Welcome to the 2006 Delta State University Gear
Up web site!
This site celebrates the successes of three
explorations of the Mississippi Delta. Each lasted one week, and brought
juniors from Mississippi high schools to the Delta State University campus for
an intense set of art, history, and heritage experiences. Camps were
funded by the Institutions of Higher Learning of the State of Mississippi.
Thanks to all the participants, campers, staff, and faculty alike, for making
this our most successful Gear Up year yet. And to all of this year's
students, together with all those of the past, please consider Delta State
University when you choose your college. We want you to become a DSU
alumnus!
Click on the button to go directly to each of
the following topics, or read the whole portfolio----
This portfolio was
constructed by Rob Stephens and Kristen Hill, Robertson Scholars at The
University of North Carolina, and summer interns at The Delta Center for Culture
and Learning at Delta State University. Additional work was provided by
Tamika Eatmon, Program Associate for Student and Community Engagement In the
Delta Center. The portfolio was made ready for the Web by John Heggen and
Luther Brown, of the Delta Center.
Session One:
The River, The Land, and The People
of the Mississippi Delta
Sunday,
June 25
Welcome, Introduction,
Campus Tour
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Instructors: All staff
Goal: Campers are welcomed to the camp.
Description: Campers were introduced to the camp staff and
the Delta
State campus. The camp staff performed a skit to reinforce
the rules and regulations that were sent to the campers prior to their arrival.
Comments: Campers responded well to the skit about the
rules and regulations. It was more
entertaining and memorable for them than a simple reading.
Contour drawing,
Journal making, Intro to the camera
Location:
Holcombe-Norwood
art building
Instructors: Duncan Baird – Director. All
Staff.
Goal: To give campers a brief introduction to skills
they will use throughout the week.
Description: Director, Duncan Baird, gave an introduction
to contour or line drawing
by allowing the campers to draw portraits of each
other. He also gave a quick overview
of
how to actively observe and what to look for.
Upon introducing the camera that each individual camper would have to
take pictures with throughout the week,
Duncan
also
distributed viewfinders. After
demonstrating how to use one, he explained that they
are to be used to view a
potential photograph or sketch. Finally,
he led the group in
making their journals for the week. He explained that in their journals, they
were to
respond to writing prompts, sketch things that caught their eye, and
pen reflective
thoughts.
Monday,
June 26
Dr. Luther Brown
Brown/Migration into the Delta
Location:
Holcombe-Norwood
art building
Instructors: Dr. Luther Brown. Some staff present.
Goal: Campers listened to Dr. Luther Brown’s
historical account of migration into the
Mississippi Delta.
Description: Dr. Luther Brown started off by giving a
historical description of Indian
mounds which was the perfect segue into ethnic migration and the Mississippi Delta.
He touched on life as it was during that time
for African-Americans, Italians, Indians,
Chinese, and Jews. While using visuals, he explained how to use
a topographic map and
how to understand the levee system. Moving on to the Great Migration, he
described it
as the largest peacetime movement in human history. He concluded with a few words
about the Flood
of 1927, comparing its wrath to that of Hurricane Katrina.
Comments: Dr. Luther Brown covered a great deal valuable
of information in a short
amount of time. Great introduction to the week.
Introduction to
Pottery
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Instructors: Duncan Baird.
Most staff present.
Goal: Campers listened to a brief preparatory talk
before starting their pottery project.
Description:
Duncan gave a more visual
description of the Indian mound that the campers would be constructing. He also gave a present day update on Indian
mounds that are still erected in the Mississippi Delta.
Tuesday,
June 27
Chucalissa – Indian
Village
Location:
Memphis,
TN
Instructors: All staff present.
Goal: Give campers a better understanding of the
history behind the effigy pots, Indian
mound, and other historical
sculptures they will be
making during the week.
Description: Campers listened on as staff from the Indian
village
spoke about early life
in the Delta for Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes. The Indian mound in the Chucalissa
Indian village
was originally a burial mound.
Since it is located to close to the river,
communication and extensive trade took place up and down the
river and throughout the South. The Indian mound was built in three episodes
that coincided with the life of
the chief at the present time. Surprising to most of us, one of the chiefs
of this particular
village was a woman.
Eventually the Indian mound ended up being used for religiousceremonies
and religious dances. Social dances and
sporting events took place below the
mound in the village plaza. After the tour of the village, campers were
taken inside to
complete an arts & crafts project. Campers were shown how to create a small
basket
using a small paper plate and multi-colored raffia.
Tunica
RiverPark
Location: Tunica
Instructors: All staff present.
Description: The Tunica RiverPark museum was packed with a
wealth of information
about many Mississippian cultures of the past. The campers first sat down in the front of
the museum to watch a short video about the “Mighty Mississippi.” After that they were on
their own to tour the
museum and read more about the Mississippi River,
Indian culture,
steamboats, and much more.
Next, the campers stepped aboard the Tunica Queen Riverboat
for a quick
trip up the Mississippi River.
