Student Blog

To my surprise, the greatest experience I think I have had so far this summer came from the public speaking class this week.  The Greenville Renaissance Scholars, a program in Greenville similar to the Freedom Project, invited us to compete in a Declaration of Independence speech competition.  We made this activity optional for the students and to my surprise over half my public speaking class wanted to participate.  I took these students out of the regular class to work on the Declaration for the next three days.  Memorization was optional, and the excerpt was pretty long so I did not expect many students to choose this route.  Again, I was pleasantly surprised when five of the students decided they were going to try their hardest to memorize the speech by Thursday.  Over the next few days we worked really hard to get this speech down.  We emphasized speaking with feeling and trying to get in the mindset of the men who wrote those powerful words.  The students really got into it.  I hadn’t seen this kind of drive or effort out of them in any other public speaking exercise.

The hardest thing for the students ended up being pronunciation.  Words like “evinces” and “usurpations” really gave them trouble during all of their practice runs.  We worked on this so much the first few days then had to move on and focus on delivery and memorization, so the day of the competition I was nervous about the students getting stuck on those tough words.  It turns out I had no reason to be nervous.  The students blew me away.  Those who were nervous and shy walked up and spoke with confidence.  Those who had worked so hard to memorize as much as they could had great eye contact and delivered most of the speech from memory.

My favorite moment came from Mr. Williams, a first year student who really struggled with the speech all week.  He got up, began to read the speech, and started to stumble over the words.  The audience started to get a little restless as he worked his way slowly through the speech, as he had done many times in practices, struggling to overcome the laughter of his peers.  I was so afraid he was going to give up, but he kept going. Slowly and steadily he read, until he reached the word “usurpations.”  He paused.  Then he said it perfectly, and finished the speech.  As he walked back to his seat his classmates high-fived him and cheered.  I actually teared up.  Just to see the growth of these kids over the few days we had been working together was so touching.  They were a team.  And Mr. Williams, through all his struggles with words, pronounced “usurpations” as well as the best speakers in the room.  Overall this was an amazing week, and I cannot wait for my last week in the Delta and then an awesome week at Ole Miss.

-Rachel Willis, a member of the Ole Miss Class of 2011, is currently interning with the Freedom Project.  She teaches Writing, Public Speaking, and Confilct Resolution.

On January 18th, we traveled to Memphis to meet SCFP Co-founder, Shawn Raymond, Freedom Summer 2009 intern Olivia Manne, and SCFP Family member Neal Manne. They were joining us for a day of reflection, education, and entertainment. We spent time in the city touring the National Civil Rights Museum and learning about the legacy of Martin Luther King and countless other Civil Rights leaders.

After a delicious lunch, where our students grilled Mr. Manne and Mr. Raymond about the world of law among other topics, we then followed up with our own discussion of what dreams our students had (which you can read in earlier posts.) Our Freedom Fellows talked about dreams, goals, disappointments, expectations, and plans for their future.

To top it all off, we went to see the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies basketball team play the Phoenix Suns. Many thanks to Mr. Mike Heisley, the Grizzlies staff and players, and Mr. Manne for making this all possible. It was a great game and even better day spending time with our SCFP Family!

A Fiddler on the Roof?

“Sounds crazy, no? But in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. You many ask, why do we stay up here if it’s so dangerous? We stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in a word- TRADITION!” – Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein

Last Sunday, Freedom Fellows and Greenville Renaissance Scholars attended the musical performance, Fiddler on the Roof, in Greenville, Mississippi.

After reading the play and learning about Jewish culture, the tradition of arranged marriages, and the proper use of Mazeltov, our Fellows were ready to experience what turned out to be a great performance.

We’re channeling the amazing energy of the show to get ready for our upcoming performance in North Carolina. Get ready for a great show! L’ Chaim!

From the world of Sports and the town of Indianola, Mississippi, Freedom Fellow DeMarcus Gillespie, an aspiring sports commentator in the eighth grade, we bring you his take on the latest in Sports News.

