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.

Today was a very long but interesting day filled with information about the Mississippi delta. We woke up nice and early and went to Delta State University where we met with Dr. Luther Brown, a professor there who spoke to us and led us on a bus tour of the region. This tour brought us to various towns and cities and featured several stops of importance. We learned a lot about the history of the delta, along with the importance of agriculture to the area. Dr. Brown was a specialist on blues, so we heard a lot about the lives of some of the pioneers of blues, and made a couple stops to learn more. My favorite stop was in Greenwood, Mississippi, where we saw two very different parts of the town. First we went to a part called Baptist town, which is the African American part of town, is very poor, and is also where blues legend Robert Johnson lived, played, and was murdered. It was really neat to see this small community and really be able to get a feel for the atmosphere surrounding blues when it was at its height. We ate lunch at a small convenience store with a kitchen, where we were able to get some southern fried chicken and fried okra. The food was great, but all this fried food is killing me! We had a guest speaker at lunch who spoke some more about blues, and afterwards we walked around the neighborhood a bit to see where Robert Johnson lived, and tour a house preserved from that time. That house and the community really made it easier to see why blues were so popular because they provided an outlet for people to express their dissatisfaction with the social and economic environments in which they lived. As our tour guide said: “If we were depressed, we sang the blues. If we were happy, we sang the blues.”

After visiting Baptist town, we visited the other part of Greenwood, where the downtown is undergoing a revival. We had a nice break from the bus while seeing some of the Alluvian hotel, which was absolutely beautiful. If I ever return to Greenwood, I will certainly be staying there. We also stopped into the Viking kitchen supplies store, where beautiful (but expensive) supplies are sold, and cooking classes are taught. We tried to convince somebody that our class should get a cooking tutorial, but that didn’t happen. This was followed by hearing Senator David Jordan talk about living in the area during the murder of Emmet Till and the trial in which his killers were acquitted. It was really powerful to hear him tell this story and know that he was a little younger than I am now when it all happened. His speech had even more impact when we got on the bus and drove to Money, Mississippi, where we stopped in front of the store where Emmet got in trouble for whistling at a white woman.

After driving around the delta and learning even more about its history, we stopped at Senators restaurant for an early dinner. The restaurant stayed open just for us, and we were treated to a fried catfish dinner made especially for us by Senator Willie Simmons himself. Dinner was delicious, catfish officially became my favorite southern dish, and we heard a bit more about some of the history of blues our special guest for the day, Dr. Rosen. Dinner was great but we were all ready to get back to the hotel after a long day, and we especially could not wait to go to Po’ Monkey’s to really take in the blues/juke joint experience that we had been hearing about all day.

The whole class pulled up to Po’ Monkey’s around 8pm, ready to hear some good music and have fun. I really couldn’t wait to see what it looked like inside, because it seemed so tiny from the outside. The interior did not disappoint, it was decorated with Christmas lights, a disco ball, and had all sorts of dolls and monkeys hanging from the walls and ceiling. There was a stage for the band to play on, a bunch of tables for people to enjoy the music from, and a pool table off to the side. I know that I had a great time listening to the music, playing pool, and enjoying a beer or two. Mr. Monkey also really added to the experience, as he promenaded around the place with a cigar in once hand, a drink in the other, and wore a variety of fancy and colorful suits throughout the night. I believe he wore five different suits: orangish/brownish, red, blue, white, and dark green. I’m pretty sure that everybody really enjoyed this night, and it has definitely been the highlight of the trip for me.

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.

Today we got up extremely early to explore the Delta region. It is important to note that this region is one the poorest regions in the United States.Mound Bayou was one of the first sites that we visited. This town was built by African Americans and houses the first African American hospital of the delta, Borian Hospital. We also visited several historically significant sites. For example, we visited the place where Emmett Teal whistled at Carol; which led to him being brutally lynched.

After, the tour of the city we ate dinner and then headed to Po’ Monkeys where we had a blast. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences of the entire trip. We not only had the opportunity to interact with the individuals that were apart of our group but also individuals from the local community. I will definitely be returning to Po’ Monkeys in the future.

Today, we are off to visit the largest state penitentiary, Parchman. And, we are all anticipating an awesome experience.

To be continued …………

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.