July 4, 2012
Mound Bayou, Mississippi

Gentle Reader,


We journeyed to Mound Bayou, a community founded by ex-slaves in 1887.  There is a strong connection to the philosophy of the founder of New Harmony, Indiana, which was set up by Robert Owen.  Scott and I were just in New Harmony a couple weeks ago, seeing God of Carnage at the playhouse there.  It is the town with the meditative labyrinth...

We were greeted by Mayor Johnson when we entered Mound Bayou.  He hopped onto our bus, our "traveling classroom," and talked to us about some of the history and current happenings in Mound Bayou.  He's been the mayor since 2001, and this is the greeting he offers to folks on the Mound Bayou website:



Welcome to Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Since 1887, the city of Mound Bayou has been committed to supporting citizens around the world. We are a full service community, having a Police Department, schools, health center, parks, housing, and grocery stores.

Since joining the city family in July 2001, my wife and I have always enjoyed living here in Mound Bayou. I invite you to explore our website and see what we have to offer. I would also encourage you to come and visit Mound Bayou and experience firsthand the southern hospitality of life in Mound Bayou. We think you will see quickly why Mound Bayou will be a place you would call home. I hope to meet you soon.

Best Wishes,
Mayor Kennedy Johnson     

Isaiah T. Montgomery

In the 1820's, influenced by the philosophy of Robert Owen on utopian communities,Joseph Davis (brother of Jefferson Davis) decided to create a model slave community on his plantation.  This was an incredibly radical idea, as many of the jobs that were usually assigned to whites were given to blacks on the planation.  Robert Owen believed that human nature was not endowed by blood, that no one was or should be automatically assigned a station in life based only on birth (nobility, poverty, merchant class, etc...).  Instead, he believed that people were products of their experience.  Further, he believed that if one allowed people to lead good lives, they will lead good lives.  As a result, Davis conducted a radical experiment on his plantation, offering much more humane conditions for 

the workers.  They were not housed under cheap conditions; instead, there were "comfy green spaces" for habitation.  Education was encouraged on the plantation, Davis hired the best teachers for the workers, and Davis even sent his own children to the classrooms he established. After the Civil War, Davis sold his property to former slave Benjamin Montgomery, who had run a store and been a prominent leader in the Davis Bend community, where Mound Bayou traces its origin.

According to the City of Mound Bayou website, here's a thumbnail sketch of more of the history of this town: 


Benjamin Montgomery's son,Isaiah T. Montgomery, along with Benjamin Green led the founding of Mound Bayou in 1887 in wilderness in northwest Mississippi. The bottomlands of the Delta were a relatively undeveloped frontier, and blacks had a chance to clear land and acquire ownership in such areas. I. T. Montgomery led the village through the 1920s. As cotton prices fell, the town suffered a severe economic decline in the 1920s and 1930s.
Mound Bayou began to revive in 1942 after the opening of the Taborian Hospital by the International Order of Twelve Knights and Daughters of Tabor, a fraternal organization. For more than two decades, the hospital provided low-cost health care to thousands of blacks in the Mississippi Delta. The chief surgeon was Dr. T.R.M. Howard who eventually became one of the wealthiest blacks in the state. Howard owned a plantation of more than one thousand acres, home-construction firm, small zoo and built the first swimming pool for blacks in Mississippi. In 1952, Medgar Evers moved to Mound Bayou to sell insurance for Howard's Magnolia Mutual Life Insurance Company.




Throughout the years, Mound Bayou has continued its long tradition of community self-empowerment that has produced numerous African American leaders, innovators, and proud family lineages. Mound Bayou has always been a model city for the capabilities of African-Americans to rise above inequality in the South. The town has never practiced or experienced segregation within its borders. Mound Bayou is a town without second class citizens.

 This is the Taborian Hospital today, which is just a front shell of its former construction

Mound Bayou, in its prime, became a center of black culture and pride.  The Montgomery Family became one of the top cotton producers in the world.  After the Civil War, Mound Bayou became a sanctuary for former slaves.  In essence, this community was a mirror image of the Jim Crow South.

We asked Mayor Johnson about the population today, wondering if the town is a mix of whites and blacks.  The town has remained largely black, with seven white residents.  

Here are some additional images from Mound Bayou today...

Mayor Johnson, chatting us up on our traveling classroom

The Sisters of Mercy do a great deal of good works in and around Mound Bayou.  Apparently, they love to sing and dance and generally live a rollicking good life!  At the end of the workshop, the NEH participants decided to pass the hat and collect some funds to contribute to the good work these fine sisters continue to do in the community...

Robert Owen had a very idealistic yet practical vision about humanity.  I'd like to conclude this blog entry with some of his ideas...

"Eight hours' daily labour is enough for any human being, and under proper arrangements sufficient to afford an ample supply of food, raiment and shelter, or the necessaries and comforts of life, and for the remainder of his time, every person is entitled to education, recreation and sleep". (From the Foundation Axioms of Owen's "Society for Promoting National Regeneration", 1833)

Robert Owen's views had particular appeal for women. At a time when men were hostile to women's rights, he courted controversy by denouncing marriage, as it then existed, as a form of slavery for women.
"Women will be no longer made the slaves of, or dependent upon men…. They will be equal in education, rights, privileges and personal liberty". (Book of the New Moral World: Sixth Part, 1841)



"None of the inhabitants of same village shall injure any of the fences about it, or upon the farm, whether stone, dyke, railings, or hedges; nor any of the houses, ground, or plantings, nor any of the company's property, of whatever nature it may be; but, on the contrary, when they see children or others committing such damage, they shall immediately cause them to desist from it, or if that shall not be in their power, give notice at the principal counting-house of the offences, and who are the offenders".

"As there are a very great variety of religious sects in the world (and which are probably adapted to different constitutions under different circumstances, seeing there are many good and conscientious characters in each), it is particularly recommended, as a means of uniting the inhabitants of the village into one family, that while each faithfully adheres to the principles which he most approves, at the same time all shall think charitably of their neighbours respecting their religious opinions, and not presumptuously suppose that theirs alone are right".
(all of above from the Rules and Regulations for the Inhabitants of New Lanark, 1800)



"It is therefore, the interest of all, that every one, from birth, should be well educated, physically and mentally that society may be improved in its character, - that everyone should be beneficially employed, physically and mentally, that the greatest amount of wealth may be created, and knowledge attained, that everyone should be placed in the midst at those external circumstances, that will produce the greatest number of pleasurable sensations, through the longest life, that man may be made truly intelligent, moral and happy, and be, thus, prepared to enter upon the coming Millennium". (A Development of the Principles & Plans on which to establish self-supporting Home Colonies, 1841)


Robert Owen was truly a humanitarian and a visionary.  Walking around New Harmony, Indiana, I felt a deep sense of peace and tranquility.  It is fascinating to me to read about his ideas, many of which are commenting on the coming millennium of 1900.  We could learn much from him as we move forward in the 21st century...

Robert Owen... on a quest for universal harmony


Namaste,
Marianne

July 3, 2012
B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
Indianola, Mississippi

"The blues are the three L's:  living, loving, and hopefully, laughing..."

-B. B. King

Gentle Reader,


The B.B. King Museum in Indianola has been one of the musical highlights of the seminar so far!  The museum does a phenomenal job tracing his life and his many influences.  The opening section of the museum focuses on the significance of "church" in the development of the blues.  B.B. King exudes kindness and compassion, and he treats everyone he encounters with dignity and respect.  He wanted to let everyone he worked with as he traveled on the road that their roles were appreciated, unique, and worthy of respect.  He was very much a people person, with an animated face and a smile that is rich and genuine.  

 "...The way I feel today, as long as my health is good and I can handle myself well and people still come to my concerts, still buy my CDs, I'll keep playing until I feel like I can't..."

