Humbling, sobering, very informative, overwhelming at times, heartbreaking, but tremendously grateful for the experience and knowledge.

An absolutely amazing experience. It was so thoughtfully curated, intermingling lovely accommodations and beautiful meal and travel experiences where lasting bonds, were freely forged among the participants, each with their own perspective and background, through frank and open discussions about the revelations of each encounter along the path of a truth-telling journey highlighting the horrors of slavery, the indelible impact of slavery on the American Story, specifically the legacy of slavery evident in US financial, judicial and penal systems, and the stories of grace, beauty, resistance, and strength in the lives of so many both past and present including people doing front-line work today in the pursuit of distributive justice and mutual flourishing. To anyone looking to learn deep human truths with a desire to find ways to participate in making a difference in the world, I highly recommend this TELOS trip which will give practical steps and a wonderful space to practice the skills needed to experience life and effectively communicate with other humans in a world that seems so divided.

I can't say enough about this trip. Yes, I learned a lot, and so much could be said about how the content shaped my understanding of important aspects of history and issues in our country. I think what is even more impactful, though, is the way in which this trip nudged me toward my next steps as a peacemaker. I don't just feel informed, I feel equipped. There are tools and experiences that will directly translate into action within my home community. This trip is planned in such an intentional way. The hotels and meals were amazing, and created a framework within which the (sometimes intense) learning could nestle and take root. Very very well done!

This trip was a great learning experience. Both heartbreaking and uplifting. To see the African American communitity s resilience, committment and ongoing work to overcome the hate and bigotry they have experienced for generations was amazing. Our tour leaders, DeShawn and Frances, did a fantastic job of giving us context and keeping us on time to places we needed to be next. Thanks again to Telos for giving me a chance to experience this life changing experience. ❤️🙏

Thank you for all the work that went into designing, planning, and carrying out this ReStory US pilgrimage for our inaugural Mosaic cohort. From start to finish, it was thoughtfully curated, taking into special consideration the unique dynamics of our group of pastors and church leaders in terms of conversation partners, locations to visit, and duration of time spent with / at each. We were incredibly well fed and warmly hosted at each stop of our trip, with distinct voices speaking into and shaping our experience each city, reflecting the particular historical experiences as well as ongoing struggles and celebrations therein. Of particular note, for me, was hearing from Hezekiah Watkins in Jackson, MS, on his painful, unexpected introduction to his participation as a Freedom Rider, and the courage required to continue his involvement in this movement. And, ending with the EJI Legacy Museum in Montgomery felt like an especially fitting experience, bringing together so many of the learnings from our trip in exceptionally powerful ways. So many other voices were also inspiring and informative for our group, from Tish of "Cancer Alley" and Justin of the Whitney Plantation, to Jerry Mitchell of Jackson, MS, Bishop Rodney Crudup and Bishop Henry Joseph of New Horizons Church, Momma Callie of Selma, and Michelle Browder of the Mothers of Gynecology project and her brother Stephen's walking tour of Montgomery—these are voices, stories, and experiences that will continue to resonate, challenge, and inspire our cohort of leaders and myself for years to come, I imagine. In addition, I appreciated the diversity of experiences—historical and contemporary, political and artistic, ecclesial and legal—and the rich dialogue they created for our group's pilgrimage. Truly the experience of a lifetime, and one that I would recommend any individual / group committed to growing in learning about our nation's history and ongoing legacy of injustice and how we can, together, commit to enacting mutual flourishing in our local communities, as a nation, and even beyond.