“I realized that immersions are about something much bigger than, although certainly inclusive of, the experience of the students who participate from Union. Immersions are about being introduced to an entire network of Poverty Scholars Program organizations, committed to the work of developing and uniting leaders to build a movement to end poverty, led by the poor. Over time, as I began to work with the Poverty Initiative after that first immersion, I would grow to appreciate the breadth and depth, the history and experience, of the work I was stepping into.”

- Crystal Hall, Poverty Initiative Staff and Fellow

(Read the rest of Crystal’s reflection on the 2012 Immersion Tumblr page)

Next Monday, January 16,  the Poverty Initiative will begin its 7th immersion course.  This year’s course brings students, staff, and other leaders from the struggle to end poverty to NYC, Baltimore, Harpers Ferry, and Charles Town, West Virginia to learn, experience and reflect on the US Civil War, the Abolitionist movement, and the ways in which this history both helps define the ongoing struggles against poverty in the US and World, and how we can gain lessons from this history as we build a movement for change today.

Follow us throughout the trip on a special Tumblr site that has been set up to record the thoughts, images, and reflections from participants along the way.  Also follow us on  Twitter @povertyinit  and Facebook