Touring through the different sections of Cleveland, Mississippi was seeing houses and living conditions like night and day. The night we got to the hotel a few of us were watching TV in the lobby with the girl who worked behind the desk. She told us about her town Shaw which we actually got to drive through and see the high school she went to. The school history was interesting because it went from being completely white to Italian to African American. It was the first school in Mississippi to have integrated teachers and as Luther Brown pointed out the first teacher received more problems from other teachers and administration than parents because the parents were mostly Italian and directly understood the effects of segregation.

Lunch at the Hoover grocery store was really good except the Kool-Aid pickles that most of us regretted trying. Mr. Hoover then showed us the neighborhood which is where Robert Johnson used to live and play jazz out on the street corner. We went into a house and Mr. Hoover explained how life was like during the time of the explosion of blues. There was one bed, one mirror, no running water, and no electricity for a large family. They used kerosene lamps, bathed in the back yard, and the children slept on blankets on the floor. Being in the cramped house on such a hot day made us realize how blues was inspired. Mr. Hoover told us how Robert Johnson would draw the whole neighborhood outside when he played but parents discouraged their children from listening. He said that if he even started to sing blues his mother would immediately hit him to stop since it was “devil’s music.”

We continued our tour to Money, Mississippi and passed the railroad tracks where Emmit Till rode the train and the store where whistled at the white employee to trigger his murder. The contrast of the run down homes (which a bunch actually had Direct TV dishes but no windows or fully enacted roofs) to the neighborhood approaching the Alluvian hotel was very drastic. It was such a short drive from houses that looked more like shacks to houses that would fit in on Stratford. The shops surrounding the hotel were very upscale and the hotel was ridiculously luxurious. It was hard to see such poverty and then wealth.

Dinner at the Senators Place was incredibly good. I was so full from lunch at Hoover’s that I did not think I could possibly eat another bite but ended up stuffing my face with catfish, hush puppies, green beans, cole slaw, and of course banana pudding. Dr. Rosen’s passion for blues was so apparent which made his lecture during dinner really interesting because he was so excited about it. Senator Willie Simmons was very generous for keeping the restaurant open later and cooking for us and showed us even more hospitality later that night at Po’ Monkeys.

Po’ Monkey’s juke joint was clearly the highlight of the trip! Having gotten so close on the trip everyone had a great time with each other dancing, playing pool, and hanging out. The blues and that played was great and it was fun to be out with locals and not feel out of place as we often did walking around in such a large group. Not much to blog about the evening but for sure memories from Po’ Monkeys will last forever.

From June 4, 2007

Today we traveled through the Mississippi Delta, more specifically, Cleveland, Mississippi, as well as the surrounding cities and communities. It was very interesting to look at the stratification in this area and also see how amazingly different it was moving from one side of the tracks to the next. The area is heavily farmed and many of their major crops include corn, cotton, and catfish. I had very little expectations in regard to the status of blacks in this area. I did not think that they would have been allowed to develop their own community to the level that they apparently had in Mound Bayou. As we drove through Mound Bayou, the oldest municipality for share-cropping blacks, it was very inspirational but also disappointing. They seemed to be well-ahead of their time in terms of social progress for blacks and the advancement of minority status in society. At the same time, it was disappointing to look at the dramatically underdeveloped town that was once one of the most advanced places of its kind. To think that this community may have come falling down at the hands of scheming blacks and conspiracy angers me greatly. In some respects, this community was a shining example of what blacks should have been trying to do all over the south. At a time when whites did not want blacks around and fought integration with their last breath, perhaps, more communities like Mound Bayou would have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of blacks.

Skipping ahead, Po’ Monkey’s was a high point in the trip. I am a huge music fan and witnessing live blues music in a jook joint is definitely an experience that I have always wanted and will definitely never forget. Early in the afternoon when we went to visit the historic site, I was very skeptical as to how all of us, in addition to the rest of the people visiting, were going to be able to make it into such a dilapidated building. I thought to myself about the public safety issues of cramming a bunch of people into a shack-like building and jumping and dancing to good music! To my pleasant surprise, things were great while inside Po’ Monkey’s. I felt like it was important for our group to immerse ourselves in the musical aspect of the Mississippi Delta. As noted in the article on jook joints, for sharecropping blacks, this was all that they had to themselves as a community. The blacks in this day utilized their tiny sharecropping shacks in more ways than many people would have ever thought possible and they worked hard to have that time for their own enjoyment. The blues music of the Delta was a result of the struggle that blacks felt every day of their lives while working out in the fields under harsh circumstances. Being able to experience that music firsthand made our visit to the Delta that much more authentic.

Today had to be the longest day but I think that it was worth it in the end. We took a tour of the delta. First we went to the Delta University where we introduced to a resident and also a professor of the town. He took us on a guided tour of the city and the whole time we were on the tour I was looking out the window and thinking to myself that the state of Mississippi looks just like it looked in the 1940s. I understand that the people of Mississippi are trying to hold to the tradition of the state and or maybe even trying to find their identity because has been betrayed as share cropping and agriculture. Clearly that is not what the people of Mississippi think they are all about. Everybody we encountered today talked about the finding and the home land of the Blue’s. The people of Mississippi feel like there finding of the blues was mistaken not to be the homeland of the blues. The people in Chicago think they are the finders of the blues but the people in delta Mississippi think other wise and they had evidence that supported they were the homeland of the blues. While that was interesting to me, the highlight of my day was when we went to the senator’s restaurant and ate farmed raised cat fish.

