Social Stratification in the Deep South

When I saw this article on CNN.com it reminded me of our class and our experiences at the Southern Poverty Law Center. It’s so amazing how cases from that time period are being solved in 2007.

Seale Convicted in 1964 Death of Black Teens 

So, the past two weeks were amazing! I learned so much and I was fortunate enough to be with a group of great, intelligent students, professors and faculty members! Even though I am at home in Virginia, I am still in social stratification mode. I have analyzed things in my local community that I didn’t before. For example, Sunday, June 10th at my church was the first lady’s birthday and I thought about how my church celebrated that event in comparison to the celebration at Greater St. Stephen’s in New Orleans the previous Sunday. Our last reflection really made me think of how hard it is to summarize all the feelings and emotions of the trip into words! A question that was posed during the last student reflection was, “What is one thing that you will take with you from this trup and apply into your life from here on out?” My response that I am sticking with is that I will carry the wonderful art of conversation back with me. People have stories to tell and I didn’t realize how important those stories were until I took this class. I learned so much from conversations that were set up into formal interviews and the conversations that just randomly occur. Our last day out in the city of Clarksdale, I had a conversation with a young mother and her son in a local barber shop. The South seemed to really have a positive effect on me in how I deal with meeting new people! I can truly say that people are waiting for others to discover them. Our class did just that, we went into the Deep South and we learned so much from the people. Social stratification has a new meaning to me than it did three weeks ago when I read an article about it in the reader.  The Deep South also has a new meaning to me. I am so comfortable in a place that I thought I could never feel at home in because of the judgements I had made about people and their beliefs. Some of the steroetypes of the South are true but many aren’t. Instead of thinking of the stereotypes now, I ask myself what can I do to help places like Waveland, MS and New Orleans. And, what can I do to assist poor counties like Tunica, MS. Social Stratification in the Deep South: Summer 2007 will forever and always be a part of me!

     Wednesday June 6, 2007 was a fun and relaxing day.  The day started with touring the downtown artsy area of Clarksdale, MS. We were able to have an authentic experience and go into some of the shops. Our first stop was at Hambone’s Art Gallery owned by a local artist that talked to us about his art history. Mr. Stan Suggs was a really interesting guy that said he never took any art classes but that art is truly his passion. I bought a print of Billie Holiday from his gallery for only $20.00! Also, we went into famous restuarants like the Delta Amusement Cafe where the decor, interestingly enough included a rather large Confederate Flag that said Rebel Pride. Someone I was with asked what one had to do to have a college flag posted and we told the owners that we were from Wake Forest.  We also spent some quality time in a local barber shop/hair salon where we talked to local people from Clarksdale and definitely witnessed a strong sense of community. I don’t think that many other cities are like Clarksdale in that the locals say that more and more people are coming to the town and making it home. That was a great sign because historical Blues oriented cities need to be preserved. The only other thing that would have completely made my day was if Morgan Freeman had been in his blues club, Ground Zero. The food was excellent at Ground Zero’s and I definitely want to come back.

     The day did not end with our adventures in Clarksdale, where music, people, and a strong sense of community dominate the city. Wednesday night, we stayed in the Shack Up Inn, my favorite lodging experience we’ve had in the entire trip. The Shack Up Inn is definitely a great blend of old fashioned and modern. The shacks are truly authentic and I really wish we could stay here more than one night. This experience was great and nothing is better than a screened in porch on a hot summer day in the Mississippi Delta! The idea for this place is definitely one that sells but also educated people. Because, the life of a sharecropper isn’ t a pop culture media image that often gets out. I would defintely like to come back here and hopefully visit the Riverside Inn as well.

Tuesday 5, 2007 our class went to Parchman, a maximum security penitentiary located in the Mississippi. I had never been to a prison before and I didn’t know what to expect. We started off with an introduction from one of the inmates who is in prison for drug possession and selling. His name is Rafeal King and he was passionate during our talk with him and he repeated that he was going to keep it real. One interesting point he brought up that will remain with me forever is that he wished that he was actor performing so that he could go home. Often, I try to forget what conditions are like in institutions such as prisons. Prisons are often portrayed in films but there is nothing like actually living out your days, weeks, months, years and for some lives in prison.

