Pfeiffer University News Service 

SALISBURY — A group of Pfeiffer students recently visited the Black History Exhibit at the Rowan Museum and the nearby Equal Justice Initiative Marker in a trip facilitated by Rev. Maegan Habich, Dr. Ashley Schoppe, Dr. Susan Lee and Museum Executive Director Aaron Kepley.

The visit to the museum and marker was a crucial component of a larger experience funded through a Uwharrie District United Methodist Church Grant. In October 2021, students visited the Equal Justice Initiative, specifically the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, in Montgomery, Alabama. It was important to place the students’ encounters with the history of slavery and lynching in Montgomery in a local context, too. This attention to local history underscores the personal connection all humans should feel about combatting injustice. The Equal Justice Initiative Marker commemorating lynchings in Salisbury provided the perfect setting for meaningful conversations about the legacy of discrimination and violence that continues to this day. The Black History exhibit in the Rowan Museum was also important as it allowed students to consider stories of Black resilience and perseverance in addition to discussions of Black trauma. The students were fascinated by the exhibit, and they enjoyed tracing the role of African Americans in Rowan County so comprehensively depicted.

Pfeiffer plans on organizing future trips to Salisbury to visit the Equal Justice Initiative Marker and the Black History exhibit in the Rowan Museum. These spaces prompt thoughtful dialogue about 21st Century problems for students today.