Today we went on a tour of the delta. I was unsure exactly of what we would be doing, so I didn’t really have very many expectations. The only thing that was startling to me was how little recognition is given to important things like Emmett Till’s death. The important Civil Rights locations in Alabama have huge monuments and such. I was glad to hear Dr. Brown say that they are in the process of establishing historical markers for locations like this. It would just be such a shame for events like Till’s death to fade into the backdrop of history, with no continual reminders of the profound impact this had on one of the most important movements in our nation’s history.

We went into one of the poorest neighborhoods I’ve ever seen. While we had lunch at the local drug store, a professor from the local traditionally black university came by to speak to us. He was talking to us about the demographics of the city and my jaw literally dropped at the things he told us. He said that once we drove across the tracks (literally), we would find two black families in the entire affluent side of town. I have no idea what the count in South Tampa would be, but I’m certain we would have way more than that. His point was to show us the intense racial component of socio-economic status. This fact was so alarming to me, that it was barely possible for me to comprehend this reality.

Another interesting thing we learned today was about the development of the blues. Having never learned a single thing about this type of music, everything I learned was so fascinating. I really liked learning about how the music developed in response to the hardship faced by the sharecroppers. Since music is so important to my life and many of my best memories can be associated with specific songs or types of music, I love when others have the same reaction. While it’s tragic that these people had to endure such hardship, I think that music can have such a liberating effect, so it’s wonderful that this group of people were able to use music.

Tonight we went to Po’ Monkeys, which was such a blast! It’s an old juke joint where a blues band was playing. While I thought the environment was a little odd at first, I really started enjoying the music and the atmosphere.

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.

Monday marked the day I count as the most itinerary intensive one of the trip. We met up with Dr. Luther Brown at Delta State University and he spent the day (and evening) escorting us all over the region. Dr. Brown is with the Delta Center for Culture and Learning. I agree with Kendra, the farmland is endless. The little towns, for me, were most easily recognized by the water towers that proclaimed their name.

Over the course of the day, we went to so many different destinations, each with its own unique story, that I felt like we had created the squares for a patchwork quilt. Lots of pieces, not yet sewn together in my mind - Mound Bayou, Po’ Monkey, Shaw, catfish farms, Charley Patton, Blues Heritage Trail, Indianola, Cleveland, Greenwood, Baptist Town, Yazoo River, Viking, Emmet Till, Robert Johnson, and on…..It was too much for me to assimilate all in one day. I hope to be able to go back after I get home and research many of the towns, topics and people more so that I can gain a better understanding of how it all fits together.

The most striking contrast for me today was the one between Baptist Town and the Viking Range Corporation’s vision for Greenwood. Two worlds at the opposite ends of the spectrum, only a short distance away from each other. It’s hard to fathom how the town can reconcile having a corporation build an opulent tourist/business destination while there is such poverty a stone’s throw away. That’s not to say I think it’s a bad idea to try to create a new image to bring people back to downtown Greenwood, but surely that could be accomplished in a less ostentatious way that would include a plan to address the poverty? It couldn’t be that Baptist Town prefers to remain in its current state?

Alluvian Hotel

Hoover’s Grocery in Baptist Town

We got a full dose of southern country cooking today with the highlights being Kool Aid Pickles (not as good as they look) at Hoover’s and fried catfish at The Senator’s Place.

By the time we finished dinner, we had 45 minutes to go back to the hotel and get “all gussied up” to go to the famous Jook Joint, Po’ Monkey’s. We had been treated to meeting Mr. Monkey earlier in the day when we drove by his place. I know others will give better accounts of the evening than I can. But for those who know me, I’ll just say I never imagined this picture: Two librarians (Lynn and me), listening to great live blues music, sipping beer in a Mississippi Jook Joint on a Monday evening.

An event filled day, to say the least.

Wow. There really are no words to describe our night out at Po’ Monkey’s last night. William “Po’ Monkey” Seeberry’s home, which is better known to blues enthusiasts as Po’ Monkey’s Lounge, seriously looks like it could fall down if you looked at it the wrong way. It’s decor on the outside includes the expectations of dress and conduct for the group that joins in for the cramped evening of good music and a great atmosphere. Many of our participants took to the dance floor with new friends we met at Po’ Monkeys as well as our roommates and professors, shot pool and played cards.

As sketchy as Po’ Monkey’s looks on the outside, it is the home of some amazing views. As we went into Po’ Monkey’s, a beautiful Mississippi sunset reminded us that we needed to be on our best behavior.

Our day began with a slow start as we all crawled out to the bus for what we had been warned would be a very long, and we were all dreading it for the simple fact that we’re totally exhausted. The staff at Delta State University greeted us with warm smiles and were excited for a busy day of sightseeing throughout the Mississippi Delta. I was really concerned that it was going to be a long, boring day of lectures that I really didn’t care about hearing because my brain is on overload from everything that we’ve been trying to get through this past week and the sleep deprivation is really starting to take a toll on me. The tour that Luther from Delta State gave us was absolutely amazing and we were SO LUCKY to have a tour with someone who knew so much about the history of the area and the stops on the new Blues Heritage Trail were really amazing.

The tour that Viking gave us of their really nice hotel was amazing and I really think that the plans that the company has for the Mississippi Delta are absolutely amazing.

Now, to explain the title of this post in 2 pictures:

Monkey by day

Monkey by night

Ballin’…enough said.