Make History. Lead Change
Download DC Civil Rights Tour App
Civil Rights History America is a student-led initiative that empowers high school students across the country to research, document, and share the stories of America’s civil rights movements.
The program is led by Logan Dorton, a high school junior from Bethesda, Maryland, who serves as National Student Director. Logan launched the Civil Rights History America high school program to connect students nationwide through storytelling, civic engagement, and history. Under his leadership, students form state chapters at their schools, research local civil rights sites, and create original audio stories to share on the Civil Rights History America app — helping preserve the voices and places that shaped the fight for justice in their own communities.
The project began with Logan’s older sisters, Lily and Eliza Dorton, who co-founded the app while they were in high school and college. Growing up in Washington, D.C., the Dorton siblings spent countless days visiting the National Mall, Smithsonian museums, and historic landmarks. Yet, despite years of learning about American history, they realized they had never explored the local story of the Civil Rights Movement in their own hometown.
That discovery sparked the creation of the first version of the app, a digital guide that mapped and narrated the little-known stories of D.C.’s role in the Civil Rights Movement. What began as a family project has now grown into a national platform led by students who are keeping America’s history alive, one story at a time.
Lily and Eliza Dorton were only 15 and 13 years old when they started doing their homework on the history of civil rights here in the District of Columbia.
While learning about D.C.'s central role in the African American civil rights movement, the sisters decided to create an app so that others could learn too. They consulted a Black studies professor at Suffolk University and reached out to Rohulamin Quander, a multi-generation Washingtonian and retired judge, to mark less-familiar locations.
Two Maryland high school students, Lily and Eliza Dorton, created an app that features an interactive map of civil rights landmarks throughout D.C.
“Washington, D.C. and our country have been shaped by the dedication and hope of Black Americans,” the sisters said in a statement. “Black Americans were leading the fight for equal rights. As kids living in the D.C. area, we wanted to create a tour reflecting the truth about civil rights in Washington, D.C. so that everyone, including young people, can learn more about this important history.”The app showcases an interactive map that aids users navigate their way through 17 locations with visuals, audio recordings, and synopses telling the stories of each landmark and the people connected to them.
Two Washington, D.C.-area high school students have created an interactive app that highlights the history of civil rights in the District.Lily and Eliza Dorton, co-founders of the DC Civil Rights Tour app, have an instrument providing an easy way for residents and tourists to learn more about the civil rights movement in the city.The Dorton sisters, who attend the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda., Md., wanted to focus on places where African Americans challenged segregation and broke down barriers in the face of oppression.
The Civil Rights Tour of DC exemplifies the fight for civil rights through clear, impactful audio recordings. I love the accessibility and layout of each location and how easy it is to navigate the app!
I really enjoyed the fluidity of the content in the app and how diligent it all is. The message behind the app is direct; its purpose is to educate on black people's civil oppression and
inequality during the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Tour of DC concisely reminds and educates the audience of that.
The tour/app is truly worth the time and an excellent recounting of history! All of the locations on the app connect to one another, whether it is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial or Lafayette Square Park. The historical content is captivating as the voice actor retells the story of several African Americans fighting for their rights in the nation's capital.
