Indiana Offensive Lineman Kahlil Benson Learns Powerful Lessons on 'Big Life Series' Trip to Selma, Alabama
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Indiana football offensive lineman Kahlil Benson was one of four Hoosier student-athletes chosen to participate in the Big Ten’s Big Life Series: Selma to Montgomery Program this summer. In mid-July Benson, as well as student-athletes from other Big Ten institutions, made the trip down to Selma, Alabama to learn about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Benson came away with an experience that he and the other travelers will never forget.
“A great trip first of all. Overall, a life changing experience if you're very interested in learning about your culture.” Benson told Hoosier Huddle.
The trip included visits to several local civil rights museums, including the Rosa Parks Museum, Freedom Riders Museum and Montgomery Interpretive Center. Student-athletes also had a chance to give back to the community by helping pack back-to-school backpacks with school supplies and balls.
Read More about the Selma to Montgomery March
The trip also featured a visit to the First Baptist Church, the site where the Dallas County Voters League mobilized hundreds of students to begin their landmark civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
Benson said the experience was hard to put into words saying “it's like you got to feel it. It's like it's like a feeling type thing. You have to see it for you.”
Every experience in life carries a lesson and Benson came away with a poignant one.
“Education is key.” Benson said. “History repeats itself and it's never the end because there's always something coming up. So I think if you’re educating yourself in different fields, you'll be fine, but I just don't want people to stop talking. Stop stop. Don't stop talking about our history.”
Benson hopes that his experience will inspire others to learn about their own histories.
“(As) One lady described it. It took 40 years to come back just to talk about talking about police, talking about a lot of people that were there, (who were) 14 years old, seven years old, and she talked about her experience, her experience with Martin Luther King Jr.” Benson said. “I just think that is very good to come back and talk about just to keep yourself immersed and keep yourself updated with the education that we have now.”
On the football field, Benson is looking to step up into a starting role and help the offensive line improve its performance in 2023.