Honoring Aaron E. Henry

Wednesday.
"Clarksdale High School is all about what Aaron Henry stood for," said CHS Principal Olenza McBride, as she capped off a 90-minute program in the gymnasium.Wanda Lee, who McBride commended for her dynamic nature packed in a petite frame, coordinated the program that went off without a hitch."You have to be the principal of a high school to understand how much works goes into putting together a program like this," McBride said.As the CHS Concert Band performed "We Shall Overcome," James Figgs stood at attention with his hands clasped signaling to the group's well-rehearsed performance."Mr. Figgs, I know wby you stood," McBride said. Figgs was one of several speakers early on in the program, relating his own personal relationship with the late Clarksdale pharmacist/civil rights worker who accomplished so much for racial equality.Figgs called Henry a "trail blazer for justice" who stood up for he what believed.Clarksdale High School is all about"He (Henry) got little kids to say, "I am somebody,'" Figgs said.Shirley Saddler, president of the Clarksdale chapter of the NAACP, called Henry "a strong man of strength" who became a "long distance runner" for the NAACP.Saddler said it was Henry who had the fortitude and perseverance to call for the re-opening of the 1955 murder case of Emmitt Till who was killed in Tallahatchie County not far from Greenwood by whites.Henry became a pharmacist at a time when blacks were not entering that profession. He operated a drug store on 4th Street that has since been re-named Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.Henry attended the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J., when the Mississippi delegation was close to where the Michigan delegates were standing.There were blacks among the Michigan ranks but Mississippi resisted having blacks among its numbers at that time.Henry Dorsey, an Omega Psi Phi fraternity brother of Henry, spoke of the courage Henry displayed in his unwavering push for racial equality.Vickie Hearn Espy noted that Henry was active in Haven United Methodist Church which at the time was a structure that was targeted by white supremacists for possible bombings.Mayor Henry Espy presented a proclamation in Henry's memory for the occasion.CHS students provided the heart of the entertainment for the program which lasted past the noon hour.

Celebrating Hamer

The Fannie Lou Hamer Legacy Committee is presenting a commemoration program for legendary civil-rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer from Thursday March 1 through Saturday March 3.
The festivities will begin on Thursday night with a musical tribute to Ms. Hamer at the H.G. Carpenter Auditorium at Valley State in Itta Bena. This will include The MS Valley State University Choir, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, Hollis Watkins, Vincent Harding, Margaret Kibbee and others.
Friday morning, 10am at the same auditorium the Sunflower County Freedom Project will present the play "Five Feet Four Inches Forward," celebrating the life of Ms. Hamer.
Friday afternoon from 2-5pm in Ruleville, there will be a multimedia presentation about Ms. Hamer, featuring video, photos and testimonies from friends who worked and struggled alongside her. This will take place at the Fannie Lou Hamer Multi-Purpose Building on Byron St.
At 7pm on Friday there will be a commemorative forum at Williams Chapel Baptist Chruch, also on Byron St. in Ruleville. This will celebrate the Rev. Joe D. Story, who opened the chapel to the movement and supported Hamer and friends.
Saturday morning there will be a parade in Ruleville starting at Rule Park at 10am. The events will conclude with a barbecue and speeches from those who were touched by Ms. Hamer's life and legacy.
These are going to be great events and an opportunity to learn about and celebrate one of the Delta's and America's great leaders. Let's support this awesome effort!

Impassioned, Informed, Effective

I hope that these three adjectives continue to describe our Design Work Group. They also apply to someone I want to introduce you to. Her name is Majora Carter. If you click on her name, you will see what she has been up to. If you're like me, you will get the chills several times while watching this.

Majora is from the South Bronx, and she grew up watching the decline of her neighborhood and community, largely brought on by large scale city "planning" that did not take the people living in low income areas into account. As in many low-income areas, her neighborhood hosts a disproportionate number of sewage treatment facilities, noxious industrial plants and prisons, all of which benefit people outside of her community while disrupting the quality of life in her own neighborhood.

