Social Stratification in the Deep South

Today we went to Parchman, the most infamous prison in Mississippi. This was one of the days I was looking forward to the most, and it certainly did not disappoint. It was completely different from all the others days of the trip, and very interesting. The first thing we had to do this morning was adhere to the dress code, which meant no shoulders or anything else showing for the girls, no open toed shoes, boys had to be sure to wear a belt, and nobody could have any money of any sort. We also had to make sure we locked up all electronics and valuables underneath the bus. Making sure we followed all these rules further built up the anticipation for me; it was really like we were going to another world.

We started off the day in the visitor’s center, where we were greeted by Raphael, an inmate who has been imprisoned for nearly 15 years. Raphael was a very personable man, who had been a college basketball player and was in jail for dealing crack. One of the things that was reiterated today was that Mississippi is extremely tough on drug dealers, as is exemplified by the fact that Raphael was given a 30 year sentence for his first offense. He will be eligible for parole after fifteen years, and is therefore hoping to be out relatively soon. During his talk, he spoke about what it is like to have your freedom taken away and live in the harshest of environments for such a long time. He mentioned the brutality of prison life and how quickly he learned to sleep with his eyes open and with a weapon in his hand. It is hard to imagine always having to be on your guard, knowing that anyone could attack you for almost no reason whatsoever.

After Raphael and Linda from the visitor’s center spoke to us, we moved onto the building that housed the surveillance cameras. I found this to be one of the most interesting parts of the visit because we got to see firsthand what it is like inside the prisons. First of all, there was a murder in the prison last week, so things were on a bit more of a heightened security. One of the first things they showed us inside this building was a lance-like weapon that was very similar to the murder weapon. It was very creepy to see this thing that was made from a piece of the toilet and a broom stick, and demonstrated how smart and resourceful the prisoners are. When we walked into the room showing live surveillance on six different screens, the first thing I noticed was a huge puddle of red liquid in one of the hallways. It took someone asking what it was for all of our fears to be confirmed, as the workers told us it was blood from an inmate cutting his wrists. They were very nonchalant about the whole situation, saying that if he was trying to kill himself he would have done it in a different manner, and explaining how prisoners will often do things like this to go to the hospital where they will experience relative freedom and might even be able to get a cigarette. After this, we got the man working in surveillance to bring up some footage of an attack on a guard a couple weeks ago. It was UNBELIEVABLE to see a handcuffed prisoner attack a guard, throw him down on the floor, and stomp on his face until the guard just lay on the floor as the convict ran down the hallway. This was certainly the most shocking part of the day for me. I had always heard about and seen in movies the brutality that exists in prison, but to see it with my own eyes was something completely different.

The next really interesting thing we did within Parchman was go into one of the buildings that houses prisoners who are not a huge threat and are soon to be released. We all went into a room surrounded by windows that looked down into the living quarters of the inmates. It was interesting to see communal area where they sleep, hang out, and live. It became increasingly difficult to focus on the two people who spoke to us (one who dealt drugs, one who killed someone in self-defense) because it was so hot in there. There is no air conditioning in these quarters, and it was difficult to sit there for 30 minutes or so, I can’t even imagine having to live there on days when it gets to be 110 degrees. This issue with the heat is also important because of the work outside and in the fields that the convicts do. Parchman is more than just a prison, it is a huge farm with the buildings scattered around it, and the prisoners are depended on for a lot of work on this farm. It is hard to think about doing manual labor all day during the heat of the summer, and then returning to a cell where the heat just smothers you. Pretty much everything about prison life was difficult to take in, because there is not one aspect of it that is comfortable. Oh yea, and they often find bugs and eyes and more in their food! Yummy.

After our time in prison was done, we hit the road and drove up to the Gold Strike Casino. I’m happy with my winnings from our last stay at a casino, and therefore think I will try to avoid the roulette table and slot machines tonight, but we’ll see. I’ll probably be busy writing a paper all night anyways, so oh well.

