This high-school program is teaching big-city kids that Southerners, rural farmers aren’t racist — or even that different
Kids growing up in Manhattan’s progressive neighborhoods often picture the American South as a place of stubborn inequality and hostility. Yet some are finding that people down there are very much like themselves, only in a different setting.
The American Tributaries program sends teenagers from New York City and nearby New Jersey to South Carolina—an area that rallied behind President Trump with 58.2% of the vote last year—to broaden their understanding of life across the nation.
Eighteen‑year‑old Leo Mullin from Brooklyn remembers meeting a farmer named George Albers during a July 2024 visit. Albers was sporting a “God, guns and Trump” hat. “It was a lot different from my usual surroundings, but we ended up chatting about baseball and finding common ground,” Mullin told the Post. He’s now a freshman in Political Economy at Tulane.
Michael Whidden, a 54‑year‑old Navy veteran, wine distributor, and father from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, started the program after seeing his daughter’s Manhattan high school resume sending students overseas once pandemic restrictions eased. “All the trips were to other countries,” he explained. “After COVID and in these divisive times, I thought it was more urgent to put American citizens in front of each other and bring diverse states together.”
By 2022 Whidden had organized the first cohort of students from Brooklyn and Cranford, New Jersey, to visit South Carolina.
Mila Melikian discovered American Tributaries in the summer of 2024 through an AP government course at Cranford High School. “At first it seemed like a cheap adventure with friends, but I soon realized the real value of learning how the country really operates,” she said. “It was an opportunity to be a tourist in my own country and to see a rich cultural side of the U.S. that I had never imagined.”
The 12‑day itinerary includes stops at the Cypress Gardens swamp preserve—where “The Notebook” was filmed—Charleston, local farms, the McLeod Plantation for a history lesson on slavery, and Fort Jackson, where students tried out firearms in a military setting. “It’s not a trip to Paris or the Eiffel Tower,” Whidden noted. “You’ll see a plantation, a farming school, and you’ll eat at a Waffle House or a Cracker Barrel with local kids.”
The Albers family, who host many of the youths on Wadmalaw Island, offer a front‑row view of southern farm life. “I’ve been surprised how little city kids know about agriculture,” said Celeste Albers. When they learn about the community’s own political leanings, she explains, it can challenge preconceived ideas.
For a child who immigrated from Lebanon during first grade, conversations with farmers about the ease of migrant work left a lasting impression. “The discussion stayed with me because my parents are working immigrants who came here for a better life,” Melikian recounted. “When I was in the South, I wasn’t expecting a farmer to share my perspective.”
Whidden insists the program is not about politics. “We want a greater sense of civic health, not partisan debate,” he said. The group also visits Washington, D.C., meeting with the offices of Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D‑NY), Tim Scott (R‑SC), Cory Booker (D‑NJ), and John Cornyn (R‑TX) to gain a panoramic view of national representation.
Melikian, who is taking a gap year before college, found the experience prompting her to register as an Independent at 18 after realizing the importance of weighing multiple viewpoints beyond the echo chamber of friends or family. She noted that her friends tend to merge politics with identity, while the people she met in the South emphasized personal identity over party lines—a blend she found admirable.
The program’s schedule repeatedly returns to the Albers farm to discuss organic farming, egg production, and herd management. Celeste says students frequently ask tough questions about raising and slaughtering animals, revealing the surprising lack of knowledge among kids raised in cities. “It’s amazing how little most people know about farms,” she observed.
Whidden sees the initiative as a chance to give back to the country after his military service. His daughter, Miranda, was his first recruit to help curate a teenager‑friendly trip. “I helped tweak the itinerary to make it more fun and less textbook,” she explained. Miranda joined the first expedition in 2022 and returned in 2025. A sophomore at the University of Maryland studying public policy, she echoed her father’s sentiment: “Everyone knew about Europe, but the idea of traveling within the U.S. was uncharted territory for most. Understanding one’s own country first is vital.”
While many teens may be reluctant at first, the majority return with a clearer, more nuanced understanding of fellow Americans that extends beyond the abstract narratives they encounter online. “Having these real experiences is so essential, especially when social media feeds only a hyper‑polarized view,” Miranda added.
For parents of Gen Z in the pandemic‑shaped, internet‑first world, such travel is indispensable. David Callahan, owner of a small business in Cranford, shared, “My daughter has lived in a tight bubble her entire life. Sending her on one of these trips was an obvious decision—she needed to see that people from varied backgrounds can still share a common humanity.”
Rob Coon, whose daughter Kasey returned after a recent trip, noted the impact on her political sophistication. “The overload of online content is so noisy and polarizing,” Coon said. “A balanced, grounded perspective is hard to find unless someone actually steps out of their internet bubble.”
Looking ahead, Whidden hopes to increase the number of annual journeys and to eventually invite students from the South to visit New York. Melikian believes such civics education is what the next generation truly needs. “We’re the upcoming voters, leaders, and community members. Learning civic engagement in a non‑judgmental, nonpartisan environment equips us to tackle controversial issues more thoughtfully.”
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