Authentic Doing in Education

1:30pm

Vickie (teacher), and students Ricky and Byron, and I drove over to the middle school where we joined about 15 other McComb School District teachers and administrators, as well as some local pastors (one of which lives outside of McComb but pays to have his children attend McComb schools since his district is “not different friendly) for a 2-hour meeting with 12 traveling folks from the Kellogg Foundation <http://www.wkkf.org> – who have as their mission to improve the conditions of vulnerable children. The Kellogg folks were out from Michigan touring various places in Mississippi to learn first-hand about civil rights curriculum and what is happening in these schools. 

McComb’s passionate and inspiring Superintendent, Therese Palmertree, opened up the meeting recounting how “the stars are in alignment this week” as evidenced by a series of chance connections, including my visit — she called me “the young man from San Francisco” which was fitting because so many of the people introduced themselves as members of AARP – I failed to mention that even 50-year olds can join, but I am holding onto my youth. Various teachers and administrators stood to talk about how McComb is taking the lead in Mississippi to institute a developing history of civil rights curriculum. I am beginning to take in McComb’s huge role in the early civil rights movement as one teacher explained that it “all started right here in McComb,” and another calling McComb “Ground Zero” of the civil right struggle. Another recounted how over 100 black students led a protest walk-out in ‘62 from the then all-black high school – and how they refused to sign a document declaring they will “never again” participate in any form of protest, which led the school to effectively expel the students just weeks before their graduation. Vickie helped lead a ceremony in 2005 where all these folks were invited back to receive honorary diplomas. 

Another talked about how little the children of McComb know about the “heros” of their own neighbors. Students for years have learned about the same homogenized civil rights history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Medgar Evers, and Rosa Parks, and in the process, have not explored the stories that happened right in their own neighborhoods, churches and schools. Another speaker really touched the heart of the importance of this upcoming oral history project by repeating that — unlike in South Africa — there has never been a “truth commission” of injustices in Mississippi, and therefore there has never been true reconciliation. Powerful stuff as the students set out to begin their first interviews.

Vickie’s students also spoke, with no notes and apparently unprompted, with great success and passion. Ricky expressed excitement over the upcoming interviews, expressing appreciation for my visit (they call me “Mr. Howard”) and looking forward to discovering his own history here in McComb, and with pride he said, “and the world will also learn about McComb.” Another student, who’s name escapes me, made what appeared to be a simple, but dramatic gesture by reaching over to shake hands with the leader of the Kellogg contingent, saying something like, “I could never have done this in the past.” A tall blonde white boy, shaking hands with a black man. simple, profound. But, at the tail end of this remarkable meeting, the bus driver who has been chauffeuring around the Kellogg folks piped in and said that that simple act, a white kid shaking hands with a black man, “would never happen today in Biloxi.” The room fell silent for a few seconds. The reality and the enormity of what all these folks in the room are fighting for and against seemed to momentarily stifle the spirit with sadness, only to be — shall I say it — “resurrected” with positive energy of the power of such a gathering.

Reflections:

I walked away from this meeting completely amazed at how appreciative this group was to just sit down and talk about civil rights curriculum and practices. The level of discussion in this somewhat mixed group of educators and foundation people was — to me — not profound. At Urban we are engaging in dialogue about race far, far more openly than what was discussed in this room. We (Urban) work hard on our multicultural initiatives, but it still shocks me how we are universes ahead (”ahead” is the wrong word, I know, just not coming up with something better) of the deep south in dealing with the racial issues of the south’s past AND present. There is vital work to be done down here and I am feeling incredibly privileged to be doing my part – as an extension of the Urban School of San Francisco – to help make a dent in the lives of the students and hopefully the larger community.