Social Stratification in the Deep South

Today we went to Parchman Prison, which is apparently one of the most notorious prisons in the entire United States.  I’m not going to talk about the experience there just yet, but I’ve been thinking about a comment one of the inmates made.  He said something along the lines of “Just because someone smiles in your face doesn’t mean he’s your friend.”  I thought that was a very insightful comment and SO true.  He meant that in the context of the prison system, but it definitely transcends into life outside the prison.

Anyway with all that said I’m going to talk a little about the experiences of the last few days, because I haven’t had a chance to write much.  I don’t have anything more to say about New Orleans.  Everything I felt before about it I still feel now.  After we left New Orleans we traveled to Cleveland, MS.  We were supposed to watch the film “Lalee’s Kin” on the bus ride and had different student reports on topics pertinent to the Mississippi Delta (which is where we were headed).  We ended up watching a different video instead.  When we arrived in Cleveland we were greeted by an enormous mass of mosquitoes.  That is definitely NOT my idea of a good time.  I was a little skeptical of the hotel after the mosquitoes followed us inside and were joined by ants, but hey I guess its all part of the Delta experience.

We didn’t have any assignments for the night, but a small group of us ended up talking to the girl who worked at the front desk of the hotel.  She was from a town over called Shaw.  She had lived there all her life and told us “It’s a small town with a BIG welcome.”  It was really nice to talk to someone from the area of the classroom context.  Katie and I didn’t tell her about the class (at least I don’t think we did), but she brought up the poverty in the area.  She said that Mississippi is a poor state, but they are rich in soil! She told us about all the crops in the area and explained that’s how Mississippi makes the money it makes.  It may not be a lot, but there’s a lot more in the culture of the state and that makes it worth living there.  She said she wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.  She went to Shaw High School, which we actually drove by/talked about the next day.  Based on the discussion of her school I came to a realization….although I’m not sure if I can really make this generalization.  She got nearly a 4.0 GPA, and she talked about things she would like to do and said architecture was something she was interested in.  The “ch” in architecture was pronounced.  I know that doesn’t prove anything, its just something interesting to think about.  She also said that very few people in the area go to college.  She seemed like she was interested in continuing her education, but didn’t know how to pursue it.  She had never had that motivation in her life.

The second day we were in Cleveland was a very long day.  We started the day bright and early at 7:45am with a talk at Delta State University.  We spent the majority of the day traveling around the area learning about the culture, specifically the music! I LOVED the music.  We got to experience it live last night at Po’ Monkeys, which is a modern day juke (or jook) joint.  Dr. Rosenburg gave us more insight into the history of blues music, while we had dinner with one of the state senators at his restaurant.  He made catfish for us. Yes, HE actually fried the catfish and it was amazing.

As we traveled around the area, we encountered some pretty deep things, such as seeing the place where Emmett Till whistled at a white woman which lead to his death.  It disgusts me that things like that actually happened.  I don’t even know how to comprehend that kind of unwarranted hatred and ignorance.  So, we certainly had a mix of experiences yesterday, but overall it was a nice change of pace and got me out of the funk I was in a little bit.  Everything we’ve been seeing and learning about is a lot to take in.

We got to New Orleans yesterday afternoon after our drive from Bay St. Louis. I’ve never been to New Orleans so I didn’t know what to expect, especially after seeing the destruction of the hurricane in Bay St. Louis. I may be completely ignorant, but I didn’t know that most of the damage in New Orleans came from the levies breaking as opposed the hurricane itself. Anyway today was sort of a weird day for me. We explored some of the city last night and by that I mean we went to Bourbon St. We had a great time. Certainly a different experience from the incredible bar scene of Winston-Salem, NC. Today I started to feel really guilty though. There are many aspects of this trip that are disparate in nature and I’m not sure how to react to it. I mean here we are hanging out having a blast on Bourbon St. and then today we go to the Lower 9^th ward which was obliterated by the massive rush of water from the levies breaking. I don’t know how to take that in. My mom made the point that in order to rebuild the economy of New Orleans people need to visit here and go out, because that will bring money to the city. I just don’t know how much of that money is going places it NEEDS to go. I don’t know what to think. I really don’t.