Wednesday, June 28
Chinese Deltan Speaker
Instructor: Frieda Quon
Location: Lecture Room
Goal: The campers will learn
about the Chinese culture in the Delta.
Description: Born in Greenville, Mrs. Quon was
born and raised in the Delta. She joined
the
campers for an hour long session and explained many different aspects of
the Chinese culture in the Delta through history, magazines and her own personal experience. She was raised in
Greenville and was a part
of the first grade class that was integrated.
She explained
some of
the traditions through a special that Southern
Living did on the Chinese in the Delta.
The
emerging global importance of China also was a topic of
discussion with Mrs. Quon. The
campers then had lunch at a Chinese buffet to augment the experience.
Comments: Mrs. Quon worked very
well with the campers and was thoroughly engaging and
engaged. The campers were fascinated by the Chinese
culture they had always seen from afar but never really of first-hand. Mrs. Quon reciprocated the praise when she
commented after the program that the campers were the most interested and
pleasant group she had ever talked to.
Cleveland
Railroad Museum
Instructor: Liza Snaubel
Location:
Cleveland
Railroad Museum
Goal: Campers will learn
about the integral role that the railroads played in the development
of the
Delta.
Description: Ms. Snaubel spoke to
the group about the recently constructed museum’s goal
and
inspiration. The museum holds a massive model train made
by Cleveland
resident James Albert
Williams and is full of imagery from around the
Delta. Mr. Williams showed up later on
and
spoke with a few campers about his creation.
Comments: The museum lacks real
historical content at this point, but should improve on that
front when it is
fully finished. The campers enjoyed
looking at the model train and were excited
to speak to Mr. Williams about his
work.
Jewish
Synagogue
Instructors: Dr. Charlotte Caplan
Location: Cleveland Synagogue
Goal: For the campers to learn about the Jewish
culture in the Delta and to be able to appreciate
other people’s beliefs.
Description: Dr. Caplan gave a
comprehensive talk on the Jewish religion and history in the
Delta. She discussed all the Jewish symbols around
the temple, went over the prayer book in the
pews, discussed the three different sects within Judaism, and even showed the campers the
sacred Torah. She then
answered some of the questions the campers had about the religion.
Comments: Most, if not all, of
the campers had never been in a synagogue or spoken
frankly
with a Jewish
person. Dr. Caplan was very
straightforward in the way she explained the Jewish
faith and why they did not
believe in Jesus. Some of the campers were offended by her
comments,
but no one showed any disrespect while we
were with Dr. Caplan.
There could have been more discussion with the
whole group after the meeting to unpack the
whole issue in a more positive
way, though the campers seemed to work through
it well enough on their own.
Cook Out with DSU campers
Instructors: Delta State campers and staff
Location: Gazebo behind the DSU
cafeteria
Goal: To present campers
with more information about college life and to have a fun cookout.
Description: Student
representatives from campus organizations talked to the campers over
hot-dogs
and hamburgers about all the clubs, Greek life and other activities on
campus.
Duncan
grilled the meat and Shawanda and
Tamika organized the rest of the food.
The campers focused
on resources and groups for minority campers. DSU campers from the camp staff also spoke about their groups and affiliations which included Fellowship of Christian
Athletes, the Art
Department, fraternities
and sororities, singing groups among others.
The evening ended with
step routines and dancing.
Comments: This was a great time
for hanging out informally and hearing about the different
campus
activities. The campers got to get a student perspective on campus life. The
number of
guest speakers was limited due to it being summertime. Guest faculty from the university would have been a neat addition to the
speakers, but is understandably difficult to procure at this time of year.
Thursday, June 29
River
Road Park
and Hike
Instructors: Dr. Luther Brown and
staff
Location: Rosedale River
Park
Goal: For the campers to get
first hand exposure to and exploration of the Mississippi
River.
Description: The group traveled out
to Rosedale in the morning to make the hike out to the
Mississippi
River. The River was very
low at the time, which made for a rather long trek in the
hot sun. The campers picked up rocks on their way off
the bottom of the river bed. The campers
got to see all the different material that the River brings downstream. Once at the River,
campers saw towboats in
action as they carried goods up and down the River.
Comments: The walk was long and
the sun was really hot, which made for more than a few
complaints. A few did not make it out to the River. The campers complained about the walk
later
on, but it was apparent that they enjoyed the accomplishment of completing the walk.
The campers were more tired than
normal after this activity, which made them less focused
later on in the day on
their art projects.
Mounds Landing – Site
of 1927 Levee Break
Instructors: Dr. Luther Brown and
Duncan Baird
Location: Mounds Landing
Goal: For the campers to get
a sense of what really happened in the 1927 flood
Description: The group drove out in
vans along the current levee and made their way down to
the bank of the Mississippi River where the levee broke in 1927. Dr. Brown gave a description of
what happened
that day and discussed the vast repercussions involved. The group compared
and contrasted the flood with Hurricane
Katrina.
