A Guide to the Mississippi Freedom Project (2021)

A GUIDE TO THE:

Mississippi Freedom Project The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program

July 12-19, 2021

13th Annual Trip

The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program's (SPOHP) thirteenth annual Mississippi Freedom Project (MFP) fieldwork trip will take place from July 12th-19th. The MFP is an award-winning fieldwork initiative focused on interviewing civil rights veterans and participants of Freedom Summer in 1964, but also includes the voices of contemporary activists, local politicians, labor organizers, educators, and students throughout the Mississippi delta. Each year the research team records new interviews for the Mississippi Freedom Project Archive.

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What is the Significance of the Mississippi Freedom Project?

This week-long fieldwork trip is one of the few "study abroad" opportunities at UF that do not charge tuition or fees, and it provides rare opportunities for students to form personal relationships with individuals and groups whose Civil Rights work changed the course of history.

Every year, we receive many more applicants than we have space on the trip. While the students' primary objective is to conduct interviews, they also perform required readings, attend trainings and orientations, facilitate public events during the trip, attend workshops, sing freedom songs, write reflections, transcribe interviews, and participate in post-trip analyses and production.

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Fieldwork Team OMAR SANCHEZ

PROJECT COORDINATOR I am this year’s coordinator for the Mississippi Freedom Project. I recently graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors in English and I hope to go to graduate school for Education Policy.

The Mississippi Freedom Trip, which I also attended in 2019, has changed my life because what I’ve learned on the trip I would’ve never learned in the classroom. This experience put me on the path to becoming an academic one day.

RESEARCHERS SARISHA BOODOO STUDENT

I was born and raised in upstate New York to two immigrant parents from Trinidad and Tobago.

With my passions rooted in the intersections of environmental and social issues, I am pursuing degrees in Political Science and Sustainability Studies. During my free time, you can find me cooking up new recipes, thrifting, or practicing my

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newfound love for roller skating! I am eager to learn about the importance of oral histories, especially in sustaining the histories and narratives of Black activists, leaders, and community members.

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NIKOLAS BRONTO STUDENT

II’m a fourth-year Advertising Major with a Minor in Family, Youth and Community Sciences. I am involved in the Asian American community at UF and hope to go into the Advertising industry as a creative. I have also served as part of the UF Preview Orientation Staff to welcome incoming first-year and transfer students as they transition into the University of Florida. I applied to MFP program because I wanted to learn about the history of the Civil Rights Movement from those who experienced it and contextualize the past to inform the present and future.

ERICK CHAVEZ STUDENT

I am a third-year undergrad in International Studies. I am from Fort Walton Beach, Florida. I identify as Mexican American, and I am a firstgeneration college student. I love learning more about social and cultural movements around the world.

I hope that this trip enriches my college education and allows me to have a greater grasp of the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s.

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JAMIE DOUGLAS

SPOHP STAFF

I’m a senior Digital Film and TV Production major at the University of Florida. I have a passion for filmmaking that reflects my desire to collect and communicate the rich and inspiring stories of marginalized people. I was born to two Jamaican parents in Miami and was raised in Broward County.

Through my Jamaican heritage, I encountered many stories that gave context and meaning to my experience in the world. Furthermore, SPOHP has awakened within me not only a love for history but a profound awareness of the necessity to study history. I am motivated by the drive to live a life where I can continue to research, interview, and synthesize all I learn into visual content that is accessible and engaging.

KRISTIN GARY

STUDENT

I am a Chicago native, a granddaughter of Arkansas and Mississippi Deltans, and an alumna of Philander Smith College and Florida A&M University. I am a second-year PhD student in Political Science who studies the relationship between migration rates in the Delta and Black civil society.

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AYSIA GILBERT STUDENT

I am a second year studying history and African American studies at the University of Florida. I have conducted extensive research on the history of African Americans in relation to the University of Florida, leading to publications in a local newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator, and UF's history journal, Alpata. Additionally, I am a member of the Presidential Task Force at UF working to rename controversial campus buildings. I am passionate about African American liberation and ensuring the stories of African descendants are amplified in history.

RONAN HART

STUDENT

I am a third year undergraduate history major at the University of Florida. I have a deep love for history, so I’m excited to learn how to record oral histories and to hear stories from participants in the Civil Rights Movement. As an activist, I look forward to learning what strategies and attitudes made these organizers so successful. I haven’t spent any time in the region we’re traveling to, so I’m looking forward to the new experiences this trip will bring. In my free time, I enjoy reading, watching movies, cooking, and hiking.

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RACHEL HUJSA

SPOHP STAFF

I graduated from UF in Spring 2021 with a dual degree in Music, with a focus in oboe performance, and History. I have worked for SPOHP for two years, where I handle our social media accounts, design digital and print content, and occasionally draw oral history comics.

Next Fall, I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where I hope to learn more about how the law can be used to affect social change. In my free time, I enjoy listening to podcasts of the cold case variety and hiking, sometimes simultaneously.

