Two Omega Lamplighters Join 8th Annual College Tour

Tallahassee, Fla. (WTXL) — Omega Lamplighters aims to inspire young men in a positive direction through its forthcoming 4-night, 5-day, 500-mile Freedom College and Civil Rights Tour.

Before dawn on Thursday morning, 70 young people from the Big Bend and Jacksonville chapters of the coaching organizations boarded two buses, the largest group to date. They will visit historic sites in nine different cities, including the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. Black Wall Street Historical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Little Rock Central High School, home of Little Rock Nine. There are also historically black colleges.

Lighter David Lecomte said he had seen many of his colleagues participate years ago and was thrilled to finally be able to participate. “I’m mostly looking forward to my college experience. I think the Trayvon Martin Memorial is what my colleagues told me about their trip last year,” he said.

Omega Lamplighter Artistic Director Terrence McRae says the trip will help encourage young people to make positive life choices. “It gives them a chance to see the positive and what being positive brings,” he said. “Many times young men stray from the wrong path because they act by simply following the path of education and failing to see the positive things that might come their way.”

As many young people explore the world beyond city limits for the first time through these historic sites, leaders hope this will help them move toward a better future.

“The world is big, so when you look at different regions, you can see how people live,” said McCrae. “It gives them an appreciation for what they have at home, or what they may not have.”

The group is scheduled to return on Monday, June 12th.

The Omega Lamplighter Society was founded by Royle King, who is currently Executive Director of the Council on the Status of Men and Boys in Tallahassee. This council was established to lead comprehensive community efforts to reduce male-to-male homicide and non-fatal gun violence in the Tallahassee-Leon County area.