Comments: The campers were
interested in seeing the place of the levee break after watching
movies about the event. They asked interesting
questions and were willing to discuss.
Italian
Speaker and Bocce Ball
Instructors: Julius and Gary Gainspoletti (father and son)
Location: The Knights of Columbus
Goal: For the campers to
learn about Italian history and culture in the Delta.
Description: The campers rode out to
The Knights of Columbus, an Italian club in
Bolivar
County,
to meet the Gainspolettis. The son
greeted the group and gave a history of
Italians
coming to the Delta around the turn of the 19th
century. He
introduced his father, who gave
their family history. He recalled stories of being pulled out of
school to pick cotton and some of
the discrimination faced by Italians in the
Delta. He then gave the campers some Italian words
and
terms to learn. The father and son
then demonstrated how to play Bocce, an Italian game
brought over to
America
years ago, on the courts they have set up at the club. The campers
were then able to play themselves
and interact with the Gainspolettis.
Comments: The Gainspolettis were
great with the campers and kept them interested and
engaged. The Bocce game was exciting and
fun for everyone to either play or observe. The
younger Gainspoletti said at the beginning that he would only be able to stay
for a short while, but ended up having so much fun with the campers that he
stayed over an hour.
Italian Dinner
Location: The State Room in the
Student Union
Goal: To build on the days’
Italian education and enjoy a nice final dinner together.
Description: The campers were
served a candlelit dinner of spaghetti and meatballs while
they listened to
Italian music.
Supplies Needed: Spaghetti, sauce,
meat, drinks, cake for desert.
Bill
Abel Blues Session
Instructors: Bill Abel, local Blues
musician
Location: Capps Seminar Room
Goal: To learn about and
experience the Blues through a real-live musician and expert.
Description: Mr. Abel brought four
different guitars to play for the campers and played each
one of them, discussing each one as he went. He
played all sort of Blues songs, stopping every
once in a while to tell a story
or present a new idea about the Blues.
He taught the campers a
few songs for them to sing along to.
Comments: The campers loved
singing with Mr. Abel. They were
clapping to the music for
nearly the entire hour. Right when the campers were about to get
carried away, they held
back and let Mr. Abel manage the session again. Overall a big hit with everyone.
Friday, June 30
Final Ceremony
Instructors: The campers
Location: Art Seminar Room
Goal: To wrap-up the camp, allow the campers to
show-off and to reward and recognize the campers.
Description: The campers organized
a skit by themselves to perform for the staff and parents. They did a talk-show style skit and had each
of the campers come to the front to read from their
journal, tell about an
experience, read a poem or just reflect.
They were able to include every
student in the skit. Then the staff came up and recognized the
honor camper, the winners of the
best picture contest and the Question of The
Day winners. Each student was then
recognized,
given a certificate and was able to choose a book to take.
Comments: The fact that every
student was involved in the final performance was impressive.
Some of the campers really put sometime and
thought into what they had to say.
Everyone seemed to put effort into their part. Everyone was hugging and exchanging contact information at the end. A great way to end the camp.
Session Two:
Civil Rights
Sunday,
July 9
Welcome, Introduction,
Campus Tour
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Instructors: All staff
Goals: Campers are welcomed to the camp.
Description: Campers were introduced to the camp staff and
the Delta
State campus. Camp staff performed a skit to reinforce the
rules and regulations that were sent to the campers prior to their arrival.
Introduction to the Civil Rights
Movement
Location: Holcombe-Norwood Art building
Instructors: Tamika, Duncan, All staff present.
Goals: To give the campers a brief overview of some
of the significant figures and organizations of the Civil Rights Movement.
Description: Tamika briefly covered historical events that
occurred during the time of the Movement.
She mentioned notable activists such as Fannie Lou Hamer, Charles
McLaurin, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
She also touched on significant events like the
Birmingham bombings, the Montgomery bus boycott, the murder of Emmett
Till and civil rights marches.
Afterwards, Duncan
gave his personal account of supporting an African-American boycott some
fifteen years ago in Indianola. When
approached by another white male who questioned his support of the Movement,
Duncan says he realized
how much courage it actually took voluntarily be involved in the struggle.
Contour drawing,
Journal making, Intro to the camera
Location:
Holcombe-Norwood
art building
Instructors: Duncan Baird – Director. All Staff.
Goals: To give campers a brief introduction to skills
they will use throughout the week.
Description: Director, Duncan Baird, gives an introduction
to contour or line drawing by
allowing the campers to draw portraits of each
other. He also gave a quick overview of
how
to actively observe and what to look for.
Afterwards, he introduced the camera that each individual camper would
have to take pictures with throughout the week.
Finally, he led
the group in making their journals for the week. He explained that in their journals, they
were to respond to writing prompts, sketch things that caught their eye, and
pen reflective
thoughts.
Monday,
July 10
The Life of Emmett Till
Location: Sumner, Money, and
Greenwood, MS
Instructors: Dr. Henry Outlaw, All staff present...