This post is going to cover the span of a few days. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting, and I think I have a better idea of how I feel about the experience in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi now. I know it may have been a good idea to express some emotions as I went along, but they were too raw and I hadn’t really processed anything well enough to articulate them. So here we go…

We arrived in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi on Tuesday, after traveling from Montgomery/Selma, Alabama (which I still need to reflect on a bit and get a journal written about that!). It was a fairly long trip, but nothing compared to the first day. Towards the end of the drive we watched a video from a news story produced by CNN about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Bay St. Louis. It was narrated by a CNN correspondent who is actually from Bay St. Louis and the first time she was seeing the destruction from the hurricane was on camera. As we were watching the video it showed the wreckage of the houses caused by the insanely high winds and the water which rose to levels of 30 to 40 feet. Then I looked out the window and realized that everything I was seeing on the video screen was right outside. Very little has changed in the last 2 years and it seems that not a lot is being done to rebuild the city. I don’t mean that nothing is being done in the sense that people aren’t working towards it, but it is hard to see the progress. Most of that has to do with the fact that people are still dealing with insurance companies and trying to get settlements that compensate for a reasonable amount of the damage (although it seems that isn’t usually the case). With all that said, I was shocked. This may sound completely ignorant, but I expected a lot more progress to have been made in a nearly 2 year time frame. A person I encountered while in Bay St. Louis made the comment that people have forgotten about the Mississippi Gulf Coast and have the ability to ignore the damage that was done by the hurricane. I was one of those people. I just figured, ok its been 2 years they have to be rebuilding and people lives are basically back to normal. I guess there were many components that I had not taken into account and my perception of time and the ability to rebuild were very skewed.

Just as a little side note before I get into some pretty heavy things, we stayed at a hotel with a casino while in Bay St. Louis. I can see how people get addicted to gambling. I did win quite a bit of money overall though.

So onto some things with a bit more substance… The morning after we arrived, we went to Hancock County Library to begin our service learning there. The first day we were introduced to the people we would be working with. We were given a bus tour of Bay St. Louis and Waveland. It was really hard to see the destruction of the storm, especially because earlier in the day we heard some stories and saw pictures. It was a very different experience to see the houses, or lack thereof, and trailers on properties where homes used to be. I think the thing that stood out to me the most was the story we heard from the retired director of the Hancock County libraries. Afterwards I felt a little bit resentful towards her, because its hard to hear someone talk about losing boats when you know other people lost everything. My opinion was completely changed the a couple days later when I had the chance to interview her. I realize it must have been hard to know what part of her story to tell when she was talking to the entire group. I can’t imagine reliving it over and over. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to explain myself very well with what I want to say. I guess I’ll preface myself by saying first impressions are not always what they seem. You have to dig deeper to find out more about a person. If you’re not willing to dig deeper then you may completely misjudge someone or not understand their perspective.

We spent all day Thursday doing oral histories of library employees and doing research of historical landmarks in the area that were destroyed by the hurricane. The two interviews I help conduct that day were interesting, but not emotionally moving in the way I expected. I was actually a little disappointed when I didn’t get something jucier. I know that sounds weird, but thinking about it later I hope the people won’t regret that they didn’t take advantage of the experience. The final day at the library a group of us were given the opportunity to interview the retired director. It was a completely opposite experience from the first day we listened to her speak to us. It was a more intimate setting, so she must’ve felt more comfortable to be open. I sat there as she spoke to us and I kept thinking to myself I wish everyone else could be here to listen to this. I know that wasn’t an option. I walked out of the interview incredibly drained, because I had judged her so wrongly before. She has been through so many things that I couldn’t even comprehend dealing with. Yeah she had significant advantage over other people in the community because of the connections she has to local government agencies, but she made a great point. No one in the community would be able to progress if people who have privilege don’t take advantage of it. (I may have completely butchered her words, but it was something along those lines). It is necessary for some people to progress so they can help others. I really don’t even know how to explain how I felt after listening to her story. I felt a little guilty, but at the same time I’m so glad I was able to talk to her. She is a really amazing lady. I’m not sure what else to say about that right now.

Again I’m posting this a few days late…I’ll catch up soon.
What to say about today? Well its Memorial Day so the majority of places we would have gone were closed, like the Rosa Parks Museum. We ended up having a great day though. We went to a place called the Interpretive Learning Center. It is located on Highway 80, which is where people marched from Selma, AL to Montgomery to fight for voter registration rights. There was an exhibit inside the building, as well as surrounding the building telling stories of the march. We also watched a video that gave different people’s perspectives of the march. When I say different perspectives I mean even white supremacists who felt that the black people injured or killed deserved it. It was really powerful to watch the video and see the different opinions and to learn more about the march. I think I take for granted the right to vote, because it is something I’ve been exposed to all my life and looking forward to for just as long.

