Two Weeks In

    I have been in Oxford for two weeks now. In that time I have enjoyed Taylor Grocery's fried catfish, barbecue, and fried brownies, visited the Delta, traveled to Arkansas, met many new people whose names I cannot remember, and only slightly wilted under the oppressive heat. Simply put, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far and anticipate a similar reaction to our upcoming trip to Atlanta and later chance to see B.B. King in concert in Indianola, MS. Oxford has certainly been an agreeable summer home despite the heat and unfortunate obsession with all things Eli Manning.

     One thing I have begun to notice, aside from the abundance of Huddle Houses and lack of Chipotles, is that it truly does take a village. Whether considering education, poverty, race or a combination of the three, a sustained, coordinated, and clearly directed effort is necessary for long term change. One teacher will not save the Mississippi school system. One teacher might not even save an entire class of students. But individually, beginning one student at a time, in coordination with others, a teacher can create momentum. Nowhere is this more evident than in the life of Dr. Sybil Hampton. Much had to occur and many had to contribute to make her bravery possible. Furthermore, her decision to integrate was a step in a long process towards equal education, one which did not stop with Brown v. Board, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or forced busing. Too often we forget that incremental progress initiated by common people creates the opportunity which extraordinary people like Dr. Hampton and others can seize. Rather than wait for heroes we ought to act in their absence, tempting them from the shadows.

Little Rock

       Last Friday, Ben Guest, Program Manager of the Mississippi Teacher Corps, Briana Hanny, and I piled into the School of Education van and lit out for Little Rock, Arkansas. Over the next two days, we attended the Little Rock Film Festival, visited both the Bill Clinton Presidential Library and Little Rock Central High School, and enjoyed a nice dinner with Dr. Sybil Hampton (the first black student to attend Central High for three full years, beginning in 1959) and Zak Piper (co-producer of the film The Interrupters).

     The film festival was phenomenal. In addition to having the pleasure of seeing Ben's film The South Will Rise Again, a documentary short which looks at issues of race at Ole Miss, make its Little Rock debut, I was able to watch four full length films and numerous shorts. The two most compelling, in my opinion, were Hot Coffee and The Interrupters.

     Hot Coffee, directed by first time filmmaker and former laywer Susan Saladoff, uses three famous legal cases of the last twenty five years to engage the debates regarding tort reform and mandatory arbitration. Saladoff's work was forceful and at times absolutely gut wrenching as she mapped the circuitous route some must take to find, if ever, equal protection uder the law.  

      The second film, The Interrupters, was from Kartemquin Films and captured the daily struggles of violence interrupters in Chicago. Their only goal to prevent wanton violence and killings, the interruptors must engage the most volatile elements of the city while also reconciling their own past contributions to the violence "epidemic." I recommend this film to anyone concerned with the lives of others; its success predicated upon the immeasurable selflessness of the lead characters.

     Meeting Dr. Hampton and visiting Central High was another clear highlight of the weekend. We have all been impacted by the civil rights movement in some way, but far fewer can say they contributed mightily to it's progression. Dr. Hampton is among those few and still today when listening to her speak the strength and moral fortitude which carried her down those lonely halls is undeniable.

     The school itself appears much like it did when the Little Rock Nine first enrolled. Looming overhead and built like a fortress, it has protected both the immoral and moral. Yet, as the adjacent museum indicates, in doing so it has served as a vehicle for exposing that which our intolerance inflicts upon us.

     All in all it was a fantastic weekend and I hope to return to Little Rock again sometime to learn more. Much has happened and much needs to happen in order to establish true citizenship for all, but a comprehensive understanding of both is not mutually exclsuive and in few places is that more evident.