However, Majora is one of those rare people we talked about. An informal leader (activist) whose passion for improving her community is matched only by her effectiveness in mobilizing those around her to do something about it. She's started an organization called Sustainable South Bronx, (click on the name to check it out.) Among a number of exciting projects, they've developed the neighborhood's first waterfront community park in decades.

Majora's special, but not unique.

There are people like her in our communities throughout the Delta. People who accept no excuse for the sorry condition of their neighborhoods and who will do whatever it takes to improve things. Our mission tells us it's going to be our job to find the Majora Carters of the Delta, and make sure that they are empowered to do what they have been called to do. Tell me what you think in the comments.

How the Word Gets Out

I was thinking about this blog the other day and how I could make it more active. When people don't contribute as much, other people stop checking the blog, and it becomes a downward spiral.
This is a new way of communicating for some of us. It reminds me of a lesson I learned as a teacher:

One year we had a new principal come in after the school year was well under way. He wanted to have a PTA meeting, so he did the things most sensible principals would do:

He announced the information over the intercom.
He sent home a memo about the meeting.
He posted the memo in the staff room and around the school.

The night of the meeting, only about 3 parents showed up. This was a school that usually had a good showing on PTA nights-- what had happened? As it turned out, the new principal was unaware of the real communication system. No one listened to the intercom (too much junk) or looked in the teachers' lounge (no breaks) or read flyers (usually out of date).

What teachers did do was talk to certain people who I will call the hubs. Hubs are people who connect entire groups of people-- you know them, the ones who know your business before you know it yourself! Here in the Delta, most information still travels by good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth and it pays to know who the hubs are.

For example, when I was teaching 3rd Grade, I had a couple parents who tended to know most of the other parents. Whenever we had class events, I would call these parents first and get them involved and then sit back as the event took off on its own!

So to my fellow Leaders reading this, I want you to comment on who the hubs in your community are. Then maybe if some of y'all step up and create some interesting new posts, this blog can become the hub it needs to be for our group!

U.S. Public Service Academy

Chris Myers Asch, who founded the Sunflower County Freedom Project, is at it again. The former Indianola resident is currently working to create a national university with a public service focus. The National Public Service Academy will be for public service what Westpoint or Annapolis are for the military.
Here's the stated mission:

The mission of the United States Public Service Academy is to build a corps of civilian leaders who have the moral character, academic training, and leadership experience necessary to serve the American people honorably and effectively, and who are committed to devoting their lives to public service.

I bring this up because on Friday the 2nd there will be a letter-writing party/information session about the effort from 4:30-6:30 PM at the new Regent Coffee House in Indianola. One of the goals of our MSDI group is to bring together leaders throughout the Delta. With that in mind, this event will definitely be a gathering of some great community leaders (some of whom are working closely with national leaders). If any of you are in the area, please stop by and enjoy the free food and company. I hope to see some of you there!

Update on "Low Income" Housing in Greenwood

Here's another article about the housing project in Greenwood.

Low Income Housing in Greenwood

Thanks to Sherron, who found an article on the Parkway Place development in the works for Greenwood. Read it here.

According to the developer, this is different from a typical Section 8:

Also, she said, the housing effort won't be a typical Section 8 development, where renters remain renters indefinitely. Under the program, homes at Parkway will be rented by qualified tenants for 15 years. Once that period is completed, the tenants will be given the opportunity to purchase the homes, she said.

But some "concerned residents" aren't buying it:

Bill Clay, another resident near the proposed development, said the fact that the Parkway homes will be geared to low-income residents means that it is bad for existing residents.
"If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it's a duck," he said.

This brings up a lot of the issues we discussed concerning class, race, upward mobility and poverty. A couple of questions:

Do the opponents have a legitimate concern? Do you know of any examples of successful projects similar to Parkway? Are there any important points that the article misses? Is there a "win-win" to be found here?

Keeping in mind what the Rev. reinforced about focusing on the solution, let's see some discussion!