Harris serves as tour guide for students
Published 4:56 pm Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Voting Rights Movement veteran Dianne Harris served as tour guide to a group of international students from Kennesaw State University (KSU) on Saturday.
Harris is a Civil Rights Tour Operator with Selma Historic Cultural Tours, where she gets to share her personal story as a 15-year-old 1965 Foot Soldier, and show visitors the city’s significant cultural landmarks.
According to Harris, she has served as the tour guide for KSU’s international students for several years.
Harris mentioned that she looks forward to a visit from the international students each year, adding that the student always arrive ready to learn about Harris’ life and Selma’s role in the Voting Right’s Movement.
“It’s very touching and meaningful, the fact that they come back,” said Harris. “The students sometimes go back and do reviews on my Facebook page and it’s very rewarding to read some of the things they say.”
According to Dr. Binbin Jiang, KSU’s Executive Director and Professor of International Education, Leadership and Research, this year’s group of students came from nearly 10 countries across South East Asia, including: Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malesia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Singapore.
“Selma is the place we come to learn about Civil Rights,” said Jiang. “This is the highlight of our trip. We really appreciate Dianne teaching us and inspiring us.”
Harris and the international students began the tour at Historic Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church then went to the Selma Interpretive Center, had lunch with city officials at The Coffee Shoppe and finally walked the Edmund Pettus Bridge.