My thoughts and opinions on: Kornheiser’s Suspension

Sportscenter’s TV show, Pardon The Interruption (PTI) has a co-host named Tony Kornheiser who made some necessary, but inappropriate comments on Hannah Storm’s wardrobe on his radio show. It was necessary because it’s his show and that’s part of the normal sports talk to have people laughing.

He described Hannah Storm’s wardrobe as a “horrifying, horrifying outfit” as well other comments. As a result, he was suspended for two weeks from ESPN’s PTI talk show. It could have been anybody but his colleague. Since, she also works at ESPN, he should have known something like that was going to happen.

My advice: Keep doing your job and have more respect for the people you work with.

Read more about this in the articles below and feel free to post any comments.

Signing off,

DeMarcus Gillespie

References:
1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/23/tony-kornheiser-suspended_n_473491.html
2) http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4939740

I have a dream that one day a better day is coming for Gentry High School. I have a dream that the kids will pass their state tests and bring our scores up. I have a dream. I have a dream that the Governor and the State won’t have to shut down Gentry but have faith we kids can pass the test and say “Well done, Gentry, well done.”

I have a dream that Indianola, MS will have better jobs that will pay us well and bring food to the table. I have a dream. I have a dream. I have a dream that I will be good and great in whatever I do. I have a dream.

I have a dream that I will be a Republican Senator of New York and the man in charge of the White House.

-David Stevenson, 5th Year

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Freedom Project took 9 students to Memphis to visit the National Civil Rights Museum, meet up with other members of the SCFP family, and see a Memphis Grizzlies’ Game. To attend, students completed “I have a Dream” essays.

A dream that I have for myself is to go through college because both of my parents dropped out of college. To be a police officer or to play football. The dream I want for my community is to make it better. On way I can do that is to teach people how to stay out of trouble. Stop fighting. I wish someone could get more buildings around my community. Maybe have one where kids can come hang out.

This is also part of my dream because when I get older I want to help people that don’t have anything. By helpng my community I can use this as a start. I think my community can get better if more people join the Freedom Project because it helped me. At first I was scared to talk in front of people.

I believe this is a good way to stop people from hurting other people. Because if like one side of my community has blacks on it and one side has whites on it, if we go on their side they would have their dogs chase us. If they come to the store on our side, they would run to their cars. I believe if we can stop all of that, things can change.

-Latavius Pleas, 1st Year

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Freedom Project took 9 students to Memphis to visit the National Civil Rights Museum, meet up with other members of the SCFP family, and see a Memphis Grizzlies’ Game. To attend, students completed “I have a Dream” essays.

My dream is to never be hurt again and I will love to see my African-American people rise. All through my life, I have had pain in my heart. I fit wasn’t from my daddy leaving me, it was something else. I am fourteen years old and have more hurt and problems than an adult. I am so tied of people saying I’m sorry and then go back and do the same thing again. I just want to forgive and let go, but how can I when things keep punching me in the face. I would love for it to stop!

My second dream is for my African-American people. I want you people to rise and stop letting our ancestors down. We are the next people to become something but how can we, when we are not focused. we are taking education for a joke and that’s something that our people died for. You need to be in gear because we are the ones that hold the future for tomorrow. This is part of my hurt because I am so tired of being real and loving people. I give people all of my heart and then the African-Americans are the ones who hurt me. My own black people are the ones who turn their backs against me.

-Latoysha Brown, 2nd Year

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Freedom Project took 9 students to Memphis to visit the National Civil Rights Museum, meet up with other members of the SCFP family, and see a Memphis Grizzlies’ Game. To attend, students completed “I have a Dream” essays.

I have a dream that I would like to see come true. I would like to attend Duke University and I want to major in Medical Technologies. While I’m on my road to success, I will have smaller goals and obstacles to pass. I have friends, family, and teachers who will push me to strive for the best.

Tests are a major obstacle that I have to study hard for. Passing these tests are just a couple of steps toward college. Also, ignoring trash talking students will boost up your confidence to succeed. Playing sports and juggling schoolwork is kinda hard. So I’m trying to get my work done first and assiduously focus on sports later.

