Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov>
Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j2MFSVC09017; Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:28:31 -0500 (EST)
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:28:31 -0500 (EST)
Message-Id: <s23ff311.017@mail.jsi.com>
Errors-To: listowner@nifl.gov
Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov
Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov
Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov
Precedence: bulk
From: "Laurie Sheridan" <laurie_sheridan@worlded.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:3211] Re: Mississippi
X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 6.5.1
Status: O
Content-Length: 2865
Lines: 55
There is a wonderful book about that period, "Coming of Age in
Mississippi," written by Ann Moody, who was a student civil rights
activist in the '60's. The most recent issue of Ms. magazine has an
update on her, with a short new memoir by her of what it was like to
take part in the student sit-in at Woolworth's when she was a young
black college student in the early '60's. It's very moving,
frightening, probably gives a better picture than almost anything else
of what it was like to take part in it, be swept up in the cause and not
know what was going to happen.
Another way to learn about this period is to watch clips from "Eyes on
the Prize," a very long, multi-part, wonderful TV documentary series
about the Civil Rights movement made by Henry Hampton (and others at
Blackside Productions) which would be wonderful in the classroom, and is
very lively and interesting. But, it's in a copyright fight right now
and is not currently available, though it might be soon. It has the
most wonderful footage of civil rights activiists--some very famous now,
leaders, "ordinary" people who exhibited truly extraordinary courage and
restraint in the face of dogs, guns, fire hoses, horses, hostile police,
the Klan, etc. The footage of the elderly people demonstrating for
their civil and human rights, and speaking about it on camera, has
always moved me to tears. It is an important piece of our (recent)
history, about which I know my kids learned little in school. But there
are probably numerous ABE students who remember it, either directly or
indirectly, especially African-Americans who are now middle-aged but
grew up in the South. It's a painful story to remember, often, but well
worth drawing out in class when that's possible.
A wonderful story about the Civil Rights movement days, are also
included in an issue of "The Change Agent" on Women and LIteracy,
published earlier this year. It includes a few terrific first-person
accounts of growing up in the Jim Crow South that are really vivid and
moving, as well. See the stories by Emma Steele Brown ("My Life Story")
(Look at www.nelrc.org/changeagent or call (617) 482-9485 or one of the
SABES centers in Mass.)
Laurie
>>> AWilder106@aol.com 03/22 8:17 AM >>>
Colleagues:
It is extremely hard to write about a section of our country the way it
was thought of by some outsiders in the 60's. "Belly of the Beast" is a
quotation, there were other names for the state. But terrible things
did happen there.
Bob Moses was a leader at the time. He now advocates for algebra and
has developed a new way of teaching algebra (see the Algebra Project)
He realized that mathematics was to be the pathway out of poor schols
and into a reasonable future.He has become a community organizer for
mathematics.
The south, the old states of the Confederacy, is a complex region.
Andrea
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Oct 31 2005 - 09:50:24 EST