SAJA HUSSEIN STUDENT

I'm currently a rising senior at the University of Florida with a double major in Political Science and International Studies focusing on the Middle East on the pre-law track. I love thrifting, sunset watching, working out, and making embroidery in my free time. I'm currently a Director for the Gatorship program here at UF. This position aids in my value of oral history, as social justice is simply not possible without it. I'm incredibly excited to hear the stories of the Delta region firsthand, given its monumental role in the Civil Rights Movement.

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LAUREN KING

STUDENT

I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. I’m starting my fourth year as an undergraduate student at UF, where I study history, political science, and African American studies. My favorite days are spent reading books, watching people play music, or exploring the Gulf and its mangroves.

I’m honored and excited to be on this trip—to get to know the communities and to hear new stories.

RACHEL KHOURY

STUDENT

I am a recent University of Florida graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and African American Studies as well as a minor in Innovation. As an aspiring Civil Rights lawyer, I am engaged in social justice organizations such as: the NAACP, Dream Defenders, the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project, Food Justice UF, and more.

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ADOLFHO ROMERO SPOHP STAFF

I am a UF Spring graduate in Latin American Studies, and have worked for the past two years with SPOHP. I enjoy learning the history of the south and wish to help establish solidarity between communities. I am part of the Alachua County Labor Coalition and intern at The Farmworkers Association of Florida. Being involved in the community and creating change is what I strive for. On the side, I enjoy nature walks, listening to podcasts, and watching films.

NUSHRAT NUR

GRADUATE STUDENT I graduated from UF with a bachelor's in Journalism and am currently an incoming public health graduate student at Emory University. I love photojournalism, writing, working out, and trying desperately to keep my many plants alive. As a journalist and prospective healthcare professional, I've always valued oral history for its intrinsically human nature.

I'm incredibly excited to be offered the chance to listen to people's stories in the Delta region. I know that as they recount an important time in Civil Rights history, we might also gain insight as to how we can obtain a more just future.

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JASMIN WOOTEN

GRADUATE STUDENT

I am a second-year graduate student in the Sport Management masters program. I love to read, watch sports and documentaries, bake, and spend time with loved ones in my free time.

Since I was a child, I've always been interested in history, especially history relating to the Black experience in America. I'm incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to learn about the history of the Delta region, especially from those who experienced it first hand.mo

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS MR. CORNELIUS CLAYTON JR. VIETNAM WAR VETERAN, PHOTOGRAPHER, and UNOFFICIAL MAYOR OF MELROSE

Mr. Cornelius Clayton Jr., a Vietnam War Veteran, is a longtime friend of SPOHP. After returning home from Vietnam, Mr. Clayton worked at Shands Teaching Hospital, using his GI Bill to earn an associate's degree at Santa Fe. While he was working towards his bachelor's at UF, he began to experience PTSD. He says that his passion for photography, which he has enjoyed since he was 12 years old, helped him overcome PTSD. Today, he serves as a beloved leader of the Melrose community.

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MS. BRITTANY CLARKE

TEACHER - GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL After earning her bachelor's in African American History from the University of Florida, Brittany entered the educational sector to explore her passion for teaching and youth mentorship. She has spent the last year at Gainesville High School overseeing students in their academic progress and instructing them in English and History content areas. In addition to her primary job functions, she has worked throughout her local community through service organizations, as an intern at Peaceful Paths- Domestic Abuse Shelter for Women and as a volunteer at St. Francis Supportive Housing shelter.

MS. KENDRIANA DRAYTON-MILLER TEACHER - WESTWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL

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Kendriana earned her degree in African American history at the University of Florida. Kendriana has over six years of educational career field experience ranging from working at Santa Fe College as a lead tutor and mentor for the College Reach out Program, a Behavioral Intervention Specialist working with students in grades 6-12, instructing group sessions on social, emotional and career development at A. Quinn Jones Center for student excellence, and has direct classroom experience as a full-time Language Arts: Cambridge and research instructor.

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SPOHP LEADERSHIP

DEBORAH HENDRIX

DIGITAL HUMANITIES COORDINATOR

Deborah Hendrix, who has worked with the program since 2000, studied marine biology, then medical technology, and later studied graphic design and history. She has taught digital humanities production including audio and video editing, videography, oral history interviewing, and final production to thousands of students, staff, and faculty at the University of Florida and throughout the United States. Deborah manages SPOHP’s 7,500+ collection of oral history interviews and making these ultimately accessible to students, scholars, and members of the general public.

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PROGRAM DIRECTOR

PAUL ORTIZ

PROFESSOR and ORAL HISTORIAN Paul Ortiz is director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and professor of history at the University of Florida. He is a third-generation military veteran and a first-generation college graduate. He began oral history fieldwork in the Mississippi Delta in the summer of 1995 as a graduate researcher for Duke University's NEH-funded Behind the Veil: Documenting African American Life in the Jim Crow South." Paul's book, An African American and Latinx History of the United States was the recipient of the 2018 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence. He is also the author of Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida from Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920. Paul is currently finishing the co-edited book, People Power: History, Organizing, and Larry Goodwyn’s Democratic Vision in the Twenty-First Century which will be published by the University Press of Florida in July 2021. The Book Launch for People Power will take place during this MFP trip on July 16th at the Elaine Legacy Center.