Goals: To give campers a closer look at the event
that was said to have ignited the Civil
Rights Movement.
Description: Campers visited the courthouse in Sumner,
MS
where the trial for Emmett
Till’s
murder was held. Dr. Henry Outlaw, an expert on the case,
stated that Till was killed right
outside of
Drew, MS and
that the trial shouldn’t have even been held in Sumner. As
of right
now, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation has turned the case over to the District
Attorney in
Greenville. Next, the campers visited the Bryant store in Money, MS. This is
the place where Emmett Till allegedly whistled at twenty-one year old Carolyn Bryant.
Taking the afternoon in another direction,
campers were taken to Little A.M.E. Zion, one of
Robert Johnson’s three
gravesites. There, Dr. Outlaw gave an
overview of the life of a
bluesman, the history of “jook
joints” and how to
sell your soul to the devil.
Cottonlandia
Location:
Greenwood,
MS
Instructors: All staff present...
Goals: To give campers a chance to see examples of
effigy pots before they constructed their own and learn about Native Americans
in the Delta.
Description: Campers visited the
Cottonlandia Museum
in Greenwood. The museum is
dedicated to the history of
Greenwood and the Delta
as a whole. The campers spent most of
their time in a back room full of Native
American artifacts. Each student drew two pictures
of
pottery on
display so that they would have ideas for their own pots.
Tuesday,
July 11
Intro to Romare Beardon and Collages
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Goal: For the campers to explore a different way of
expression.
Description: Duncan did a presentation on
Romare Beardon’s collage artwork. He
explained
the way collages both require you to use images other than your own,
but can
also open up
your artwork for new forms of expression. Campers used magazines and their
own painting
to form images, mainly from the Civil Rights Movement.
Comments: Campers made some especially stunning artwork
during this activity.
Fannie Lou Hamer Gravesite
Location:
Ruleville,
MS
Goal: To learn about and honor this courageous
activist.
Description: Campers traveled out to Ruleville to visit the
gravesite of one of the most
influential freedom fighters in
the Movement. The campers heard the history of Mrs.
Hamer
and her role in the Mississippi
movement. Then the group circled around
her grave
and sang
the song she was most popular for, “This Little Light of
Mine.”
Dinner with Charles McLaurin
Location: Dockery Farms (in between Cleveland and
Ruleville, MS)
Goal: To learn about The Movement first hand from a
hero.
Description: The campers were treated to a soul food dinner
at the Dockery Plantation
poolside. Mr.
Charles McLaurin came out and gave an inspiring speech about The
Movement and what
it means for young people. In response
to questions about where
The Movement is today, Mr. McLaurin pointed to the campers
and said, “The Movement
is in You!”
Comments: This session worked perfectly with the
previous one because Mr. McLaurin
is the closest friend of Mrs. Hamer alive
today.
Wednesday,
July 12
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Location:
Memphis, TN
Instructors: All
staff present...
Goals: To
give campers a chance to learn about a unique
musical genre and one of the
most
progressive labels in music history
Description: Campers
traveled to Memphis
to visit the Stax Museum of American Soul
Music. As they already know, blues music
is a very large part of the history of the
Mississippi Delta; soul music was born in
church and the cotton fields. It
has been
defined as a combination of the
blues, gospel, and
country. Another
large part of the
history of the Delta is segregation. In the midst of all of that, Stax Records was
a
progressive label that brought together artists from various
genres,
both black and
white. Stax Records was
founded in 1958
by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton in
Memphis,
TN. As the
artist
directory at Stax flourished,
it would come to be known
as
Soulsville,
USA. Many well known artists launched their
careers at Stax including
Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, the Staples singers, and
the Bar-Kays. Stax ignored the
segregation issues of the
area inviting artists both black and white to make
the music they loved. Following Dr.
Martin Luther King’s assassination, Stax
Records closed in 1975.
National Civil
Rights
Museum
Location:
Memphis, TN
Instructors: All
staff present..
Goal: To
give campers a chance to bring their weeklong experience full circle
Description: Campers
traveled to the National
Civil Rights
Museum where they were
able take a walk back through time.
Participants were able to view endless literature, videos, and
photographs that chronicled this historic movement. Extensive information was available on
pre-movement and post-movement activity.
The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, the
assassination site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., chronicles key episodes of
the American Civil Rights Movement and the legacy of this movement to inspire
participation in civil and human rights efforts globally, through collections,
exhibitions, and educational programs.
In 1982, the Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation acquired $9 million
dollars for the nation’s first comprehensive museum chronicling America’s Civil
Rights Movement. On September 28, 1981, the National
Civil Rights Museum opened its doors to the public.
Cookout with
Delta
State
campers
Location:
The
Pavilion
Instructors:
All
staff present..
Goal:
To
give campers a chance to learn about ways to get involved on college campuses and how to prepare to enter college.
Description:
Members
of various fraternities and sororities came and performed some of their
respective dance routines. Afterwards,
various members of the groups spoke to
campers and answered questions about Greek
life, student organizations, honor societies,
and major-specific clubs.
