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Join Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball and other clergy and laity from around the western Pennsylvania Conference for an immersive, engaging journey of exploration and learning about the history and ongoing impact of the Civil Rights Movement on this life-changing seven-day bus tour experience. You'll learn about key moments in the movement, systemic changes, and hear from leaders who were there, as together we journey toward greater understanding and action as an important part of what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:
Highlights of the journey include presentations by Freedom Singer Rutha Harris, authors Anthony Ray Hinton, Carolyn McKinstry, and Lisa McNair, plus visits to the Albany Civil Rights Institute, Holt Street and Sixteenth Street Baptist Churches, the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Sites, and more. 

Expert Tour Guide Dr. Todd Allen will lead our journeyers through the sights, sounds, and engaging experiences of this historic struggle for freedom and the transformative power of civic engagement. Read below for more details about Dr. Allen.

COST:
Cost for the The WPA Civil Rights Journey is estimated at $1,600 (double-occupancy) or $2,100 (single-occupancy) and includes all hotel lodging (including breakfast), museum fees, tours, and speakers. Lunch and Dinner costs each day are NOT included. A $200 non-refundable deposit must be received along with your registration to secure your spot. The remaining balance will be due on December 15, 2026.

SCHOLARSHIPS:
Information regarding laity scholarships and clergy continuing education funds available will be sent to trip registrants later, for use toward the remaining trip balance.

RESERVATIONS:
To reserve your spot, register now at wpaumc.org.

 

ABOUT OUR TOUR GUIDE:
Dr. Todd Allen currently serves as the Vice President for Diversity Affairs at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. In this senior leadership role, he provides focused attention to institution-wide policies and practices that promote inclusive excellence through the pursuit of diversity across the university. He received his B.A. in Communication from Geneva College, an M.A. in Rhetorical Studies from the University of Akron, and a PhD in Rhetorical Studies from Duquesne University.

Dr. Allen has worked in higher education for the past 35 years as an admissions counselor, director of multicultural programs, and faculty member in Communication. He is the founder of the Common Ground Project, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching the history of the Civil Rights Movement. For the past 25 years, in partnership with the PNC Foundation, he has led the “Returning to the Roots of Civil Rights” bus tour, an initiative that allows people from all over the country to travel to many of the key southern sites of the Civil Rights Movement. As part of these tours, participants not only visit historical landmarks and museums, but also engage veterans of this historic struggle for freedom, learning firsthand lessons about the transformative power of civic engagement.

For his scholarship, Dr. Allen has received numerous honors including: the YWCA Racial Justice Award, the Pittsburgh Urban Heroes Award, the New Pittsburgh Courier Men of Excellence, Gilder Lehrman Fellowship (Yale University), NEH Fellowship (Harvard University), Messiah University President’s Award, BCM Peacemaker Award, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Education Lifetime Achievement Award.