By Yassine Jaziri, YES 2014-2015, Tunisia

For most exchange students, International Education Week (IEW) would include presentations about their home countries and cultures. For me, it was jumping even deeper in to my host community's history and culture, and going on a five-day Civil Rights Tour. I  learned so much from this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It has helped me to see the price for freedom and justice, and how non-violent civil protests can be highly effective.

My classmates and I first visited Vicksburg Battlefield, known to be one of the most important battles fought during the American Civil War. We saw the tombstones of many soldiers, and visited different state memorials. I can still feel the chills from singing the national anthem at the state memorial, in honor of all those who sacrificed their lives. I was very impressed by how Americans showed their gratitude and appreciation for their veterans.

After that, we headed to Birmingham, Alabama and visited the 16th Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, and the Civil Rights Institute – all historically significant during the Civil Rights Movement. I had the privilege to talk to two very inspiring people who participated in the movement back when they were kids. One of them, Reverend Gwendolyn Webb, said: "Look at you young people. You have a lot riding on you for the future." As if that wasn't inspiring enough, we all held hands and sang what has become the anthem for the era, We Shall Overcome. I felt a very strong sense of respect for those people and all that they sacrificed.

Later, we went to Montgomery, Alabama and visited Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Martin Luther King, Jr. was the Pastor. In this church, Dr. King preached about non-violence, love and forgiveness. The church was a meeting place for civil rights activists in the 1960s. We also went to the Southern Poverty Law Center, where practicing attorneys are devoted to ending racism and hatred in today's society, investigating hate crimes and making sure the freedoms gained are not taken for granted.

Finally, we went to Selma, Alabama and walked the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This was the bridge where a historical event called Bloody Sunday took place, in which protesters marched 55 miles from Selma to Montgomery for freedom. This was a moment so historic, that you could feel it just by stepping on that bridge. I got the chance to speak to Alabama State Senator, Hank Sanders, about today's racial issues and how to solve them. He highlighted the youth's role in the movement, and encouraged us to speak out against injustice any time and at any place.

This experience enriched my knowledge of the struggle of African Americans for justice, and all that they had to sacrifice in order to be free and treated as true Americans. I’ve been inspired to protect my own country, Tunisia, against any kind of injustice that threatens its stability, making sure extremism never reigns over it, and ensuring that all its citizens have equal rights. My country's people fought for equal economic and social rights in 2011 and won victoriously, sending a message in the process that there is no room for any more injustice in today's world.