Thursday,
July 13
The Great Migration
Location: Holcombe-Norwood
art building
Instructors: Tamika
Eatmon. All staff present...
Goal: To
give campers a brief overview of the Great Migration
Description: Between
1910 and 1930 there were between 300,000 and 1,000,000 people who left the
Delta for the north and the west. They
settled in places like Chicago,
Detroit, and
California. At the time, there was slavery and
sharecropping going on in the south. In
the north, it was all about industry, factory work, freedom, and better
pay. Tamika mentioned that during this
period, people from
Mississippi
left for Chicago, people from Louisiana
left for California,
people from North and South Carolina
left for New York
and
Maryland,
and that people from Alabama
typically headed for Missouri. She asked questions about the Great Migration
and the Flood of 1927 in order to engage the campers and rewarded them for good
answers. After watching a few clips from
‘Goin’ to Chicago’ she asked them to do a journal
entry. The assignment was to write a
passage putting yourself in the shoes of someone living during that time of the Great Migration.
Fieldtrip to Mound Bayou
Location: Mound
Bayou
Instructors: All
staff present..
Goal: To
give campers the history of a once thriving all black
community
Description: Dr.
Luther Brown met the campers in Mound Bayou to speak about the
history of the
town. Mound Bayou is
the
oldest
U.S.
municipality founded by
ex-slaves. Ex-slaves exited
the cotton
industry
and decided to move to Mound
Bayou to
found a black
utopia. The situation in Mound Bayou was
very different
than
it was in neighboring towns. Because the entire community of
Mound
Bayou
was black, all adults were registered voters. Although their
votes
did not count
outside the town, residents
were still
able to elect
their police chief and town
officials.
The first stop
on the tour was the Taborian
Hospital. This hospital was
founded by a group of black
businessmen called the Knights of Tabor.
Opened in
1940,
the Taborian
Hospital was a full
service
hospital that served
the entire region.
African-Americans came from
all over to receive
treatment at this hospital. The chief surgeon of the
Taborian Hospital,
T.R.M. Howard, also established the town’s public
swimming pool
and public
zoo. Howard eventually broke away from
the
Knights of
Tabor and started up the Sarah Brown hospital which is
located across the
street from
the
Taborian
Hospital. When asked
why Mound Bayou is no longer the
thriving
community it once was, Dr. Luther Brown explained that when “old”
highway 61 was
in existence, anyone traveling to Memphis had to travel through
Mound Bayou, providing
a stable income for the town. Also, the emergence of
businesses like Super Wal-Mart and
Kroger took away from the small businesses.
Finally, the Delta in general has been
suffering population loss as more and more
people have been leaving. The next stop was
I.T. Montgomery’s home, one
of the
founders of the town. After, we
stopped by the bank
of Mound Bayou and I.T.
Montgomery’s daughter’s house. Our final stop was the Indian
mound for which
the
town is named for.
Friday,
July 14
Final Ceremony
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Instructors: The campers.
Goal:
To wrap-up the camp,
allow the campers to show-off
and
to
reward and
recognize the campers.
Description: The campers put on a performance entitled, “The
Movement is in You.” The performance included poetry, reading from the campers’ journals, group songs,
monologues and duets. The group came into the room
playing out a slave line and
ended the
performance with individual recognition and celebration, symbolizing
the achievement of the Civil Rights
Movement. The final
song was a moving
rendition of “Can’t
Give Up Now.”
Films
The Murder of Emmett Till
Summary: In August 1955, a fourteen-year-old black boy
whistled at a white woman in a grocery store in Money, Mississippi. Emmett Till, a teen from Chicago, didn't
understand that he had broken the unwritten laws of the Jim Crow South until
three days later, when two white men dragged him from his bed in the dead of
night, beat him brutally and then shot him in the head. Although his killers
were arrested and charged with murder, they were both acquitted quickly by an
all-white, all-male jury. Shortly afterwards, the defendants sold their story, including a detailed account of how they murdered Till, to a journalist. The
murder and the trial horrified the nation and the world. Till's death was a
spark that helped mobilize the Civil Rights Movement. Three months after his
body was pulled from the
Tallahatchie
River, the
Montgomery bus boycott
began.
Eyes on the Prize
Summary: Medgar Evers…Freedom Summer…MFDP…there are names linked forever with
the most precious civil right of any democracy—the right to vote. “Mississippi: Is This America?” traces the
fight for that right—long denied to many by law, custom, intimidation, and
violence. It takes us into the heart of
the Old South, where black people attempting to vote risked losing their jobs
and their lives. In
Mississippi, activists like the NAACP’s Medgar Evers stirred national interest with civil rights drives that put the
U.S. Constitution to the test. Despite
hundreds of arrests, the number of people joining boycotts and sit-ins
grew. As tensions escalated, President
Kennedy made his strongest speech ever on civil rights. That same June night in 1963, an assassin
with a high-powered rifle lay in wait near the home of Medgar Evers. In the long, how Freedom Summer of 1964, campers
traveled south to help organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. When three volunteers disappeared, fears of
reprisal grew. Despite a victory in
Washington—the signing
of the Civil Rights Bill—the human loss of Freedom Summer shocked the
nation. Confrontation with the political
establishment finally reached a crossroads when the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party demanded the right to be recognized as the
Mississippi delegation to the Democratic
National Convention. In this protest,
and in Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer’s impassioned plea to
America—the seeds of political
reform were—not only in Mississippi,
but in the nation.