Parchman definitely has an “old school” feeling to it. There are fields and prisoners that work them with hoes and there are field guards that carefully oversee the inmates. A few of the people we were able to speak to told us that Parchman is known for housing some of the worst criminals of the state with common crimes being murder, rape, drug possession and selling, assault and others. Two of the inmates we spoke with told us that pedifials are treated with the lowest amount of respect and are on the bottom of the food chain. All three of the men we spoke to said that they would give up anything to not be in prison because of everything that they have missed out in especially dealing with the development of their children’s lives. King told us that he has never seen his son play football and that his son is the star of a winning team and that his dream after release is to have all his children together so that they can enjoy one another. That comment was really powerful and it made me think of the value that parent’s have in their children’s lives. Also, the men we spoke cared about future generations and wanted the message to get out to our group that prison is not a place that anyone should want to be.

A ward in the prison that stuck out to me was the AIDS ward which houses a good percentage of men in Parchman. The goal is that this will keep down the spread of the disease. I think that this ward is really important because after watching a documentary, I learned a lot about the secret lives that many men have in prison. There are so many young college age Black men today entering prison instead of attending college. Also, another point made today that really shocked me was the demographic of many of the prison guards in Parchman and other prisons today. I fit the description of a lot of the prison guards today, an 18 year old Black female. When this was mentioned in our class discussion, it brought up the point that there aren’t many opportunities for employment in that area and the Mississippi Delta in general. This also connects with the situation viewed in Lalee’s Kin on how low the socio economic status of many of the Black and White people in the Mississippi Delta. Prison life is truly a different world and in my opinion the justice system has some serious issues with the determining the length of sentences. I’m grateful for this experience and more students need to have a similar experience in a state penitentiary.

Today was our second Sunday together. This morning we attended church service at the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church in New Orleans, LA. This church is a mega church with another branch in Atlanta, GA. The leaders of the church are Bishop Paul S. Morton, Senior Pastor and Elder Debra B. Morton, Co-Pastor. This church experience was very different from our last experience at 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This morning, there was definitely more of a vibe of contemporary worship style especially through song and the praise dance ministry. Even though the church has a very large congregation, it seemed like there was a great sense of community and a welcoming presence. The service was led by the Co-Pastor Elder Debra B. Morton. So, the fact that a woman was leading the sermon made it different from last week’s church experience. You could tell how much the community has been through because of some of the topics brought up in the sermon. The title of her sermon was “Like Mike”. It focused on the fact that many people wanted to be just like Michael Jordan when he first entered the scene. People wanted to look like him, dress like him, and more than anything be able to play basketball like him. This part of the sermon was the point when she was trying to captivate everyone, from all different age groups to become involved in the service. Co-Pastor focused on how people of God need to be like Daniel, a major character of the Old Testament. Daniel was led out of the lion’s den. The focus for me was realizing that everyone has gifts and that we should not idolize Earthly figures. I thought that the sermon was powerful and well delivered. After church when he had our reflection, we learned that a former professor at North Carolina A&T and a resident of New Orleans wrote a note dedicated to our class. The letter was heart felt and she gave us great advice. It was nice knowing that someone took the time to think about our group that was visiting.

After church and reflecting today, we had student reports and watched the film, The Trials of Darryl Hunt. This was my second time viewing the film and it really gives you a chance to think about the conditions of prison and the impact of 20 years living knowing that you are innocent. Darryl Hunt endured three trials before justice finally came. It took a lot of hard work on behalf on Hunt’s lawyers and other people in the community. Hunt’s story is one that definitely needs to be told across the country because this kind of case occurs way to often. There are issues brought up in Hunt’s trial that deal with racial tensions in the Winston-Salem community that continue to be strong. I think that this film is a good sedgeway into preparing for Parchman. I’m looking forward to an exciting day in Cleveland, MS and surrounding areas tomorrow.

This morning, we started our day by making a trip to ACORN, an advocacy group that promotes the preservation of homes in the New Orleans area. This is how the website describes the organization: Who We Are

National non-profit ACORN Housing has been providing free housing counseling to low and moderate income homebuyers since 1987. We have opened HUD-certified, Fannie Mae-approved housing counseling offices across the US, helping over 50,000 families to achieve homeownership.

ACORN Housing provides one-on-one mortgage loan counseling, first-time homebuyer classes, and helps clients obtain affordable mortgages through our unique lending partnerships.

We look at your savings and credit history to see if you qualify for a mortgage. We can help you with credit problems and to create a downpayment savings plan.