I remember a time when I was younger, maybe 4 or 5 years old, I remember an adult in my life telling me that because we live in a free country she could say that she hates the president without getting in trouble. In addition she had the ability to vote for who she wanted and had some impact (even if it is minimal) on the outcome of an election. The right to vote, the ability to register to vote and the actual process of voting are something I never really considered. It became a second nature thought. My point in talking about that is that I never considered the idea of needing to fight for the right to register to vote. It was never an experience I had to deal with or encountered the thought of it on a very personal level. It was something we talked about in history class a couple times, but I wasn’t aware of the circumstances of it or the consequences. Going to the Interpretive Center forced me to recognize some of those things.

Later in the day, following reflections (which were interesting to say the least) we walked to the Dexter Ave Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. had served as pastor for numerous years and to the capitol building. One of the monuments on the property of the capitol building was thoroughly disturbing to me. It was a monument commemorating the Confederate soldiers and the righteousness of the South. I think my favorite quote from the monument was this: “The knightliest of the knightly race who since the days of old, have kept the lamp of chivalry alight in hearts of gold.” Another good one came from around the corner on the monument. It read: “Fame’s temple boasts no higher name, no king is grander on his throne; no glory shines with brighter gleam, the name of ‘patriot’ stands alone.” Surrounded by the lovely monument were 4 versions of the Confederate flag, with plaques underneath them that alluded to the purity of the South in their fight for freedom. I can’t say that sat very well with me; especially with it sitting right next to the building for the capitol of Alabama.

As I mentioned previously reflections for the day were interesting. We discussed a piece entitled “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh. It’s basically a list of daily things that whites tend to have more privilege in, but may go unrecognized by them. There was a long period of time during the reflection time when I was unable to talk, because Marcus asked that only the African-American students speak. It was really frustrating because there were so many times when I had something to say. Not that I could necessarily relate to things they said, but because I wanted to stand up for myself. I felt like some people were making huge generalizations and it was upsetting. I know that happens all the time and to all people. I don’t really want to go into that though.

This is a couple days late, but here it is. The experience from May 27.

As I mentioned earlier, today we went to the 16^th Street Baptist Church for the Sunday service. I’d never been to a Baptist church like that, but I’ve been to similar services. I really enjoyed it for the most part, but there are some things that didn’t sit very well with me. Some comments made by the pastor seemed out of line to me, but after a little reflection have some justification based on a perspective slightly different from my own. The Baptist church is historically a conservative church and I suppose this one is particular was very traditional in the sense that they interpreted the text of the Bible very literally and took the words at face value. At least that was my understanding when the pastor made the comment, “Don’t ask me what I think about shacking up or same sex marriage, because it’s all right here.” At that point he referred to his Bible. I had been enjoying the service up until that point in time, but after that I had difficultly paying attention in the same way. That isn’t to say that overall I didn’t enjoy it, but that’s something I felt was inappropriate.

At lunch I had a discussion with Marcus, Kendra, Benny and Jaymi about how that comment made us feel and why we think the pastor made that specific reference. All of us were bothered by the comment, but the other brought up some things I hadn’t thought of before. Kendra said that she could justify his statement better, because following it he said that God hates the sin, not the sinner. I can see how that may justify it somewhat, BUT that means that same sex marriage is a sin. That isn’t something I believe, but it was interesting to think about.

After the service we spent the rest of the afternoon traveling from Birmingham to Montgomery. We had time to reflect on the bus about the church service. We talked as a group, but we’d already talked so much at lunch that I didn’t really have much to say. I’d been to similar church services before, so it wasn’t a new experience for me like it was for other people.

We had a chance to relax and just hang out as a group when we got to Montgomery. Complimentary happy hour = a good time. Don’t worry mom, we didn’t overindulge. We also played in the pool for like 2 hours after that. We’ve had a good mix of work, learning and play. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the trip!!

David and Me After Church

I have more journals to come, but I need to get ready to go to the Hancock County library. Have a great day!

Prior to heading out for the day, we read an essay by Angela Davis entitled “Rape, Racism and the Myth of the Black Rapist.”  I had read the essay this past semester in Dr. Hattery’s Social Inequality class.  I tried to read it more critically this time, as opposed to reading it to interpret to answer a question on a test.  That isn’t to say I didn’t read it with interest or appreciation for Angela Davis’ work before (I promise Dr. Hattery!!), but today I knew that I would be seeing Angela Davis’ house and meeting people who grew up with her, or at least knew her.  Although Helen Shores Lee and her sister Barbara Lee did not talk about Angela Davis or vocalize any ideas about the period of time in which she wrote about, it still gave a different perspective to her writing.

