PHOTOS BY HARRIS

I was introduced to Shelby, Mississippi, in January, 2013. I was on my way to speak with a group of students participating in after-school programming called “Peer Power and Students Involved in Community Change.” When I asked for driving directions, I was told, “it’s a green building across from the old depot.” I felt a bit uneasy driving to the Delta for the first time with no GPS, but after that trip, I realized #1, a GPS isn’t too helpful in some parts, and #2, there was no way to miss the bright green 1012 Fratesi building in Shelby, Miss. The talk went well and the scholars were wonderful. The week after the presentation, Anne Preus, the director of the program, let me know that the scholars started a journalism club as a result of my message. She asked if I would come back, and without hesitation, I returned. I started to document their stories, and capture the achievement that takes place after school in a building with walls full of encouragement and scholarship, rooms filled with the energy and wit of youth, and rooms filled with the love and encouragement that has made an impact on the 476 students who have participated in Peer Power and SICC. Two journalism students, DJ Jones and Amanda Wilson, have traveled with me to document their stories of empowerment. — MIKKI K. HARRIS, MEEK SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR