A few years ago, I was driving through northern Mississippi on my way from Jackson to Memphis and was on an old country road several miles north of Oxford. I had just seen Ole Miss, and walked through the Lyceum, which is where James Meredith was kept for protection while integrating the University of Mississippi.
However, on my way to Memphis, I crossed the Tallahatchie River, forever immortalized by Bobbie Gentry’s song; but the Tallahatchie River was the sight of something more gruesome and certainly significant to history. In 1955¸Emmett Till was murdered and his body was dumped into the river. Out of respect for Emmett Till, who was fourteen at the time of his murder, I will not expound on the grim details.
The reason for my bringing up Mr. Till is we have to realize kids gave their lives during Jim Crow and the struggle for Civil Rights. Till was murdered because of a childhood prank (and that is even disputed). Till’s murder provided a spark which would encourage Dr. King to speak out and Mrs. Parks to refuse to be humiliated on a bus, but he was not the only child to die during the Civil Rights era.
Plenty of children gave their lives for integration. Why would they, at such a young age, make such a sacrifice? They stood their ground for Civil Rights because they understood where their place was, and they rejected that place. These kids wanted better lives. Civil Rights activist Anne Moody in her book Coming of Age in Mississippi describes how Till’s murder affected her. It made her stand up against oppression. Other kids, some whose voices were silenced by bigotry forever, were also horrified by Till’s murder and took a stand.
Kids wanted an education and equality so badly that they fought off police dogs and fire hoses. They took beatings from merciless police officers to say “Yes we can.” They were consumed by fire as their churches exploded, struck down by an assassin’s bullet, or hung from a tree. SOME OF THESE BRUTALITIES HAPPENED TO KIDS WANTING A BETTER FUTURE.
Their death and heartache was not in vain.
We as teachers, regardless of race, must acknowledge the past as we approach the future. These kids defied what was expected of them. They rejected their place in Mississippi and DARED for something better; many understood they would be making a sacrifice for the future. We have to honor their deaths by looking at every child as a POSITIVE voice of the future. In addition, as teachers, we must encourage our kids to reach for the stars and beyond what is expected of them. Their lives can change the world.
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I was writing this blog after doing reflection. Civil rights is very important particularly to urban teachers. My area has made much progress in integration, but more progress to an egalitarian society is needed. I wrote this blog as I was visiting San Antonio for one of my best friend’s Air Force Boot Camp graduations. The blog came to me because I was reflecting on how proud I was of my friend. I thought, “Wow, he is really taking a stand to serve his country.” A few days before, I read an article on Emmett Till, and connections were made with the notions of sacrifice.
I am a student of Civil Rights history. I fully understand that Till’s murder happened during the tail end of Jim Crow (or in the early Civil Rights era). He was being a kid and not an activist, but I think that makes the crime even more horrific. However, his crime really inspired many kids to stand up so they would not share Emmett’s faith (if I knew him I would have called him Emmett; I have learned to be personal and respectful). There were kids who took stands for Civil Rights, of which education equality was a cornerstone, whose voices hopefully were not silenced by an early grave.
I feel we as teachers must be aware of history and how that history effects our pedagogy. People died to get integrated classrooms. Remember that as you are questioning the value of cultural relevance. People died. Kids died. Be culturally relevant to honor their memories.
The MAT@USC enables aspiring teachers from across the country to earn their Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. Learn more about how MAT@USC can prepare you to become a teacher in Mississippi or nearly any other state you desire to teach in. Contact our Admissions office at 888.MAT.1USC or email us at matadmit@usc.edu for more information.
