The Sojourn Project provides immersive journey into civil rights history
When visitors enter the home of Jewish American peace activist Jeff Steinberg, they step into a living tribute to civil rights history.
His house is adorned with art and memorabilia from the civil rights movement. The artwork is more than just décor — it's a testament to his passion for social justice.
"I'm a history teacher by trade, and how can one not be inspired by people in the civil rights movement? People who put themselves on the line for something bigger than themselves?" Steinberg asked.
Through this inspiration, Steinberg founded the Sojourn Project, an immersive journey through the South that aims to educate participants about the civil rights movement and its often overlooked heroes. The program seeks to humanize and honor African American history and resilience.
"The people in the civil rights movement, I call them, in my opinion, the real founding mothers and fathers of our country. They believed in real freedom, and yet, they're not in our history books," Steinberg said. "So we have collectively been ripped off of knowing stories of people who stood up to make America stand up for its true ideals."
Sojourn's mission has expanded over time. The social justice education and outreach program now includes law enforcement officers in an effort to foster greater empathy for Black Americans. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who has participated in the program, calls it a valuable training tool for law enforcement.
"Sojourn has been a transformative experience for me," Jenkins said. "As a Black American, just being able to dive even deeper into the history of the civil rights movement, and meet people who were leaders in the civil rights movement. But also, to be able to take my staff from the DA's office on the trip, so that they can understand the impacts that law enforcement had on the Black community in particular during the Jim Crow era. So that we can figure out how we can best serve diverse communities better, given sometimes the distrust they have in the system."
Jenkins and Steinberg both hope the city will allocate funding for such programs in the future. Until then, Steinberg's nonprofit organization is pushing forward with plans for its next trip, set for April, which will again include local law enforcement officers.
"There's no hierarchy in oppression," Steinberg emphasized. "So what Jewish people have gone through is not more important than what African Americans have gone through, not more important than what Latino Americans have gone through, not more important than what Middle Eastern Americans have gone through or what Arab Americans have gone through. Or what Asian Americans have gone through. So there's no hierarchy here. Our job is to illuminate the stories of people whose voices need to be heard. And who believed in true freedom."
Steinberg's message echoes through generations: a call for equality, unity, and the recognition of the struggles of all marginalized communities.
