Mission & History

What is Etgar 36?

America is the journey and destination of any Etgar 36 Civil Rights Journey. We meet with primary sources who were at the center of the Movement to hear their stories in order to learn about the strategies and lessons of the Civil Rights movement as a way of becoming empowered and inspired to get involved to create change today.

On an Etgar 36 Journey, your group will also experience the sites, sounds, culture, food, and people of the American South.

We have had teen, adult, professional, inter-religious, inter-racial, and family groups all come on our journey.

History of Etgar 36

The beginnings of Etgar 36 can be traced to 1995 when Founder, Billy Planer began to take the youth group he was running on annual weekend trips to various cities. Etgar 36 was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on September 11, 2002.

Etgar 36 began by running a 5-week summer journey for teens about history, politics and activism in the summer of 2003. The participants met with various sides of issues to develop their voice. The 2023 summer journey was the 20th and final one. In the Fall of 2004, Etgar 36 began running the Civil RIghts journeys.

To date, more than 30,000 adults and teens have “gotten on the bus” with Etgar 36!