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 was really relaxing and we didn’t do too much, but during reflection time we talked about what aspect of the trip was most difficult to confront, and what it means now. I think the hardest part for me was going to Baptist Town and the heading across the street to the rest of Greenwood which hides the reality of the poverty in the area. Four tourists who drive through Greenwood, they will never see the poverty across the train tracks and the poor living conditions many of the people in the community live under. I don’t really know what the mean now, but I guess I have realized that where you come from ultimately shapes where you go in life for the majority of people. I also realized that the poverty we hear about in third world countries also exists in this country. We need to realize that there are issues that need to be addressed in our own country before we begin to help those in other countries.

Later that day we stayed at the Shack Up Inn, a hotel located in small shacks where the sharecroppers used to live. The Inn is located on an old plantation so it felt like we really lived as sharecroppers. The area was awesome, minus the millions of bugs and chiggers surrounding us.

We visited Parchman Penitentiary today and it was incredibly intense. First we heard an inmate talk about his life and how he got to jail. He had been a crack-cocaine dealer in California and he was driving out east to sell more drugs when he was caught in Mississippi. This man has a few daughters and a wife, and the most devastating part about being in prison for 15 years was missing out on watching his daughters grow up. One of his daughters moved into the USC dorms this past year and he was terribly sad that he could not participate in this experience. This man played basketball in college and he had a good job; I was surprised to see someone so normal convicted of a felony that resulted in 15 years of prison. The next man we talked to sold marijuana among other drugs. He was from Michigan and this was his second time being sent to prison. He told us that in Michigan, he was released on bail for the possession of marijuana, but in Mississippi he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. I couldn’t believe how different the two states were in punishment! I was also shocked to hear him talk about how tough life is in prison. I already knew about the gang rapes that often occurred in the bathroom, but he said that you always have to be aware of your surroundings because it is so violent in prison. He said that your most powerful weapon in prison (and the real world) is your mind. We learned about the food and how it is so disgusting that even the cats won’t eat it. A security guard confirmed this statement, as she said that sometimes she has to smell the food and that alone is repulsive. They eat their own vegetables from the fields, and you will often find cut up snakes and insects, because nobody cleans the vegetables.

The last man that talked to us had been charged for murder. He claims that he killed in self defense, but in the state of Mississippi that doesn’t matter. I looked at him and could not see a murderer: instead I saw an older man as normal as anyone else is. He said that in prison, it is the general understanding that murderers are better than pedophiles Murderers usually kill in the heat of the moment, where pedophiles must research and plan their attack. This group is most often the type that is killed by other inmates. Anyways, this man was very interesting to listen to and both he and the man from Michigan will be released in a few months.

While we heard the last two men talk, it was incredibly hot. The inmates do not get any air conditioning or heat. They also only receive three different outfits for each year. The second man said that there was a fight a few weeks ago and the inmates didn’t want to security guards to hear about it, so he had to wipe up all the blood with one of his three shirts. This must mean that the inmates are very careful about what they tell the guards. We also got to see footage from a few assaults in the past. We watched an inmate beat up a guard and leave him passed out on the ground. I can’t help but wonder where this rage comes from. It seems like some of the anger comes from the living conditions. For the very worst crimes, the inmates are locked in their cell for 23 hours out of the day. For the 24^th hour, they are given some time outside. But they are confined to what looks like a dog kennel! It is ridiculously small and it must be scorching hot in them. For those guys, the one with a life sentence or on death row, they will live like that forever. But for most crimes, you can move up in your ranking in prison and increasingly develop more freedom. With time you can work in the fields all day and you do not have to be locked up in a cellar all day.

I can’t help but feel sad for these men. I realized that I could never work in a prison because I couldn’t find anything wrong with the men we saw. We stood at an observation point later in the day where we could watch dozens of men hanging around, and as I looked around I only saw people just like me. There were so many people that looked my age, a disturbing thought. Why are so many people in this jail?