-Primus Apolonio, 2nd Year

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Freedom Project took 9 students to Memphis to visit the National Civil Rights Museum, meet up with other members of the SCFP family, and see a Memphis Grizzlies’ Game. To attend, students completed “I have a Dream” essays.

My dreams are to graduate High School and go to college, maybe Texas A&M University or the University of North Carolina. Make many life long friends. And to graduate from college and go straight into my job. A marine biologist become well known then at age of 65. And to get a family and move back home to help out the community.

So when I move back home I hope to see that everyone is moving back to help with the delta. And we will sit down and reminisce about old times. And then talk about what we need to change and then have a town meeting and discuss everything we need to do. So after we meet we all will go into the community and see if the change is happening. And if nothing changes we all will have to start. Remember Margaret Mead sad that “never doubt that a small group of individuals can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

So now when everybody sees that the way we’re going we are not moving forward, so they will help. Altogether we can make a change. And then Sunflower and the delta can come out and become the place that I know it can be. Then, hopefully everyone with each other and one accord. Remember Li Jun Fan said, “There is no weapon more deadly than the will.” If you remember this, where there is a way, you will always be on top.

-Michael Burse, 5th Year

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Freedom Project took 9 students to Memphis to visit the National Civil Rights Museum, meet up with other members of the SCFP family, and see a Memphis Grizzlies’ Game. To attend, students completed “I have a Dream” essays.

My dream for myself is to live my life right as I can. My main dream is to stay in school, graduate, go to college, and get a degree. My only way to reach these goals is to challenge myself and get motivated. Many people say that I won’t make it but I know where my future is heading. I won’t let a lot of people get in they way of what I want to be in life. For example, Martin Luther King had to go through hard challenges to get where he wanted to be. Without hims, whites and blacks wouldn’t have come together as one. When I first heard Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech, I knew I could do better. I always can put a lot of effort in what I do. A lot of effort is all I take to keep going. Judgment and stupidness is not going to get i my way of being somebody one day. Like what my superintendent said, “Don’t let stupid be your friend.” If I don’t do my best, I can always try harder the next time.

My dream for my community is to talk to someone I know someone I can trust to make everyone come together as one to clean up trash, recycle, fix our streets, and tear down everything that my community does not need. Sunflower is having a hard time and no one wants to make a difference but I know that my community can be a better place to live in. My main dream for my community is to make sure it is safe and environmentally clean. With my effort and skills, my dreams will come true.

-Johnnie Mae Williams, 2nd Year

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Freedom Project took 9 students to Memphis to visit the National Civil Rights Museum, meet up with other members of the SCFP family, and see a Memphis Grizzlies’ Game. To attend, students completed “I have a Dream” essays.

I have a dream. Every man that has ever set foot on this earth knows what dreams are. Now, the dictionary states that dreams are a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep. I believe that there is more to dreams than just that. It’s those back-up batteries people use to push on. Dreams are what inspires us to be all that we can be. As an American I definitely have some big dreams of my own.

As an African American and a teenager, I know what it is like to have no hope. That is one of the reasons I joined the Freedom Project. I not only believe in myself but in others as well. I have always known that I could make it to greatness. There are so many things I want to do to change this world that we live in.

First, I would like to give back to the community from which I came. My grandmother always told me, “Make sure you know where you going, child, but never forget where you came from.” I take this to heart. I could start by helping those in need, such as the elderly. I would also like to introduce other surrounding areas to the Freedom Project. Something else that I plan to accomplish is to become an anthropologist and a doctor. I really enjoy learning about others’ cultures. It fascinates me to see people be content with their lives even though they have so little. i know that this may seem out of my range, but nothing can stop me. That is my dream.

-Mykia Clayton, 3rd Year

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Freedom Project took 9 students to Memphis to visit the National Civil Rights Museum, meet up with other members of the SCFP family, and see a Memphis Grizzlies’ Game. To attend, students completed “I have a Dream” essays.