Greensboro gazette news flash 1st edition sept 2016

NEWS FLASH SPOTLIGHT

FALL • September 2016 • 1st Edition • Visit us online @ www.wcshc.com

Greenwood’s Eagerness to Improve the Community

Grace and Glory Making Humus

from their communities. However, in 19641965 these individuals’ sacrifices paid off and civil and voting rights were granted to African Americans. In the opinion of the author, the above victory cut a path for the present-day black elected officials in Greenwood, MS. Nevertheless, 50 years later, residents of Leflore County would agree that rejuvenation is desperately needed to improve the living and health conditions of many African Americans living in the County.

Increased cost of fresh fruits and vegetables, limited accessibility to quality foods in grocery stores, and the rise of chronic conditions are key facts/reasons to teach younger generations how to cultivate, harvest, and prepare locally grown foods. On Friday, June 24, 2016, students who attend Grace and Glory summer camp at Second Baptist Church, in Starkville, MS learned how to make humus, a protein Middle Eastern dish, from scratch. Most of the students never heard of humus before this day but they were inquisitive to learn how to make humus and more importantly, how it was going to taste. Smashing the chickpeas was the most difficult part in preparing the dish, however, through trial and error; they managed to get the consistency of the peas just right.

After adding lemon juice, black pepper, salt,

Greenwood’s Eagerness to Improve the, Continued on page 2

Grace and Glory Making Humus Continued on page 2

Photo: communitylink.com

Greenwood, MS located in Leflore County, Mississippi, is one of the cities that sit in the heart of what is affectionately known as the Mississippi Delta. Many may know of the county/city due to the horrific murder of Emmett Till in 1955. Subsequently, from 1962-1965, Greenwood became the epic center of protests and voters registration struggles during the Civil Rights Movement.

Many blacks were beaten and thrown into jail, while protesting peacefully. As a result of blacks demanding for voting rights, many whites retaliated by firing them from their jobs, evicting them from their homes and cutting off federal commodity subsidies

Pg. 4 • Remembering Booker’s Legacy in 2016!

WINSTON COUNTY SELF HELP COOPERATIVE P.O. Box 774 • Louisville, MS 39339 Phone: 601-291-2704 • Email: fltaylor@bellsouth.net • Web: www.wcshc.com “Saving Rural America”

CONNECT WITH US

Greenwood’s Eagerness to Improve the, Continued from page 1 The second week of June 2016 offered an educational course in Greenwood MS, that will be resourceful to many communities and individuals for a lifetime. Although the Winston County Self Help Cooperative mission is to provide technical support to small farmers and landowners, in addition, we provide education to communities on various

Grace and Glory Making Humus Continued from page 1 minced garlic, paprika, and cumin to taste; it was time to consume the dish. The high school volunteers placed humus, carrots, and pita chips onto small plates and served

topics. Diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other chronic illnesses have a drastic impact on rural America. Furthermore, Mississippians leads the nation in most categories referenced above.These conditions can inflict irreversible damage on individuals. Latrice Todman of WCSHC engaged in a weeklong course, to be certified to teach individuals how to self-manage their conditions.

Therefore, the Winston County Self Help Cooperative desires to assist individuals on

how to self-manage their conditions so that they can live long and fruitful lives. During the training, Todman was able to promote local farmers’ market, canning workshops and provide technical support to a new farmer. According to Todman, “The people of Greenwood are eager and interested in learning how to live sustainable lives”. Thank you, Greenwood, MS for showing an extreme amount of hospitality.

each table with enthusiasm. After prayer, everyone began to eat. There were so many comments’ echoing throughout the room such as this is busted (means good), I don’t like it (by the smaller children), and wow, this really taste good. Although, some of the students were reluctant in consuming

something new most tried it and liked it.

This was a great opportunity to expose the students to something new, healthy and full of nutrition. A warm thanks to Pastor Stone, Ms. Niya, and Ms. Tonya for the opportunity to teach your students a vital skill.

Destiney’s Daycare exposure to Farmer’s Market

WCSHC member Latrice Todman

Learn how to Preserve!

Destiney’s daycare located 202 East Main Street in Louisville, MS is filled with growing children who loves to laugh, play, and ask questions. On Tuesday, June 28, Latrice Todman, WCSHC visited the 3-5-year-old group to teach these students how they can support local farmers by eating lots of fruits and vegetables. By the end of the session, students were able to identify that farmers are responsible for the foods we consume and, therefore, supporting them is vital for mankind. When asked who wants to be a farmer in the future, two of the students shouted that their grandfathers would be giving them their four wheelers so they can be farmers.

At the end of each session, Todman show students how to exercise with input from the students. According to Todman, one of the students wanted to do push-ups, the other frog jumps and planks. After the workout, one of the students touched Todman’s undefined quadriceps and said, “what’s that?” Todman laughed and responded, “Oh that’s just fat”!

Kids are extremely observant and, therefore, it is vital to set good modeling for them!

Thanks Destiney’s daycare for allowing the Winston County Self Help Co-op to educate your students on farmers’ market, exercise, and nutrition.

This summer the WCSHC had a ton of fun traveling to various counties throughout MS, providing courses on how to preserve and can food items. Preserving is a vital skill, that we are reviving and equipping seasoned adults, young adults, and youth.

To learn more about canning and preserving visit your local extension office or use the following link https://nifa.usda.gov/pressrelease/usdas-complete-guide-homecanning-available.

