Sounds like a fascinating trip. Glad you could make it over here and see some of the country. I've never been to Europe and would love to go. =^)
Since you're exploring the history, if you can, try to pick up some info about how horribly the share croppers were exploited, not to mention the bondmen and bondwomen ( slaves ) prior to and after our Civil War. According to my grandmother cotton hurts to pick.
There was a lot institutionalized raced-based violence going on in the South (Upper and Lower). It's harder to do now because of passage of the Civil Rights Acts and the Voting Rights Act ( which our supreme court may have just significantly weakened ). My great-grandfather was a sharecropper( he was born in 1871 and died in 1972) and HIS mother was a freed slave, hence born into slavery. Hence this history is still not that far away.
The South is absolutely beautiful in its flora and fauna and has wonderful food and cultural elements. And socially folks can be quite hospitable. I spent every summer in either Virginia where my grandmother was from ( my great grandfather was from North Carolina ) or Maryland ( where my mother was from ) when I was a kid. However there's a whole complex history there, like a diamond with all its flaws.
You'll probably see the info above as overkill and probably an intrusion on your fun so I apologize if that's the message sent. It's not meant that way.
Racial conflict and institutionalized racism has existed in EVERY part of this country from its inception. We should be justifiably proud at the progress we've made but we still have a long way to go ( especially in the wake of some reactions to having our first black president ). And the South, including Mississippi, was ground zero for much of that conflict.
Why don't always tell our whole history in this country especially to visitors, let alone ourselves, and I don't want you to miss out on knowing about that.
And yes I am African American =^)
Please enjoy the rest of your vacation and visit. We are glad to have you and we hope you come back! =^)
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regna
(no subject)
Date: 2013-07-21 05:09 pm (UTC)Since you're exploring the history, if you can, try to pick up some info about how horribly the share croppers were exploited, not to mention the bondmen and bondwomen ( slaves ) prior to and after our Civil War. According to my grandmother cotton hurts to pick.
There was a lot institutionalized raced-based violence going on in the South (Upper and Lower). It's harder to do now because of passage of the Civil Rights Acts and the Voting Rights Act ( which our supreme court may have just significantly weakened ). My great-grandfather was a sharecropper( he was born in 1871 and died in 1972) and HIS mother was a freed slave, hence born into slavery. Hence this history is still not that far away.
The South is absolutely beautiful in its flora and fauna and has wonderful food and cultural elements. And socially folks can be quite hospitable. I spent every summer in either Virginia where my grandmother was from ( my great grandfather was from North Carolina ) or Maryland ( where my mother was from ) when I was a kid. However there's a whole complex history there, like a diamond with all its flaws.
Mississippi had a particularly interesting role. Look up the death of civil rights activist Medgar Evers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medgar_Evers#Assassination) who was assassinated in 1963 and whose killer wasn't convicted until 1994. There was also the death of 3 civil rights activists in Mississippi in 1964 - Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwermer and James Earl Chaney (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_civil_rights_workers_murders). And there was the horrible death of Emmett Till (http://en.wikhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_civil_rights_workers_murdersipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till).
You'll probably see the info above as overkill and probably an intrusion on your fun so I apologize if that's the message sent. It's not meant that way.
Racial conflict and institutionalized racism has existed in EVERY part of this country from its inception. We should be justifiably proud at the progress we've made but we still have a long way to go ( especially in the wake of some reactions to having our first black president ). And the South, including Mississippi, was ground zero for much of that conflict.
Why don't always tell our whole history in this country especially to visitors, let alone ourselves, and I don't want you to miss out on knowing about that.
And yes I am African American =^)
Please enjoy the rest of your vacation and visit. We are glad to have you and we hope you come back! =^)