Today we were privileged to visit Tougaloo College, an HBCU in Jackson, MS. We heard from veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, and an organization called Upgrade Mississippi run by college students. As stated on their website, Upgrade Mississippi is a non-profit organization that “promotes the significance of education, self-cultural and ethical awareness through establishing and enhancing youth empowerment, unity, professional development, and social cohesion.” These students’ personal stories made it clear why a young, black-led, empowerment organization is important today.
Later, we toured some of the campus, and learned about its history. Tougaloo was originally a slave plantation, so there is a lot of upsetting and unsettling history on the grounds. After listening to the history of the campus, we ventured on towards a group of students to hear about their campus life. Immediately, these students started to dance and laugh with each other and have a great time together. I really enjoyed this part because I got to see a college campus in action.
Later in the evening, we visited the Sunflower County Freedom Project. While there, we discussed past and present civil rights issues and how they relate to all of us. We then came up with issues within our community and how we might work to solve them. It was really interesting to hear different issues and perspectives, since we are a group of different students from different communities. I liked that we were talking about possible solutions and not just restating the problems.
Towards the end of the night, we watched a documentary on the school systems in Little Rock, AK. One quote that was mentioned in this documentary was one from Jesse Owens: “Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it and you'll start believing it.” I really liked this quote because it is inspiring and so full of optimism.
Jack Kalvar, The Park School of Baltimore
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