When you qualify, we can help arrange a mortgage with lower interest rates, lower down payments and lower settlement costs than what banks usually offer.

Groups like ACORN are the main organizations that work so that New Orleans can be rebuilt. Beth, who led the discussion had true pride for being from New Orleans. She said that many people in the community that have left feel like outsiders in their respective states. New Orleans is a city that has such a long history of generations with a large population of elderly people. Many of the older people lived in the city without insurance mostly because of financial reasons. Beth brought up a very important point on the value of voting rights. ACORN works to make sure that people of Louisiana know about their voting rights so that they can make sure the right people are in office, making a difference to rebuild the city. Beth also discussed problems dealing with insurance companies and how many of them are unwilling to assist people the way they need to. The problem with insurance companies is prevalent and really effects all people. Beth said that all people no matter where they are geographically on the map have the possibility of being hit by natural disasters. I completely agree with that statement and it is something that I have thought about before.

After we left the ACORN building, we took a driving tour of the lower ninth ward. The lower ninth ward had some serious damage by Hurricane Katrina. The Lower 9th Ward is a section of the city of New Orleans. As the name implies, it is part of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The term “Lower” refers to its location further towards the mouth of the Mississippi River, “down” or “below” the rest of the city in local geographic terminology. The area is sometimes just referred to as the “Lower 9″. The area that we explored was really devastating and there was so much damage done to the area. In that one area, there a lot of deaths and one house read, “1600 People Died So That You Could Take this Picture.” I was amazed by this and it brought me back to reality. A couple of the homes that were rebuilt on the street really stood out to me because I kept thinking about their surrounding areas. After touring the ninth ward, I realized how important it is to rebuild and help cities like New Orleans reclaim their amazing place on the map. Facing destruction is something that I can no longer steer away from after seeing this for myself and not a clip on CNN.

I can’t wait to come back to this city. Just like the T-shirt I saw yesterday, I heart NO.

  Part 1:

       Friday, June 1st was our last day in Bay St. Louis, MS. It was a great experience to learn so much from the Hancock County Community. I was not one of the students that conducted the last oral history of the day, but I was glad to be a part of our group. It was interesting to think that we had completed our first week of the course and that only one more week is left. Everyone in the group has a special place in my heart. We left Bay St. Louis Friday headed to New Orleans and on the way we reflected on some of the experiences we had in Bay St. Louis.

Part 2:

    New Orleans, a wonderfully diverse city that has such an amazing culture and upbeat vibe to it. I was really excited to come to New Orleans on this social stratification course. I had an idea of what the city would be like but I didn’t really know much about the area. Our first night in New Orleans, I was able to explore parts of the French Quarters including Canal Street and Bourbon Street. It was definitely an interesting experience to go into a tatoo parlor for the first time:) New Orleans definitely has great night life and eating at one of the local restaurants, Oceana, I had some of the great cuisine that ths city is known for. Jazz clubs also add a lot the city because of the influence of many famous Jazz and Blues musicians from this area.  This night was a great chance to explore and just absorb some of the greatness that is New Orleans.

             Today was one of the most powerful days that we’ve had throughout this trip so far. We had so many great moments that really showed the power of allowing people to tell their stories.  I went into the experience of giving an interview not really knowing what to expect. This was truly a gift to be able to share in the experience of growth and allow people whose lives were completely turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina to tell their stories.

I am glad that I was in a group with my peers to interview three people with three different stories. Each person really had a way of connecting me to a part of their lives that they probably don’t get to talk about a lot. I think that one of the most powerful feelings expressed through one of the interviews today was the point that one woman believed that God had allowed her to get through the storm. I think that her strong beliefs in Christianity and her courage really made me feel as if I could persevere if my community were to be hit by a hurricane. People like her give me the strength to be strong and keep a positive attitude towards such a devastating event. During the interviews, there were moments of silence that would build up and that aspect of the interview was really powerful and captivating. I do not think that I would be able to relive the days leading up to the hurricane, the day of the hurricane and the days immediately following the hurricane the way that our interviewees did today. In all three of the interviews we conducted today family seemed to be a major part of recovery. If it weren’t for family, the people of this community would probably have not held on as long as many of them have. Two women today said that they were survivors, and that made me think of the wonder of strength and capabilities to persevere.

