Thought Provoking

Today was another thought provoking portion of this trip for me. Meeting Ms. Hampton and listening to her stories of how she overcame torment and managed to find the strength to face such
things. Honestly, I saw a lot myself in her stories. After she was finished talking, I walked up to her and asked her (not verbatim) “With all the trials you've faced and names you were called, how did
you find the self confidence to love yourself?”. She replied (again, not verbatim) “The love from my family came with me every time I left my home. The love comes from within YOU.”


Ryan Wheeler
City Neighbors High School

Change the nation...in my own way !

Going to Meridian , Mississippi was one of the best experiences by far that I've had. We were able to sit down and talk to Roscoe Jones Sr. who was a youth leader during freedom summer, and worked closely with Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney and he was very inspiring. His recollection of the exact day that the three went missing , was so detailed that it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. And to know that he was supposed to be with them just made me realize how powerful god is, because he didn't allow him to go with Mickey and the others; and had he gone he would not have been able to tell us the story of what happened that day in June. Mr.Jones's work with the NCAAP and students his age made me realize how much of an impact the students had on the civil rights movement . In the sense, that they were the movement and before I never imagined how much children could impact a nation at such a young age ! And now, I feel that I can be just like them and change the nation in my own way!

Asia Adams 
City College

Hatred comes in many forms

Yesterday we me Mr.Rosco Jones who was number 301 to march in the movement. Mr. Jones snuck into the march. When he was younger he told his grandmother that he wanted to do something to help the cause, during the summer he joined the youth council of the NAACP. Mr. Jones told us the story of James Chaney& Michael Schwerner (Micky). Listening him you could hear his pain about what happened.  Mr. Jones was just open to us and I was just drawn in.  Mr. Jones said "When people get in your head that's when they control you." That stood out to me because people will try to get in your head and you start to make your opinion agree with what the person wants. You start to value everyone's opinion but your own and then you just stop thinking for yourself.  Something else he said was " They would rather pay more money to incarcerate you than to educate you. Mr. Jones explained how they have private jails to place you in and make money from them. He explained how being in jail is just like being a slave.  We also went yo the Bryant's grocery where Emmett till was accused  of whistling at a white women and I could imagine him and his cousin just walking in that area. That made me emotional because someone could have so much hate to a race and kill a child. Which just proves that hatred cones in many forms. 

Breanna Cooper 
City Neighbors High School

Roscoe Jones

At the time Mr Jones was only 17 in Mississippi. His grandmother made him join the NAACP Youth Council at age 14, 1964. He really dint get involved till age 17.  Parents pushed their kids to the Civil Rights and for equality. They targeted the youth for change because if they adults did they could loose their jobs, houses and families. Integration happened but equality hasn't happened which is why the youth is still targeted for change. January 1964, Rita and Mickey Schwerner came to Mississippi. Eventually the NAACP was turned over to them. The KKK set Mickey up after he left Mississippi to get him to come back. They burned one of the Methodist church's down knowing he would come back. So he did. Chaney had asked Mr. Jones to go with him to Philadelphia because he refused to go with just 2 white men in the car. Mr Roscoe had forgotten he had to speak to some kids about the Civil Rights at a church. Mickey told him not to go instead to go speak at the church. So he did. If Mr. Jones had gone he would have been dead but it wasn't his time.
The next day Mr Jones and Sue started calling people to find where they were as Mickey had instructed. A 25,000 Bounty was put out for the 3 guys. August 4, 1964 the boys were dead. Everyone knew it. For years he felt guilty. He knew in his heart he should've been dead with them but it wasn't his time. God wasn't finished.

Ny'zha Taylor
City Neighbors High School

"I ain't want freedom no more"

Today I got to meet Joanne Blackmon Band. She participated in Bloody Sunday and Turn around Tuesday. She was only 11 years old. Being that young, she watched people be beaten and trampled by people and horses. She can still hear the screams and the smell of tear gasses. She fainted after watching a lady being beaten. She woke up in the back of a car in her sisters lap. She thought she was crying but realized it was blood from her sisters head. The next protest, Turn around Tuesday she participated but she was terrified. "I ain't want freedom no more" she said but she still marched. She was mid way in the line.

Ny'zha Taylor
City Neighbors High School

The structure of the building

Today we visited the Central High School and learned about the background of the school. The architecture amazed me due to it's complexity and sophistication. The structure of the building is supposed to be European influenced and it is seen with it's huge reflection pool and four sculptures on the entrance door. Although, my school has almost the same structure with the bricks and having a large entrance, Centrals school's appearance has a better complexion of it's outside. Within this school, there is a part dedicated to the first African American students known as "The Little Rock nine" which struggled and experienced desegregation. 

Moreover, we met one of the first African American students who spent three years at the school named Dr. Sybil Hampton. She is described as a powerful, optimistic, ambitious, and inspirational due to her appearance of being a small person yet with strong words and also sharing her memories and tips to be a forgiving person. I was thankful of what she shared and I introduced myself with her respect to my race.

Samantha S.
Baltimore City College 

Money Mississippi

So yesterday, I got the chance to trip to Money, Mississippi. To visit the store where Emmett Till made a remark to a white woman. When we first arrive and got off the bus to see the rundown store. I tried to imagine myself as how it was back during that time. Just to get a feel for everything. Then we saw a landmark on the site that had pictures and comments on the whole event. There was this one comment that upset that one of the juries made after only 27 minutes of deliberating a non-guilty vote. He said "we would have taken less time if we didn't stop for a drink." I was very upset because it was like the juries already knew what they were going to vote even before they heard the case. The lack of care and sympathy for what had occurred.

Kentiara Moore
City College