Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Applications open for Sarasota-Manatee Civil Rights student leadership program
- Francis Garcia
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Written by Samantha Gholar.
A local program that sent 20 students from nine Sarasota-Bradenton area high schools to Alabama to walk in the footsteps of Civil Rights leaders is now seeking its next class of changemakers.
Bending the Arc, a program created by the Boxser Diversity Initiative (BDI), offers high school sophomores, juniors and seniors in Sarasota and Manatee counties an immersive leadership experience rooted in Civil Rights history.
For 15 years, BDI has held a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the community it serves. The nonprofit organizes public programs and initiatives, such as speaker series, film screenings, forums, exhibitions and others, that challenge biases, celebrate differences and promote empathy and respect.
The Bending the Arc program debuted in 2024 and became a success for local students and funders. Julie Matus, executive director of the Boxser Diversity Initiative, said the success of the first year made the continuation a natural step.
“We ended up with 20 students last year, and watching them witness history and be moved by what they saw was deeply meaningful,” Matus said. “This year, we’ll take the same trip to Alabama, but the programming leading up to it will be fresh. The goal is still the same: to prepare students for an experience that many of them don’t get in school.”
Matus emphasized that BDI’s mission isn’t changing despite a politically charged climate around history and diversity education.
“The program focuses on history — an important slice of history,” she said. “The support we’ve received from the community tells us people want these kinds of programs and experiences for students.”
Each student in the inaugural program had the opportunity to study with Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, create cross-community friendships, and visit sites and places where history was made. Students in the 2024 cohort visited Alabama to explore Civil Rights monuments from Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge to Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church.
Matus said students have described the program as “life-changing” and said it also deepened their understanding of both America’s past and the inequities facing their own communities.
"I think it complements the in-school curriculum, honestly. They do learn a lot in school, but I think the program just adds to it, the travel experience especially," Matus said.
Now in its second year, the program will select 25 students for the free experience. BDI's Bending the Arc program is supported by the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation. The program is led by Edna Sherell, a longtime educator who built the curriculum for the teenagers to guide them as they learn about the Civil Rights movement.
The program is an all-expenses-paid bus trip to visit civil rights sites in Alabama during spring break. All costs, including meals, transportation and lodging, are covered by BDI.
The Bending the Arc application window closes Sept. 30. Interested local students can apply at https://www.boxserdiversityinitiative.org/apply.