I’ll get back to more about the Shores sisters and Ms. Peggy Heidi, all of whom talked to us about their experiences, but I’m actually writing now on Sunday morning and I have a few things I need to say.  Last night after reflection I had a bit of a breakdown (nothing really horrible), which is why I’m writing now as opposed to last night.  We take time every night to have reflections of the day as a group and discuss the things we saw and have the opportunity to ask our group members questions.  Well during this time, I made a comment about how David and I walked into the restaurant with our arms around each other, joking around saying how we were going to cause some controversy.  So I asked how people felt about making a joke out of it.  Another student stated that especially in area like this it’s hard to make light of prejudice that could have been induced by our actions, because of the history in the area and the fact that people were killed over it.  In the past I’ve been exposed to prejudice based on who I chose to date and I guess the comment that my peer made just put a very different perspective on that.  I never had to worry that a guy I dated could be killed, simply because he was dating me.  I took the fact that others were unjustly and brutally killed for my ability to date who I want completely for granted.  Anyway the result of the realization was me holding back tears throughout part of the reflection period and bursting into tears after nearly everyone left.  I’m sure I’m not the only one this will happen to, which is why I decided I would share.  Someone had to be first right? J Anyway two of my classmates were with me as well as the leader of the reflection time, Marcus, and we had a really good discussion about a lot of things following my little freak out session.  We’re going to see some very disturbing things and feel some emotions that are going to hurt, but I feel like its all part of a growing process.  You need to make a bit of a mess to clean things up or in this case to grow.

So back to a more relevant topic…yesterday we went to Kelly Ingram Park, the park where the Children’s March took place.  There were statues around the park depicting the violence the children faced by the police during the march. I’m sure someone’s posted pictures of them.  I’m still working through how the park made me feel.  Following that Helen Shores Lee, Barbara Shores and Peggy Heidi spoke with us about their experiences growing up in Birmingham on what is referred to as Dynamite Hill.  They lived on the Center Street hill, which was divided racially by a bridge.  It was really interesting to get a first hand perspective of some events that took place prior to and in the midst of the Civil Rights movement.  The Shores sisters’ father was a prominent figure during the movement, so their family faced a lot of violence.  As much as I enjoyed listening to the stories and learning more about the history from their perspective, the part of the day that affected me the most was going to the elementary school (the first integrated elementary school actually) that Ms. Heidi attended and seeing the place where the Ku Klux Klan burned crosses as an act of resistance and hatred against those attempting to integrate the school.  I recently watched a show on the History Channel called something like The Secret Rituals of the KKK.  I had that in the back of my mind as we were standing on the ground where that occurred.  I really didn’t have pleasant pictures in my mind.

We will be attending a service at the 16^th Street Baptist Church today.  The same church where 4 girls were killed in a bombing and where the children congregated for the Children’s March to fill the jails of Birmingham.  With that said, I need to go get ready.

Hello! Today was the first day of the expedition. We had a LONG bus ride, but it’s ok because we used our time well. We had a really good discussion of how we define ourselves (as a southerner or not). I came to the conclusion–which I always have-that I am not a southerner. I feel like that one’s pretty obvious, but because I’ve lived in North Carolina for so long I think others may disagree with that. I just think it has a lot more to do with one’s culture than the geographic region in which one lives. At this point I don’t have too much to analyze because we did spend so much time on the bus. We did hear presentations about the 16^th Street Church bombing and those involved in it. We will be touring the church tomorrow and I think that will put a different perspective on the presentations. It’s so different to hear a presentation or watch a video or sit in a classroom and learn about something than it is to actually experience it. Although this trip will have significantly more impact on my view of the world, I had a similar experience in high school after I took world history. My teacher took a group of us to Europe and we actually got to see the artwork and the architecture we spent so much time talking about. Like I said, this will be very different, but after 4 years of sitting in classroom and learning about racial tensions (in the south and the United States as a whole), the Civil Rights movement, stratification, along with everything else, I’m going to see it. I’m still not sure exactly what to expect from this experience, but I’m looking forward to it.

Hey everyone, this trip is going to be AWESOME