There are around 5,000 inmates at Parchman, 85% due to drug-related crimes, and 80-85% are black. Those inmates on death row are closer to 50/50 white/black but for the rest of the population it is mostly black. The penitentiary resembles a plantation more than a jail and it is in the heart of the Delta. It is mostly the poor who come to prison because those who can afford good lawyers get out of their punishment. Mississippi’s laws are much harsher than most all states in the US. All these facts lead to the bothersome possibility that the prison system, particularly in this state, is made for certain people. Once people get there, it is also hard to get out. The programs that this prison offers to get inmates involve creating resumes and learning how to write checks. Classes like that will barely help anyone live a meaningful life after prison. Furthermore, if you have no money and no family members once you are let go, you are not legally allowed to leave. There is one man at the prison whose sister lives near a school. She is his only family member, but since he was a sex offender and cannot live near schools, he has to stay at Parchman. It was has been over 10 years since he was “released.” Stories like this were painful to hear about and made me realize that the fallacies in prison are too big to ignore. Today was definitely one of the most startling days of this trip.

Another interesting aspect of Parchman is that young women are increasingly becoming security guards. I wasn’t that surprised about this because lately they have had trouble finding employment, and I learned in my gender class that when men leave a particular job, women tend to fill in for them. This fact is nevertheless disturbing because I do not see how young women would be able to protect themselves against powerful ex-convicts.

Parchman was the perfect example of a total institution for many reasons. Multiple people said that you can never be the same once you are enrolled at Parchman, and after visiting I believe that once you enter the grounds for a long time you are forever changed. The place was very somber and depressing; I can’t imagine even working there.

Now we are in the Delta, the part of Mississippi where everything seems backwards. We got a tour of the area that included many towns from Merigold to Money, but each town seemed to confront the same problem: poverty. If you drive around this area as we did, you will see fields and fields of cotton, soybeans, corn, etc. It is a beautiful area, flat and green, with side roads taking you to small towns. But in these towns you realize that nothing seems to have changed for the past 50 years. We started the day by going to see a cotton ginnery, then we toured around small towns that reminded me of those on the Native American Reservations in Arizona. The one that stands out the most in my mind was Greenwood and the area called Baptist Town. When we entered this area, all we saw was small, run down houses and old, worn down cars. We ate at a small cafe/grocery store in the neighborhood and the people were extremely welcoming. (We tried kool-aid pickles, they were interesting). Anyways, the first thing I noticed was how cheap the food is. It was also homemade and I could tell that this was the main source (if not the only) of revenue coming into this community. I immediately thought of the Native American towns because they are very similar to this one. We learned that many people do not have running water or electricity in the Delta, and this is also true on the reservation. While the houses are older in this neighborhood, most Natives live in trailers, so I felt like these two accommodations evened each other out.

Dr. Hattery talked to us about rural vs. urban poverty and how different they are because in rural poverty there is a lack of resources. I thought about Baptist Town and how it feels like rural poverty. In some ways it is rural, but it is also next door to the entire Greenwood community, which is more economically developed. On the reservation, there is not even a neighboring community with resources because nobody has those resources on this land which spans over a hundred mile radius. Both African-Americans and Native Americans are being exploited and there are many similarities and differences between the two groups. We learned today that education in these areas is very poor and that many of the schools have been on probation because of low test scores. This is also a problem on the reservation. My mom used to work at Tiis Nas Pas, a few miles from Four Corners, at an elementary school. This school had very poor test scores and the government had threatened to shut it down. This exact same thing happened at the school that LaLee’s grandchildren went to in the movie we watched. Obviously the last thing a poor area needs is a shut down school; both areas desperately need much more funding for their school system.

Another similarity between both subgroups is the tendency to eat bad food. Native Americans actually used to eat very healthy, but when they were colonized they learned to make fried foods such as fry bread and Navajo tacos. The South also has unhealthy, bad food although I am not sure about the historical context for that.

There also seems to be a loss of culture in both communities. We learned that the younger generations in the South do not know of or understand the historical importance behind the Blues music. It is only up to the elders to understand that Blues music comes from a long history of suffering. Similarly, Native Americans have lost their culture because of the colonizers, and today the younger generations do not even know their native language.