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou
Summary: “Mississippi, 1937. Three convicts
escape from jail chain-gang intent on getting to the loot stashed away by one
of them. As this is at his house soon to be flooded by a new dam, speed is of
the essence. They find themselves fast-talking their way out of one jam after
another, and along the way not only have to be wary of riverside sirens but
even get to make a pretty good country record.”
- Summary written by
Jeremy
Perkins {jwp@aber.ac.uk}
Session Three:
The Blues
Sunday,
July 16
Welcome, Introduction,
Campus Tour
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Instructors: All staff
Goals: Campers are welcomed to the camp.
Description: Campers were introduced to the camp staff and
the Delta
State campus. Camp staff performs a skit to reinforce the
rules and regulations that were sent to the campers prior to their arrival.
Blues Workshop with
Bill Abel
Location: Charles W. Capps, Jr. Archives, Delta
State
University
Instructors: All staff present.
Goals: To give campers and introduction to the genre
of blues music
Description: Bill Abel gave campers a brief history of the
blues. He described how
it evolved and
the impact it has had on the African American community. He
explained that the blues is a global and
well-respected genre. He described the
breakdown of instrumentation in blues music involving the bass and lead
guitars.
While playing examples of the
country blues, delta blues, and the hills blues he
passed around blues
literature that highlighted famous blues musicians and
various folk
instruments. Towards the end of his
presentation, Abel engaged
campers by inviting them to sing along with him to
the famous tunes ‘Mojo Workin’ and ‘Sweet Home Chicago.’
Monday,
July 17
Tour of Highway 61 Museum
Location:
Leland,
MS
Goal: To learn about some of the lesser known Blues
legends.
Description: Students traveled down the famous Highway 61
to
Leland, MS.
They took a tour of the small, but very
informative museum, where they
had
to find at least one Blues
musician whom they were not familiar with and
write a paragraph about him or her. The
group then walked over to the huge mural in town of
Blues
musicians, all of whom they
had to identify.
Blues Writing and
Music Theory Workshop
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Instructors: Kristin, Littrell, Shawanda
Goal: To give campers a traditional musical
explanation of blues music and
ultimately write an original blues song
Description: Kristin gave the campers a brief introduction
to music theory
explaining the musical alphabet, notation, and how to read from
a musical staff.
Next, the campers were shown the notes of the ‘blues scale’ and listened to them
being played. The campers were introduced into the two most
common types of blues played, eight and twelve bar blues. After learning the chord progression
for
both, campers were tested by have an example of each progression played
and having
to decide whether they were eight or twelve bar blues. Shawanda
and Littrell handed out worksheets
to aid the campers in writing their own
original blues song. They explained that various themes they could choose to write on including but not limited to food, significant others, love,
struggles, and conflict.
Tuesday,
July 18
Delta
Blues Museum
Location: Clarksdale,
MS
Instructors: All staff present.
Goal: To give campers a chance to learn about Delta
blues musicians
Description: Campers were welcomed into the museum where
they received a brief overview of the history of the museum and some of the
exhibits they would see. The Delta
Blues
Museum opened on January
31, 1979 and remained apart of the library until 2000. The museum places its emphasis on Delta blues
artists. The feature photo exhibit was
done by Bernie Imes and it is entitled Mississippi Delta: Intimate View. Imes said he wanted to capture the Delta in
still images because he felt it was disappearing. Within the museum there are stage costumes
and instruments on display from artists like Dorothy Moore, Big George Brock, Little Milton Campbell, and B.B. King.
The largest and most elaborate exhibit in the museum is the childhood
home of the blues legend Muddy Waters.
Cat Head Delta Blues
& Folk Art, Inc.
Location: Clarksdale,
MS
Instructors: All staff present.
Goal: To give campers a chance to view art created
by artists in the Delta
Description: Local artists sell their sculptures,
paintings, prints, and pottery in
Cat Head.
Most of the art for sale pertains to the Delta blues or food. There are
also native instruments like diddley bows and Super Chikan guitars.
Cat Head
also sells CDs, DVDs, and books about blues artists. In addition to media, there are
also t-shirts
and posters from blues festivals of the past and those to come.
Hick’s Hot Tamales
Location: Clarksdale,
MS
Instructors: All staff present.
Goal: To give campers an opportunity to enjoy world
famous hot tamales and the
process of creating the southern treat
Description: Campers were greeted by Mrs. Hicks who is a
former schoolteacher.
