Hill students learn about racial equality from home

By Josh Ault

Seventh grade students at Robert T. Hill Middle School, just like all other students around the country, are adjusting to online learning. On April 16, they were able to have two guest speakers talk to them about racial inequality.

Adam Murphy, a staff attorney, and Trey Walk, a justice fellow with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Ala. spoke to the students through a Zoom conference.

The students were working on an assignment called Project Envision before the pandemic started. Their goal was to find solutions to racial inequality. Their teachers had helped them learn about the root causes of racism and the students had the job of finding solutions to the problems.

The students were made aware of the Equal Justice Initiative through a new movie released in January called “Just Mercy.” The movie is based on a true story about a man from Monroeville, Ala. named Walter McMillian. He was wrongfully convicted of a murder and the EJI was able to get his conviction thrown out.

Murphy and Walk spoke to the students about the EJI’s mission and current projects they are working on. This includes helping prisoners who are battling COVID-19.

You can listen to the conversation with the two guests, and learn more about Project Envision at Hill Middle School, at https://hillprojectenvision.weebly.com/guest-speakers.html.

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