Going South, day 5

Posted on October 20, 2011 by yarnspinnerpress

Before entering the Southern Poverty Law Center fortress we step across the street to the Civil Rights Memorial, designed by Maya Lin who designed the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington. This one is equally iconic, although I doubt my photos will do it justice. Beneath a moving quotation by Martin Luther King Jr. is a wide bowl balanced on a thin pedestal, which weeps water. A fountain bubbles up in the center of it, revealing that the bowl is shallow, and edged with the names, just under the water, of 40 individuals who died during the 50s and 60s in the struggle for civil rights, along with some important events, such as the election of Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme court. There is no mention of Clarence Thomas. The small museum behind the memorial makes the story intensely personal and adds to our understanding of the story we pursue. Time to enter the fortress.

-m

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Going South, day 4

Posted on October 19, 2011 by yarnspinnerpress

Plans change on Monday when Wanda Henson is on a desperate search for housing and can’t meet with us. We head back north to Laruel and then east toward Montgomery. Somehow I had envisioned the Southern Poverty Law Center as a little bungalow on a hill with a warren of small offices staffed by earnest and dedicated volunteers. I almost had it right except that they do get paid, and they work in an office building that would easily house the contents of my home town. Big, with tight security and an entrance designed to foil truck bombs. It doesn’t take long to realize that they’re under siege. But you’d never know it by the attitudes encountered. These are the original bring it on people. They know the dangers. But they’re doing the work. We cannot bring up a subject or an incident that they have no knowledge of. They offer us crucial information and even more sources, and make connections between players that we had heretofore been unaware of. More on that later when my blood pressure settles down.

-m

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Going South, day 3

Posted on October 18, 2011 by yarnspinnerpress

In Meridian, we meet at the Sisters’ church, a mega church in waiting, and meet the Rev. Mike and his spectaculars where he offers splendid stories out of biblical history that scare the begeezus out of his followers. We tour the workshop where the feathers go on the angel wings, but decline the offer to view the seven-foot Satan in the utility closet. Then it’s south toward Gulfport, but we give out in Hattiesburg, and after a splendid middle eastern meal served by Hattiesburg’s lone Palestinian, we adjourn to a Days Inn and rest up for the next installment.

-m

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Going South, day 2

Posted on October 17, 2011 by yarnspinnerpress

We leave Piney Woods on Sunday morning as the young and enormously impressive student body heads for church. First it’s back to Jackson, where we meet with some older folks who remember those days of bloody yore, then take on Jerry Mitchell of the Clarion Ledger and start to digest his huge knowledge of Mississippi in its CRM years. We’re joined by Wilma, a historian, who takes us to lunch at the best bed and breakfast in the USA, and formerly owned by the head of the Klan. It’s a very beautiful faux ante vellum homel that once would have refused entranced to Wilma. Now she comments, “We built it, I figure we can eat here. Yes Ma’am”.

We linger until time is short, then head east to Meridian to meet the daughters of a man who stood up to the Klan in a very important way.

-m

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Going South, page 1

Posted on October 16, 2011 by yarnspinnerpress

After a morning flurry of stops and stocking up, I’m off on 63 south with Dennis C. heading for Jackson and points south. Dennis is stalwart and I sleep part of the way, waking up in time for Memphis. Then it’s 200 miles of pine trees and small talk, trying to stay on course and awake. In Jackson, we wander a while, waiting for the Granik-Scheuer-Stewarts to arrive, then wander some more in search of a delightful holeinthewall Indian restaurant where we’re well fed as we try to catch up on the months between our meetings. Then we head south for Piney Woods School, about which I could write several posts, except that’s not what we’re about. Beautiful campus, a little dog-eared from lack of funding, but amazing nonetheless. We sleep then meet for breakfast and get briefed on the program. It’s Sundance’s Film Forward festival, and Winter’s Bone is one of the two films featured. We do a run back up to Jackson State for a showing, a discussion and getting acquainted. Dennis and I play with a young fiddler who goes by the name of Lazy Boy, then Dennis heads home while I join the crew officially and we begin what becomes daily discussions of what the story is, how to assimilate what we’re learning and what some potential outcomes might be. The task is enormous, and Piney Woods is just the beginning.

-m

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Going South, preparations

Posted on October 5, 2011 by yarnspinnerpress

Sunday we hit the ground running again, me to try and get everything done that has to be done before I can head south and east on an extended research trip; Sarah heading west to Arizona then up to Utah, visiting family and trying to wear out her camera on the scenery of the western U.S. that she sometimes gets so homesick for.

On the immediate agenda — find the puppy a safe hangout for the duration of the trip (or longer). Pay the bills. Firm up the itinerary so we know as much as we can of the upcoming schedule, and bring in the houseplants, because this lovely fall weather may not last till October’s end without a dip into freezing temps. That would not make the hibiscus happy, and keeping the hibiscus happy is one of my jobs. More to come.

-m

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Business Continues

Posted on October 4, 2011 by yarnspinnerpress

So you would think everything would slow down after the tour was over, yes? But no. There was figuring up, then settling up, then cleaning up, then finding all the things I’d set aside to be dealt with after the tour, then dealing with them, and on it goes.

Now I’m sitting in a Springfield hotel on a Saturday night after playing for the gala dinner celebrating a successful meeting of the Missouri Literary Society. We offered a reasonably good show, got fed a better than average dinner, sold some merch and schmoozed with some folks dressed better than we were. A good night, and now a rest before the drive home tomorrow.

-m

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