at capacity and ready for another journey! Registration for Spring 2027 opened this week, and in just a few days, all 20 spots for UE students on our Alt Spring Break Journey to Justice were filled!

And we’re excited that, for the second year in a row, students from the University of Southern Indiana will be joining us!

There’s a special story behind that partnership. A USI professor first experienced Journey to Justice a few summers ago through a sponsorship from Cypress. Inspired by that experience, she began bringing her own students, helping extend the reach of J2J to another university community.

And we’re especially excited that three UE students will be returning for their second spring break J2J, some to pursue projects inspired by their first experience, and others to revisit these places with new questions and perspectives shaped by what they’ve learned since.

It’s a reminder that investing in one person’s experience can create opportunities for many more and that the learning doesn’t end when the journey does.

📸 Our Spring 2026 J2J group, with UE students in purple and USI students in blue.

10/29/2026

Spring Break 2027: FULL! 💜💙
We're at capacity and ready for another journey! Registration for Spring 2027 opened this week, and in just a few days, all 20 spots for UE students on our Alt Spring Break Journey to Justice were filled!

And we're excited that, for the second year in a row, students from the University of Southern Indiana will be joining us!

There's a special story behind that partnership. A USI professor first experienced Journey to Justice a few summers ago through a sponsorship from Cypress. Inspired by that experience, she began bringing her own students, helping extend the reach of J2J to another university community.

And we're especially excited that three UE students will be returning for their second spring break J2J, some to pursue projects inspired by their first experience, and others to revisit these places with new questions and perspectives shaped by what they've learned since.

It's a reminder that investing in one person's experience can create opportunities for many more and that the learning doesn't end when the journey does.

📸 Our Spring 2026 J2J group, with UE students in purple and USI students in blue.

10/23/2026

Spotted: A little J2J pride alongside the Pride of Bosse! 💜🎶

Loved seeing Gigi sporting her Journey to Justice shirt at Bosse’s final local performance before semi-state! Gigi and Nahgiste, both pictured here, joined us in 2025. Fellow band members Orhan and Myla journeyed with us in 2026.

Proud to count these young people as part of our J2J community. Good luck to the whole band at semi-state!

10/20/2026

This is a picture of UE students meeting Ms. Della in Marion, Alabama. As a teenager, she participated in the march to Selma, and today she shares her memories of the Civil Rights Movement, including the night Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed in her hometown.

Encounters like this are what make Journey to Justice so meaningful. Students hear the stories of people who lived this history.

Registration for Spring Break 2027 opens Monday, and we already have students eager to participate who cannot afford the $550 fee.

We do everything we can to keep costs low, traveling in vans rather than a charter bus and having as many as four students sharing hotel rooms. Even so, $550 is beyond the reach of some students.

Would you consider helping? Contributions of any amount will go toward financial assistance for current UE students who otherwise could not participate.

www.uealumnionline.com/journey

Thank you for helping make the journey possible!

10/20/2026

During this summer's Journey to Justice, these four students worked together to write and perform a poem inspired by the Children's Crusade and the 1963 bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church.

The repeated refrain, “Ten twenty-two,” refers to 10:22 a.m., the time associated with the bombing that killed four young Black girls on September 15, 1963.

What made their performance especially powerful was how they delivered those words. Each time the refrain returned, one student sat down. Four voices became three, then two, and finally one.

We wish we had captured the performance on video, but we're grateful to be able to share their words, their original handwritten poem, and the young people who created it.

10/14/2026

Journey to Justice introduces young people to the history of ordinary people who stepped forward to change their communities. We hope it encourages them to think about how they can get involved and make a difference today.

That's why we're especially excited to see J2J alumni McKenzie, Nahgiste, and Orhan serving on the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council. Congratulations to all three!

10/13/2026

We are thrilled to announce a $30,000 gift from the McMullan/O'Connor Fund to support our Summer 2027 Journey to Justice program!

This generous commitment will make it possible for 15–20 high school students to travel through the American South, encountering civil rights history in the places where it unfolded and exploring what that history asks of us today.

We are deeply grateful to the McMullan/O'Connor Fund for investing in young people and helping make these transformative experiences possible.

Read the full announcement and learn more about the gift:
https://www.evansville.edu/journeytojustice/our-supporters.cfm

10/07/2026

UE high school changemaker challenge: https://www.evansville.edu/centerforinnovation/high-school-changemaker-challenge.cfm

10/07/2026

J2J students: what would you change?

If Journey to Justice left you thinking about racism, public memory, education, voting rights, inequality, or another problem you want to do something about, the UE High School Changemaker Challenge might be your next step.

You do not have to have everything figured out. You need an idea for making the world better and the willingness to develop it.

High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors can compete, and the top scholarships include full tuition to UE. Registration closes December 4.

The University of Evansville is proud to host the High School Changemaker Challenge, once again made possible by our generous partners at Toyota. Any high school sophomore, junior, or senior who can be present for the in-person event can compete to win a four-year, full tuition scholarship to the Un...