Since we have been in the Delta I have wondered how exactly these two oppressed groups come together and how they are also separate. In some ways the Native Americans have a slight advantage over the African-Americans because they have a government organization (the BIA) to help them out. On the other hand, these communities are so set apart from the rest of American civilization that they cannot even benefit from a close by community of the middle and upper classes. Because the disparities between African-Americans and whites are very obvious because they are close in proximity to each other, Native Americans’ issues are less apparent because those communities are isolated. Yet I also feel like Americans have a general awareness about the poverty on reservations, where most have no idea how impoverished the South still is.

Later in the night we went to Po’ Monkeys to listen to Blues music and dance. Every Monday night the strippers from Memphis make an appearance, so you could say that there was a diverse crowd there. There were other tourists, some locals, our entire class, and the strippers. The tourist industry surrounding the Blues music is obviously bringing in a lot of money and people to the Delta.

Day 13: This morning we checked out of the Casino Hotel in Tunica and headed back to Clarkesdale to give back to the local community…by going shopping.Merry, Lauren and I walked up and down the main street, going into shops and talking to the owners.The first one we went to has really adorable gifts.We each got a few things and spent about twenty minutes talking to the women running it.They were very sweet and got excited when we told them that we were staying at the Shack Up Inn that night.The whole experience of standing and talking to them reminded me of something that Katie said on the first day.She commented about how she had worked in retail in North Carolina and in D.C.In the south, patrons were very likely to strike up a conversation and engage the sales person.In D.C., this would never happen.People wanted to get in and out and on with their lives.Standing and talking for so long with these women made me laugh on the inside about yet more differences between the south and other areas of the nation.

After we shopped, we walked over to Ground Zero for lunch.This restaurant is owned by Morgan Freeman and doubles as a juke joint at night.After having been to Po’ Monkey’s two nights before, it was quite a different environment.Before getting off of the bus, Dr. Smith asked us to think about authenticity.These two juke joints could not differ more.Ground Zero seemed like a complete tourist attraction and, while fun, did not have the feel of traveling back to the days of sharecropping that Po’ Monkey’s did.The food was great and the environment still fun, just different.

Tonight we’re staying at the Shack Up Inn. It is made up of several old sharecropping shacks that have been gathered together to allow tourists the experience of living in that time.These homes now have running water and air conditioning, so it’s not quite the same, but still a lot of fun.The shack where Lauren and I are staying is really adorable!

Days 14 and 15: The past two days we’ve mainly been traveling. I think we’re all starting to be ready to be home, but it’s pretty bittersweet because we’ve had so much fun and grown so close.We traveled home through Tennessee, stopping in Knoxville for our last night.

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.

From June 3, 2007

For me, the “mega church” we visited on Sunday wasn’t really exceptionally “mega” at all. Coming from a church with a congregation of at least four times that size, the experience was not overwhelming at all. I was expecting a much larger and more technologically advanced building with at least a few jumbo television monitors, an assortment of bibles, elaborate walkways, and a band with numerous musicians. When we arrived, the location of the church was surprising to say the least; it is located in the middle of a rough neighborhood and as a result has bars on the front windows. The location of the church puts them in a very interesting social position, they more than likely feel a responsibility to the surrounding community to give back to those around them who are in need.

In terms of the service, I feel that it was a very open and thoughtful sermon that was geared towards not only the adults in the audience but also all of the youth. The message of not looking to Michael Jordan, or basically any worldly person, but instead to biblical figures like Daniel, was very effective and eye-opening. This message was more universal while the one from 16th Street Baptist Church was more specific. Seeing a black woman preach was nothing incredibly groundbreaking for me as that is a relatively common practice at my church. For many of my classmates, however, it is apparently very unusual and perhaps even prohibited to allow women to preach to the congregation. I feel like this is something that puts a lot of perspective on my views of women’s status in religion. I used to feel that women were sometimes put down in my church and considered second-class to men. However much that perception may be presented in my congregation, it seems that this patriarchic view is carried out more so in other religions. I think that is an issue that should be addressed in all religions as it clearly identifies some of the few inequalities that can develop based on religion.

Today was our last full day together. We spent the day traveling and watching movies. Our final stop tonight is at Comfort Suites in Knoxville, TN. Tommorrow we will be getting up at 6:30am to begin traveling to Winston Salem.

It has been a pleasure!

     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.