An independent study project [in spring of 2022] provided eight MIT students with a unique opportunity to learn about some of the most consequential events in U.S. civil rights history.

The eight students — Courtney Jacobovits, Naman Galhotra, Clyde-Blaise Niba, Chavie Sharfman Sosa, Johana Muriel Grajales, Jordan Dominguez, Patrick Akujobi, and Vanessa Labrador — are all MBA candidates in the MIT Sloan School of Management. Early in the spring term, they proposed an independent study program, to take place during spring break, that would advance a deep understanding of the history, experiences, and journeys of members of marginalized communities — a project that would ultimately help to make them at once more informed citizens and better leaders.

After securing funding, the students developed an independent study program in collaboration with the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and with the MIT Environment, Health, and Safety Office (EHS). The program would take the form of an action learning trip through the Deep South, centered on experiential learning in key sites in the struggle for civil rights.

"MIT Sloan students learn about civil rights history with a tour of the Deep South," MIT News, 17 May 2022