Reggie Barnes

Mr. Barnes' discussion of education in the Delta and desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement easily could have been divided into multiple lecture series. One of the things that I found most interesting about Mr. Barnes' talk was the effect that poverty has on one's education. I've always known that the quality of public education is largely dependent on the economy of the society in which a school is located. However it was also really interesting to hear Mr. Barnes' real life stories about the effects that poverty has on a child's ability to perform in school. I thought that Mr. Barnes' discussion of the manner in which society in the Delta has become "backward" as a result of poverty was extremely informative. Mr. Barnes said that in the Delta sex has become a means of recreation because of the lack of public facilities and structured activities for kids. In this way, Mr. Barnes brought attention to the relationship between poverty and destructive social behavior such as promiscuous and often unprotected sex. The saddest thing about Mr. Barnes' stories was the pattern of cyclic behavior embedded in them and the extent to which all of Delta society has been corrupted by property, even authority figures such as teachers and coaches. Mr. Barnes' discussion of the underlying effects of poverty on education and the behavior of students within and outside of school reminded me of Tucker's discussion about education for lawyers. In the same way that all lawyers should be aware of the patterns of crime as a result of poverty along with the injustices of the legal system. Teachers should also be aware of the side effects of poverty and the injustices within the educational system. Mr. Barnes' knowledge of the Delta area and the extreme poverty in his school district is what allowed him to be successful as a superintendent and teachers need the same insight in order to properly educate their students.

Another point that I took from Mr. Barnes' talk was the effect that racism and desegregation had on him when he was in high school. I found it interesting that someone from a relatively well-off family with pretty good grades could turn into a bully because of the conditions which he was forced to endure. Mr. Barnes' experience in high school demonstrates the flaws in desegregation which includes the inability of school's to properly deal with and stop the racism whites had towards blacks entering formally all-white schools. It also shows how racism and hatred can turn even the most promising students into "high-risk" students along with demonstrating the stress that inequality puts on students. Now in the Delta, poverty has replaced racism, putting seemingly insurmountable stress on the students there who can barely survive their home-life better yet complete school. Just as racism and hate overwhelmed Mr. Barnes for a period in his life, poverty overwhelms poor black children in the Delta and school becomes inconsequential to them, However, unlike Mr. Barnes, many of these children never escape the hold that poverty has on them.

Mr. Barnes' discussion definitely emphasized the fact that education is the only way to confront poverty and the destructive social behavior that is rampant in the Delta, but I also still wonder how effective any one school system can be amidst such widespread poverty and all of its effects. Education is key in the Delta, but so are economic relief, social work and counseling which are necessary to change the social conditions there and better the Delta itself rather than solely produce individuals who overcome but also outgrow and leave the place they once called home.

Tucker

The minute Tucker started speaking you could tell that he was an opinionated but genuine person. The Mississippi Innocence Project is an organization which seeks fair trials for current prisoners who claim innocence and false conviction due to the unjust legal system in Mississippi. One of the things that I most enjoyed about Tuckers' talk was his discussion of the linkage between education and the legal system and the discourse surrounding criminals in this nation. I think that the manner in which criminals are discussed and discarded in this nation is one of the biggest problems in the country; and one that is inevitably tied to racism and classicism. I thought Tucker's discussion on the environment under which an investigation is conducted and how certain environments can prevent the truth from being found out was really interesting, especially how it relates to the way criminals are constructed by society. I think that the construction of criminals by the media and by the legal system is one of the many ways in which poor and minority communities are continually dismissed by both the government and the citizens of the nation. Tucker's point about education for lawyers and those involved in the legal system and making them aware of the systemic injustices which face all accused criminals provided a fresh prospective on education in this nation and social reform.

Mississipi so far...

Before coming to Mississippi I admit that I was a little apprehensive about what this experience would entail. Coming from a relatively large city (Boston) I wasn't sure how I would adjust to rural life; and I also must admit that the history of racism in the South scared me a bit. But having experienced the people and culture here for a few days, I am pleasantly surprised by the warmth and welcoming of the people here. People are a lot friendlier in the South. Everyone seems genuinely interested in learning about one another and opening up to one another, a characteristic which is very different from the coldness people have towards one another in the South. In terms of experiencing racism here, I have yet to encounter it. Occasionally, we get some looks when Ben takes us somewhere and is followed by a trail of 4 young black girls, but overall people are still friendly. I guess when I came here I expected racism and the color divide to be the focus of the people in the Mississippi. I assumed that race and class differences would be so paramount that they would act as an everyday hindrance to progress, but instead I find that the history of racism in Mississippi and the transparency of its lingering effects on society is what pushes many, blacks and white, to work towards equality. People here aren't as complacent with racism as a I thought. In fact, I've experienced more blatant racism in Boston than in Oxford thus far; However, I still sometimes question how we (the interns) would be treated sometimes if we weren't with Ben and travelling in an Ole Miss van...

Despite the fact that many do seem genuinely concerned with the color and class divide in Mississippi, there are some areas in which these aspects of Mississippi culture are still very visible. For every restaurant that we've visited thus far, our group has consisted of some of the only, if not the only, black people there. Also, in some places, such as when we visited the Delta and Memphis, we also saw that most of the waiting staff was black, a stark contrast from the predominately white customers. I'm not sure if this is because of the quality of the places that we've gone (class divide) or the racial diversity of the places we've been (color divide) but I have noticed this as a big difference from restaurants in Boston. If I went to restaurant in Boston where all the customers were white and all the waiters were black I would probably leave, because to me this is a blatant sign of racism and inequality, but in the South, I realize, it may not be racism necessarily but maybe just tradition. Although, it's hard to distinguish sometimes because of the history of the South, I do think that these two hold different places and different roles in society. I guess the difference between tradition and racism in this case would be the difference between having all black staff members who are paid equally and having mostly black staff members and a few white staff members who get paid more.