Life in the Delta

The Delta has been called America's Ethiopia. Going there I expected to see shacks, shanties, and children with swollen bellies. What I found was land, land, and more land; flat and treeless. It's like when you watch a movie and a person comes to a crossroads with nothing else around for miles. We've encountered many of those during our drive through the Delta. Mr. Reggie Barnes gave insight on what it was like to live and teach there. Though he described many aspects of life in the Delta, the activity that stuck with me was the sex. Yes, the sex. Mr. Barnes explained the incest, rape (statutory and violent), and frequent teen pregnancy that occurs in this area of the state. He provided the following scenario;

When you see a little girl in your classroom putting her head down instead of working, what do you assume? She's sick? Tired? Maybe just lazy? What if I told you this twelve year old was up all night unsuccessfully fighting her 24yr old mother's 18yr old boyfriend off of her? (I have fabricated these ages but they are by no means exaggerated). As a teacher, what do you do? Personally, if I had proof I'd report the abuse to the proper authorities; my principal, local police, the superintendent, whoever I can get my hands on.

Mr. Barnes said scenarios such as these happen all the time and as a teacher, you must not be too disappointed if nothing can be done to help this little girl. With that said, he told us that teachers should not try to be knights in shining armor. I interpret it as, teachers cannot save the world, so they should stick to the classroom. He went on to say that we have 7hrs a day with these kids and should use that time to try and make an impact. What I cannot seem to gather is how teachers are expected to sit back and watch helplessly while these children are being neglected and abused. I understand that we cannot be knights in shining armor but how are teachers supposed to make a difference in 7hrs a day?

Mr. Barnes, I admire your accomplishments and respect your opinions but I have to disagree. The objective of the Mississippi Teacher Corps is "to provide dedicated, talented teachers for Mississippi school districts where an inadequate supply of teachers exists." A teacher cannot be truly dedicated if she looks the other way when things are happening to her kids. She cannot be dedicated if she doesn't be all that she can be (funny, thats the army slogan). She must go the extra mile to ensure that all of her students are learning and being engaged and keeping up with their peers and developing not only educationally but socially. She must make sure she can create an environment where the kids can feel comfortable and safe, escaping the hard life that might await them when the school bell rings at the end of the day. In other words, she must be these kids' knight in shining armor.

1day, 3hours, and 6minutes

So I've been here 1 day, 3 hours, and 6 minutes. In that time I've gone to Walmart, ate at two restaurants, taken an insane amount of pictures (courtesy of superhero Ben Guest), and had the opportunity to hear two amazing speakers; Tucker Carrington and Dr. Andy Mullins.

The Ole Miss campus is gorgeous and, even armed with a campus map, I am confident that I will get lost countless times before I actually figure out how to navigate the school. It is defintely a new experience for me to be here; not because I've never been to MS, but more because I didn't expect such a beautiful campus. I am ashamed to say I pictured run down apartments and dorms and academic buidlings in desperate need of repair. I didn't hold this view because I have a biased view of Mississippi, but because my family is from southern MS and that is what I'm used to seeing when coming to the state.

Looking at our calender and what Ben has in store for us, I expect an amazing summer and I'm glad to be apart of the program. As for my experience so far, it's too soon to make any real judgements about our duties or expectations. All I can say is that our program director is awesome and I can't wait to go on field trips with him and my fellow interns!

Mississippi Innocence Project

Today Tucker Carrington came and spoke to us about the Innocence Project. Even though he only spoke for about an hour, it was a life-changing hour. I've known I wanted to be a lawyer since the 7th grade but I haven't quite figured out what I want to do. I admire the work that Tucker does and find him a truly inspiring person. I mean, who cares about the rights of a bunch of lowlife people who have committed some of the most heinous crimes in this country? But Tucker has reminded me that we are all innocent until proven guilty and should be treated as such. Kennedy Brewer and Levon Brooks were convicted of brutal rapes and murders. Since it already seemed like they were guilty, they were denied proper due process (convicted based on a bogus expert testimony).

From sitting in the presentation listening to Tucker speak, I know I want to be involved in something similar to the Innocence Project (if not to exonerate innocent people then to draw attention to the issue of unequal protection under the law and the failure of equal due process). We desperately need equality in this country, especially in the state of Mississippi as national problems are magnified here; equality in education, job opportunities, and especially under the law.

I left the presentation room with just one question: What can college students such as myself, do to help alert the nation to the collective failure of government officials to provide equal due process to ALL its citizens?