Alternative Spring Break commits to service in Panama City, Tallahassee and Alabama

Spring break is often associated with partying and beaches, but what better way to spend this time than through service. Alternative spring breakers (ASB) do just that. Through CCSI, alternative spring break trips take place every March, and students have the opportunity to choose from at least two different locations. The experience is truly unlike any other.

This year, the trip was designed to service different communities in Panama City, Alabama and Tallahassee. The students who participated in this trip were Dai’Jonnai Smith, Luca McLeod, Joseph Minani, Gabriel Bouani, Paris Razor, Melissa Tumbeiro, Catherine Taveras Abreu, and Johania Charles. Asha Starks, Dr. Victor Romano and Liz James served as chaperoning faculty and staff.

In Panama City, students focused on doing hurricane relief work in underserved communities. The hurricane relief work consisted of beautifying neighborhoods most affected by hurricane Michael. The third day of the trip was spent at the Legacy Museum in Alabama. There, students learned about the mass incarceration of black people and how the evolution of racism in America has played a role in its increase.

The trip to Montgomery, Ala., also involved visiting the Dexter Parsonage Museum where Martin Luther King Junior once lived. The Alabama trip was essential in addressing slavery and racism through acknowledging the history of lynching across America in the form of historical markers that represent victims.

The focus in Tallahassee was House Bill 49 (Dignity Act for Incarcerated Women). There, students spoke to senators and representatives to gain support for this bill, which would allow inmates to have access to basic feminine hygiene products at no costs. This bill also reduces incidents of sexual assault between male guards and female inmates. Being in Tallahassee also provided a great opportunity for students to learn about the ways Campus Compact allows schools like Barry to incorporate service-learning into courses for the sole purpose of expanding students’ scope of interaction.

Experiences like the Alternative Spring Break trips are what help shape future leaders and advocates of underserved and underrepresented communities.