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Former Mississippi Governor William Winter
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Rachel Robbins:
We started out today in Jackson and met the former governor of Mississippi, William Winter. He was interesting to hear, but I think because I have a general aversion to politicians. I was a bit skeptical. He was apparently the most progressive governor Mississippi has had. This is great and we definitely need more of them, but it was unclear to me what changed with him as governor. It is definitely a great thing that Mississippi had a governor that was not a bigot, but it's also a shame to say that for obvious reasons.
One thing that did impress me was that he sent his children to public schools. This gained him a lot of points in my book. From what we've heard the schools in the state are more segregated than ever and I think that this would take a conscious effort by people to say I am going to send my kids to this school and not give in to this segregation just because it is comfortable. Winter said there was an organization started by parents as a way to be sure that others would keep their children in public schools. Many cities could use an organization like this even outside the South and Mississippi where it might be most obviously a problem of race and class.
After speaking with Gov. Winter I was thinking about whether politics is an effective arena for making change. On one hand, he was able to be in a position of power with what I consider good intentions and it's great that there are some people in the government that I can agree with on some issues. However, on the other hand, he had to get there by being moderate, by appealing to Mississippians who are nostalgic for the good ol' days of segregation and once in office, he has to pretty much stay this way. I do understand that this is how politics works because we do elect our officials… but thinking about these things really shows me that although policy needs to change for change to happen, policy is not going to change how people think about these issues. Schools are now legally integrated and all the white kids still go to the academies set up to get away from black people. There are no signs saying "whites only" but chances are the black kids and the white kids would not be sitting together at lunch if they went to the same school. Much more has to change than who is allowed where.
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The class at the National Voting Rights Museum |
Sylvia Garcia:
Selma was quaint. I was moved to see the Edmund Pettus Bridge from "Bloody
Sunday". That truly felt like history coming alive, I felt more in touch
with what happened there. Just the sight of it evoked emotion and walking
across it made me pensive as I marveled at the marchers? courage and
dedication. The other thing I found moving in Selma was in the Slavery and
Civil War Museum, an exhibit on the Middle Passage by Tom Feelings. The
pictures were incredible. Beautiful and horrifying, graceful and detailed.
Their simple black and white in complex images evoked true emotion and
brought me back to the issue of slavery something that has really not been
discussed or addressed in during this trip or in the class thus far. I
would really like to look at the book the images are in. I also really
liked a quote, "The pain in the present sometimes seems overwhelming but
reasons for it are rooted in the past." Which I thought is an important
part of understanding where we are and how we can?t hide from out past but
also appeals to me and my feelings that we must work to keep tomorrow?s
past, (today), from causing more pain.
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The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala.
Site of the infamous 1965 Bloody Sunday |
Cecilia:
We had an impromptu discussion with a group of seventh graders about
affirmative action which was intense. To hear their opinions on the matter
was interesting but also a little bit frightening because they were so
uninformed(not that I expect them to be experts on the subject in the 7th
grade). Many of them misunderstood what exactly affirmative action stood
for which meant that their opinion were based on a faulty foundation.
This is another aspect of how education is the way to change society. With
proper knowledge of the subject one is unable to make informed decisions.
Those opinons can grow into fundamental beliefs that are the basis of ones
outlooks on society, which is where things become dangerous.
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Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge
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Justin Edge:
We toured the National Voting Rights Museum commemorating Bloody Sunday, followed by a discussion with an eighth grade class from New Jersey on affirmative action.
Before the "discussion" with the eighth graders, myself along with Becca, Jennifer S., and Rachel R. spoke with a woman at the museum who was just 12 years old when she marched with her sister on the fateful Sunday. She spoke of the violence and hectic atmosphere created by the police and their ruthless brutality. It was truly amazing to hear the story of how the typical individual was affected by the movement. I mean, I am interested in hearing the courageous stories and philosophies of the activist, but the actual citizens who lived and breathed the movement paint a different portrait that amazes me. She made a really good point about race relations and continuation of the integration process. This simplified the meaning of the movement and what she learned from it: "In this world, there are good black and there are good white people. There are bad black people and there are bad white people. It's up to the individual to decide who's right for them."
The "discussion" with the eighth grade class turned into more of a debate about Affirmative Action. The eighth graders would bring up a point or opinion and then the class would shed knowledge and understanding onto the young students. Considering the depth of the issue, it could be said that a lot of the opinions from the New Jersey students were formulated by their parents and fed to them. They just didn't know enough about the issue to solidify their stand on the entire issue. I enjoyed the conversations and wish we had more time to go over the topic further.
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