(Left) WCSHC’s Rosie Harris conducts a canning workshop

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GREENSBORO GAZETTE | NEWS FLASH

Peter’s Rock Farmers’ Market

Saturday morning July 2, 2016, was indeed a busy day filled with errands, home going services and holiday travel. However, this did not inhibit Peter’s Rock Church of God in Christ in Starkville, MS, from hosting their first Farmers’ Market. Farmers big Jim (O’Jimbo

Farm, Oktibbeha County), MacArthur Carter (WCSHC) and Harvey Gordon (MMFA) were adequately prepared to service market goers with their locally grown products. Vendors lined tables with string beans, sweet corn, Lima beans, red and green tomatoes, squash, peas, watermelon, cantaloupe, eggs, and live rabbits. Individuals from all over purchased these homegrown organic products to prepare and consume for themselves and loved ones. Participating in the Farmer ‘s Market definitely brought back good memories of purchasing products from the market as a child. In the opinion of the author, nothing beats preparing meals from foods raised by local farmers.

If you are interested in hosting a farmers’ market at your church, work facility, recreation

Making Jam with Destiney’s Daycare

On Thursday, July 7, 2016, students at Destiney’s Daycare anticipated the arrival of Winston County Self Help Cooperative members, to be taught how to make strawberry jam. However, when Ms. Rosie Harris arrived, it was revealed that the time of the workshop was miscommunicated.

Nonetheless this did not prevent the workshop from going forward. Ms. Rosie diligently went through the steps and

ingredients needed to prepare jam with the students in the morning and returned at 1:00 pm to demonstrate the steps.

Promptly at 1:00 pm Ms. Rosie began her demonstration with pots on the burners and students eager to listen, stir, and consume.

During her presentation, she was asked so many questions like, “can I stir”,“can I go next”, “let me see”, and etc. She answered each request with ease and sensitivity. While the strawberry mixture was jamming, Ms. Rosie encouraged students to obtain a degree in agriculture. She expressed how beneficial they would be to their communities if they undertook a career in agriculture.

Furthermore, she educated students on the opportunity to receive a full scholarship if they attend an 1890 University (a land grant institution that is a Historically Black College/ University). Many students’ and teachers’ ears perched at this information. After the jam

club or any public areas please contact frank Taylor at 601-291-2704 or Latrice at 662-4462423. On the behalf of Winston County Self Help Co-op, we extend a warm thank you to Pastor Joseph Hawkins and the Peter’s Rock church family!

was completely finished and ready to pour into the mason jars, students eagerly lined up. The older kids allowed the younger kids to go first since they needed the step stool to reach the counter top. Next the larger kids took turns pouring jam into the mason jars.

Of course the kids were ready to sample the jam right then and there but were unable to do so due to no biscuits. According to Ms. Deb, the owner of Destiney’s Daycare, “PawPaw will make biscuits on Monday, so that we can use the jam”. Sounds like we all should make a trip to Destiney’s on Monday, July 11, 2016.

Canning Can Lead to New Generational Farmer The youth of MS thoroughly enjoyed learning how to prepare strawberry jam this summer. Ms. Rosie Harris, our canning facilitator, did a phenomenal job guiding our students in the art of canning. It was interesting to see how hands on demonstration piqued students’ interest and curiosity to prepare additional items. Furthermore, many students expressed their interest of being future farmers as a result

of tasting their labor. In fact, several students signed up to be a part of the Winston County Self Help Youth group.

This was profound for us, because we as a co-op understand the importance of recruiting new generational farmers to continue the legacy of farming in MS. Therefore, we believe canning is a beneficial route to use to identify, recruit, and cultivate new beginning farmers. Let’s keep canning!

GREENSBORO GAZETTE | NEWS FLASH

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Remembering Booker’s Legacy in 2016!

By Latrice Todman Email: tarieltwcshc@gmail.com

August of 1998, my parents dropped me off to Hampton University, to start my new journey in life. I was a small freshman trying to figure out how to adjust in my new world.

One of my many courses included University 101, a mandatory class for every student to take at Hampton. This course was used to enlightened students on Hampton’s rich history. Among our many lessons, I learned that Booker T. Washington, not only walked many miles to attend Hampton, but he is revered as Hampton’s most illustrious alumni. Booker’s impact on the University is witnessed everyday by students who passes his stature on their way to class. However, his impact does not stop at Hampton, but travels down to Tuskegee University, Hampton’s sister school. Booker became the first president of Tuskegee and he left a lasting impression not only on the University, but the South as well.

This summer 2016, I dropped my oldest child off to Tuskegee for a summer enrichment program I was able to experience Booker’s dedication and hard work. Understanding his sacrifice of traveling around the world to improve the lives of African Americans during his era is astonishing. Instead, of fighting Jim Crow directly, he wanted to enhance the lives

of African Americans through education and entrepreneurship. Through his approach, he was able to master the political scene and manipulate the media,raise money,strategize, network, reward friends and punish those who opposed his plans. His home, which was built by the hands of students, displayed the gratitude and respect individuals had for him and his family. I am so grateful that my daughter was able to be a part of history this summer. Hopefully, her experience will guide her to choose a historically black college or university post high school. Lastly, thank you Mr. Washington for your efforts to banned disenfranchisement of Blacks in the South.

Editor: WCSHC Team Leader Frank Taylor | Email: fltaylor@bellsouth.net | Phone: 601-291-2704 Layout and Design: www.MarqueusDraper.com