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Previous Participant Reflections “When I was growing up in Lee County, Florida, kids were...taught that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, that Florida was the ‘breadbasket of the Confederacy’ and that the United States was the global model for democracy. But the kids were never taught their history...One of the biggest hurdles America has to tackle is the reform of its public education system. While we have collected and preserved these histories, our efforts will be in vain if they are not easily accessible by the public or taught in schools. While you can’t make every high schooler a historian, you can give them the tools to become critical thinkers. Historians like to say that ‘history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.’ The MFP taught me that if we’re ever going to break the cycle of rhymes we’re going to have to start with education.”

- Julian Valdivia, MFP 2019

“Being a participant on this trip showed me how much American history I truly did not know about, let alone understand...If every history student in America had the opportunity to conduct interviews in the Mississippi Delta, I would be elated, because the stories I heard have changed me. Traveling the Mississippi Delta conducting interviews was intensive and tiring, but worth it. Actively listening to the stories of my fellow brothers and sisters gave me a new perspective. Most importantly, I want to make it my mission to make sure that others understand the importance of oral history. Marginalized people telling their stories helps to begin the healing process of this country’s sins.”

- Sarah Louis. MFP 2019 14

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Itinerary Monday, July 12, 2021: Departure from Gainesville (Tallahassee, Florida) 6:00 am: Departure from Gainesville 8:00 am: Stop at Monticello and visit Mr. John Nelson - Conduct interviews with African American Vietnam War Veterans 11:30 am: Lunch Reception at home of Samuel and Thelma Dixie 12:30 pm: Interviews with African American Elders in Tallahassee 3:00 pm: Depart for Jackson, Mississippi Team Meeting 8:00 pm: Arrive Hotel: Jackson, Mississippi

Tuesday, July 13, 2021: Jackson, Mississippi 7:00 am: Breakfast 8:00 am: Team meeting, hotel lobby 9:00 am: MS Tour Civil Rights Museum 12:00 pm: Lunch on your own 2:00 pm: Meet with community organizers 6:00 pm: Team Dinner in Jackson, Mississippi 8:00 pm: Team Meeting

Wednesday, July 14, 2021: Glendora, Mississippi/ Elaine, Arkansas 6:00 am: Load vans, Breakfast 7:00 am: Depart for Glendora, Mississippi 9:15 am: Tour Emmett Till Memorial 1:30 pm: Depart for Elaine, Arkansas 3:00 pm: Arrive at the Elaine Legacy Center.

3:30 pm: Tour Elaine with Dr. Mary Olson 7:00 pm: Dinner in Elaine Check-in, Best Western Inn, West Helena Team Meeting

Thursday, July 15, 2021: Elaine, Arkansas 6:00 am: Breakfast 7:30 am: Leave for Elaine Legacy Center 9:00 am: Day of Service Activities Restoration of Elaine Museum/ Welcome Center 12:00 pm- 5:00pm: Oral History Interviews at Elaine Legacy Center & Homes 6:00 pm: Dinner in Elaine/ Drive back to West Helena

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Friday, July 16, 2021: Elaine, Arkansas 6:00 am: Breakfast 7:30 am: Leave for Elaine Legacy Center 9:00 am-12:00pm : Oral History Interviews at Elaine Legacy Center & Homes/ Set up for Lecture 12:00 pm: Lunch 1:00 pm- 5:00 pm: People Power Lecture and Book Signing with Dr. Ortiz 6:00 pm: Dinner in Elaine/ Drive back to West Helena

Saturday, July 17, 2021: Elaine, Arkansas 6:00 am: Breakfast 7:30 am: Leave for Elaine Legacy Center 9:00 am- 12:00 pm: Oral History Interviews at Elaine Legacy Center & Homes 12:30 pm: Lunch 1:00 pm: Depart to Montgomery, Alabama 8:00 pm: Arrive at Montgomery, Alabama Dinner on the way or Dinner in Montgomery

Sunday, July 18, 2021: Montgomery, Alabama 7:00 am: Breakfast 8:00 am: Team meeting, hotel lobby 9:00 am: Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice 12:00 pm: Lunch on your own 2:00 pm: Depart for Peace and Justice Memorial Center 2:30 pm: Discussion with Equal Justice Initiative Staff and Alachua County staff at Memorial & Reflections at the Peace and Justice Memorial Center 6:00 pm: Team Dinner in Downtown Montgomery with Elaine Legacy Center people 8:00 pm: Team Meeting

Monday, July 19, 2021: Montgomery, Alabama 7:30 am: Breakfast 8:00 am: Team meeting, hotel lobby 8:30 am: Depart for Pensacola 11:30 am: Arrive in Pensacola and lunch with Mark Proctor (Tentative) 2:00 pm: Depart for Gainesville, Florida (5 Hour Drive/ Lose an hour due to time zone change) 8:00 pm: Arrive in Gainesville, Florida

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