She encouraged
campers to do their absolute best in school and to keep abreast of the
news as the world continues to change. Her
speech soon shifted to the history of
Hick’s hot tamales. She explained that the restaurant is family
owned and operated
and has been at its current location but has been in
business for twenty-eight. She
went on
to tell of how Mr. Hicks learned to make hot tamales as a young man and after a
stint in the army came back and sold them out of his grocery store. Hick’s hot
tamales are made from ground beef,
sixteen different spices, and breadcrumbs.
Hick’s
was recently featured on the food network for their famous hot tamales.
Riverside Hotel
Location: Clarksdale,
MS
Instructors: All staff present.
Goal: To give campers a chance to walk through one
of the most visited hotels in the
country
Description: Campers were greeted by Frank “Rat” Ratliff
and he promptly began his
tour. The
Riverside Hotel started as G.T. Thomas African American Hospital and it is
the
place where famous blues singer Bessie Smith died in 1937. Now the Riverside Hotel,
it boasts over
thirty rooms and five residents that have been living there from 4-30
years.
Famous figures such as John F.
Kennedy Jr., Ike Turner, John Lee Hooker, The Staples
Singers, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and Robert Johnson have spent time at the
Riverside
Hotel. Rat has kept all the screen doors
on all tenants’ rooms and refuses
to change them for fear that the hotel will
lose its character. Tourists have
traveled to
stay at the hotel from Las Vegas, Maryland, Florida, California,
Japan, France, Sweden,
Germany, and Switzerland to name a few. Rat encouraged all present to return and
spend a night at the Riverside Hotel, “where hospitality meets the blues.”
Drum Workshop
Location: Charles W. Capps, Jr. Archives, Delta
State
University
Instructors: All staff present.
Goal: To give campers a chance to learn about the history of the drum and how to play the drums they had created themselves
Description: Joe Johnson, the director of the Eagle
Music
Academy in Mound Bayou,
discussed the African origin of the drums.
He went on to describe how a drum is
constructed and all the materials
needed. Constructing drums is an art form
that has
been passed down through generations. They are the start of the music we have today.
After showing the campers drums
like the djembe, fermali, conga, and talking drum,
Johnson was prepared to teach the campers how to play their drums.
The rest of the
workshop time was spent learning different rhythms and
making great music.
Wednesday,
July 19
Great
River Road
Location:
Rosedale,
MS
Goal: For the students to get first hand knowledge
of the
Mississippi River
Description: The group traveled out to the
Rosedale Park
and took a long walk out to
the Mississippi River,
walking on the dried riverbed. Students
picked up cool rocks
along the way. An ancient species
of fish, the paddle fish, had dried up on the shore.
Towboats
drove by while the students were out on the river.
Mounds Landing
Location: Scott,
MS
Goal: For the students to get a
sense
of what really
happened in the 1927
flood.
Description: The group drove out in vans along the current levee and made their
way down to the bank of
the
Mississippi River where the levee broke in 1927. Dr.
Brown gave a description of what happened that day and
discussed the vast
repercussions involved. The group compared and contrasted the flood with
Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Brown then tied the Levee Break in with the Blues since so
many songs were written about the Break.
Cook Out with DSU
students
Instructors: Delta State students and staff
Location: Gazebo behind the DSU
cafeteria
Goal: To present students
with more information about college life and to have a fun cookout.
Description: Student
representatives from campus organizations talked to the students over hot-dogs
and hamburgers about all the clubs, Greek life and other activities on campus. JaJa grilled the meat and Shawanda and Tamika
organized the rest of the food. The
students focused on resources and groups for minority students. DSU students from the camp staff also spoke about their groups and affiliations which included Fellowship of Christian
Athletes, the Art
Department, fraternities
and sororities, singing groups among others.
The evening ended with a gospel performance by the student group God’s
Anointed Voices.
Comments: This was a great time
for hanging out informally and hearing about the different campus
activities. The students got to get a
student perspective on campus life. The
number of guest speakers was limited due to it being summertime. Guest faculty from the university would have been a neat addition to the
speakers, but is understandably difficult to procure at this time of year.
Thursday,
July 20
Lessons in Landscape
Instructors: Duncan Baird, All staff present.
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Goal: To teach and prepare campers to paint a
portrait of a landscape
Description:
Duncan explained to the
campers the techniques to use to draw
objects
in the distance and objects that are close to them. Objects that are drawn lighter,
bluer,
smaller, and higher up on the page appear to be further away. Distance can
also be depicted by using
shades. Before allowing the campers to
imagine a landscape
and practice drawing it, Duncan challenged students to paint the
object the color that
appears, not the color that is used traditionally.
Dinner at Dockery Farms
Instructors: All staff present
Location: Dockery Farms
Goal: To give campers a brief history of the town of Dockery and it’s famous
plantation
Description: Campers were taken out to Dockery Farms, where
Dr. Luther
Brown gave a history of the plantation town of Dockery.