Also, today I was able to assist with preserving older documents from the library’s record. Things like newspaper articles are really important because many of the articles went back to the 1930’s and went up to the 1990’s.

I think that the motto of today should be “we shall overcome”. Yes, that classic phrase used by many Black Americans that marched and led the Civil Rights Movement. But, today took a different spin on those powerful words of, “we shall overcome”. The community of Hancock community really respresent a strong group of people that have endured so much because of a natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina. It is so hard for me and many of my peers to imagine what it is like to live through such a devastating storm. I am grateful to meet the strong people that continue to live, work and put so much of their heart into thier community. Listening to the stories of the citizens from Hancock County, Waveland, and Bay St. Louis, MS gave me the opportunity to think about how I would react in the same situation and if I would be able to possess such strength. The public library system is a powerful example of a branch of society that can pull resources together to help people within the community with important tools like telephones, computers and even clean restrooms. I am pleased that Dr. Sutton is spearheading this part of the class because there is a lot we can learn and hopefully, when I come back to the area I can do hands on things such as helping to rebuild because that would be a great experience as well.

A major part of the class that I can’t leave out was when we went on the bus and toured the library’s surrounding area of Waveland and Bay St. Louis. Many of the beautiful beach front homes were destroyed and some are being rebuilt. An important part of the city that was just opened was the new bridge. The opening of the bridge makes life in Hancock County a little simpler because of less traveling. Commerce is such an important aspect to keep a city running and after Katrina, many of the city’s businesses were destroyed. It’s interesting how many of the major franchises like Burger King come back into the community and rebuild quickly. Money truly is a major part of why cities like Hancock County can rebuild and it was a good thing to hear that money and other resources have been used in this community. I see great things for the future of this community and that is a blessing. On another level, I would add that it doesn’t seem like Hurricane Katrina has completely ruined the spirits of those in this community. The gracious and kind attitude that the administrators of the library had toward us says a lot about the community itself and that it seems like the value togetherness. Also, just being in one of the local restuarants today, I noticed a lot of families that are probably locals that seem very cheerful especially youth of the community. Even though, almost two years ago, this area was completely flooded and lives were completely changed because of Hurricane Katrina.

Tuesday May 29, 2007

Today was an enjoyable day with early start. We started the day by walking down to the in Downtown Montgomery. The day started by going to the Civil Rights Movement Memorial. The Memorial has a great monument out front with a beautiful quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. The memorial is the only one in the nation devoted to the actual movement itself, and not one specific person involved in the movement. Our guide, Andrew was very helpful and lead a great discussion of some of the pressing issues on the importance of the memorial and how it’s important to learn about all of the people that died for the cause. The origin behind why the memorial was built is very interesting. It was sparked because of an innocent nineteen year old Black male, Micheal Donald was murdered by Klansmen in Alabama. Andrew brought up a very interesting discussion on current hate groups that exist in the Southern states across the US. We examined the prevalence of groups like, The League of the South in states like North Carolina.

After we left the memorial center, we headed for Selma, Alabama. It was a great experience to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the same Bridge where the marches were held from Selma to Montgomery. I felt really powerful being able to have that experience of crossing such an infamous bridge. It if weren’t for the tragic events that Blacks and Whites endured that year then there wouldn’t have been a Voting Rights Act of 1965. The experience was memorable and I will never forget it. Also, in Selma we were in the historic area which includes the George Washington Carver Housing Project. Walking through the housing project, I wanted to be able to change the conditions myself. I do not understand why government housing known as Projects are always in such bad conditions. I can definitely see organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center stepping in to revamp housing projects of the deep South. It was also just such a pleasure to walk down the sidewalk in Selma, Alabama, a very historical city that I have wanted to visit for years.

The ride to Bay St. Louis today was filled with student reports and films. I really enjoyed learning the statistics of Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma especially about the racial compositions of the cities. Spike Lee does great work and I enjoyed watching his documentary, Four Little Girls. The documentary included information that I had learned from previous student reports. But, I thought that the documentary did a great job of presenting the feelings and concerns of family members of the four young women killed because of hate and racism. We also watched a story presented by CNN on the damaging effects Katrina had on Bay St. Louis, MS. I was astounded to hear the facts about insurance companies and there distinctive differences between flood and wind damage. I also felt very uneducated in that I didn’t know the impact Katrina made on areas like Bay St. Louis in Mississippi.