Some wondered how the
plantation became as successful as it was, but Dr.
Brown quickly reminded them
that for 100 years, cotton was the most valuable
commodity in the world. It was
vital in
successfully building the British Empire and the United States. Dr. Brown
also discussed the central role
Dockery Farms played in the development of the Blues.
Home to “father of the Blues” Charlie Patton, B.B. King himself once called Dockery,
“the birthplace of the Blues.”
Friday,
July 21
Harmonica Workshop
with Bobby Rush
Instructors: Bobby Rush.
All staff present
Location: Charles W. Capps, Jr., Archives, Delta
State
University
Goal: To give campers a chance to learn about a
famous bluesman, the life of an
entertainer, and how to play a harmonica
Description: Harmonicas, also known as “harps,” have a
setup similar to a piano.
The notes get
higher in pitch the further right you go and lower the further left you
go. After explaining the different types
of harmonicas, Bobby Rush told campers that he
is probably the only bluesman
that plays his harp upside down like Jimi Hendix
played his guitar. In his speech, Rush incorporated themes from
all three Gear Up
camps through personal accounts and historical facts. He made various connections
between the
Mississippi River, the Civil Rights Movement, and the
blues music genre.
Next, campers volunteered to accompany Rush in playing a melody right before he
performed his
own “Garbage
Man.”
While passing around international literature on
himself and blues music, Rush explained to students how the blues influenced modern day music
such as hip hop, rap, and R&B.
Final Ceremony
Instructors: All staff present
Location: Holcombe-Norwood art building
Goal: To wrap-up the camp, allow the students to
show-off and to reward and recognize the students.
Description: The performance included poetry, group songs,
and solos. The group entered the room
after a brief overview of the blues given by the emcee. They promptly fell in to the skit “Respect”
titled after the women’s anthem sung by Aretha Franklin. The performance ended with an inspiring
rendition of the gospel hit “Looking For You,” followed by the acknowledgement of individual achievement and celebration.
Films
Lightning In A Bottle
Summary: “Beginning with a stirring African folk song
(Zélié performed by Angélique Kidjo) the roots are established and rapidly swell into a trunk thickened by the hardships of the Great Depression (Gamblin'
Man performed by David `Honeyboy' Edwards) and the oppression of segregation
(Jim Crow Blues performed by Odetta). Finally, this Blues family tree shows off vibrant new growth as it reveals the Blues' influence on our modern wealth of
talented musicians (Midnight Special performed by John Fogerty and Hound Dog
done by Macy Gray). Ruth Brown gives Blll Cosby a full-throttle serenade (and a
playful smoldering gaze), along with Mavis Staples and Natalie Cole. Angélique
Kidjo persuades Buddy Guy to an unforgettable rendition of `Voodoo Child,'
shortly before Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray accompany B.B. King and Lucille for
the final number, `Paying the Cost to be the Boss.' This documentary presents
to the audience, with authority and candor, an authentic history of this
musical form. The highly esteemed elders of this musical family are exemplary
in their humbleness toward one another, rich with decades of shared memories;
and their performances are of a quality rarely seen in modern times. These men
and women are true artisans, yet they continue to generously pass their legacy
down to select members of each musical generation. Those who grew up on this
music find themselves performing on the stage with the very heroes who served as their earliest inspiration. Legends, such as Ruth Brown, Honeyboy Edwards,
Clarence `Gatemouth' Brown, B.B. King, Howling Wolf, and Buddy Guy, gave the
world a double helping of their genius-first with song and secondly as the
spirit which supplies the continuation of their art: in such artists as Natalie
Cole, Jimmie Vaughan, John Fogerty, Macy Gray, Alison Krause, and Bonnie Raitt.” –summary written by Annie Campos.
Goin’ To Chicago
Summary: Goin' to
Chicago chronicles one of the most momentous yet least heralded
sagas of American history - the great migration of African Americans from the
rural South to the cities of the North and West after World War II. Four
million black people created a dynamic urban culture outside the South,
changing America
forever. Goin' to Chicago
traces this history through the personal stories of a group of older Chicagoans
born mostly in the Mississippi Delta. They share their bitter recollections of sharecropping - owing half of each crop to the landowner, each beginning
back-breaking labor in the fields at ten. A steelworker, newspaper editor,
blues musician and others movingly recall their journeys up Hwy. 61 to
Chicago in search of
comparatively well-paying factory jobs. On the South Side they built a vibrant
city-within-a-city of thriving black businesses and civic institutions, proudly
referred to as "Bronzeville." They recall that after World War II
increasingly self-assertive and prosperous blacks led a bitterly resisted
struggle to open up fair housing opportunities outside the ghetto. But just as
the American Dream was coming into reach for some, the steel mills and
stockyards closed, leaving newer immigrants trapped in decaying public housing projects and inner-city despair. Goin' to Chicago is a moving tribute to a
generation of African Americans who struggled - and triumphed - over odds as
great or greater than other immigrant groups.