B. B. King

 Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin’, too.

                                             - B B King

"... The blues was like that problem child that you may have had in the family. You was a little bit ashamed to let anybody see him, but you loved him. You just didn't know how other people would take it..."

-B.B. King

 Many of museum's displays focus on the role of gospel music in the development of The Blues...

 This part of the museum is actually an old cotton gin.  It is now rented out for parties, weddings, meetings, and various celebrations.  Proceeds go to the museum.

The Early Years

Born near the tiny settlement of Berclair in 1925, Riley B. King learned soon enough that life in the Mississippi Delta could bring heartache as well as hardship. His parents separated when he was four and his mother died five years later, at which point Riley began living with his grandmother.

After his grandmother died, Riley began living and working on a small farm owned by a friendly white man who taught him about kindness, respect and hard work. Through him, Riley learned to judge people by actions, not skin color.

Coming of Age with the Blues

African-American music was changing as Riley was coming of age in the 1940s. Spirituals were now competing with gospel and the blues.

Headed for Memphis

Seeing that music could be a means to a better life, Riley considered Memphis. His reluctance to move because of a new wife and a steady job faded when he damaged a tractor. Fearing the wrath of his employer, he grabbed his guitar and headed to Memphis. He gained a year's wisdom from his cousin, blues musician, Bukka White and returned to the farm long enough to work off his debt. He left again to pursue music, this time for good.

Riley soon had his own radio show on WDIA, nightclub gigs and recording sessions. In 1951, "Three O'Clock Blues," entered Billboard charts.
For over 10 years, B.B. and his band toured the Chitlin' Circuit, a loose network of African-American clubs across the southeastern United States.

From Indianola to Icon

B.B.‘s electrified, big-band style fell out of favor with the general public until the mid 1960s when audiences began to rediscover him, partly due to the influx of British bands. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Eric Clapton’s Cream had grown up admiring and imitating recordings of B.B. and other blues performers.

Along the way to becoming an international icon, B.B. had heeded his mother’s advice. He treated the people he encountered with honesty, civility, and compassion. And the work ethic he learned in his youth guided the businesslike management practices he applied to his large traveling entourage.
As you roam through the Museum exhibition and collection, you will see how well these philosophies repaid him, and how much this man from the Delta has contributed to American culture. For millions of fans the world over, B.B. King, a man of character as well as talent, will always rule.

***********************************************************

"About 15 times, a lady has said: `It`s either me or Lucille.` That`s why I`ve had 15 children by 15 women."

-B. B. King

July 2, 2012
Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer's Gravesite

"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."

-Fannie Lou Hamer

".On June 3, 1963, Fannie Lou Hamer and other civil rights workers arrived in Winona, MS by bus. They were ordered off the bus and taken to Montgomery County Jail. The story continues...


 "..Then three white men came into my room. One was a state highway policeman (he had the marking on his sleeve)... They said they were going to make me wish I was dead. They made me lay down on my face and they ordered two Negro prisoners to beat me with a blackjack. That was unbearable. The first prisoner beat me until he was exhausted, then the second Negro began to beat me. I had polio when I was about six years old. I was limp. I was holding my hands behind me to protect my weak side. I began to work my feet. My dress pulled up and I tried to smooth it down. One of the policemen walked over and raised my dress as high as he could. They beat me until my body was hard, 'til I couldn't bend my fingers or get up when they told me to. That's how I got this blood clot in my eye - the sight's nearly gone now. My kidney was injured from the blows they gave me on the back."  (Mrs. Hamer)
Mrs Hamer was left in the cell, bleeding and battered, listening to the screams of Ann Powder, a fellow civil rights worker, who was also undergoing a severe beating in another cell. She overheard white policemen talking about throwing their bodies into the Big Black River where they would never be found.


Gentle Reader,

Today we visited the gravesite of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer -- Civil Rights Activist, Humanitarian, and Voter Rights activist.  A very moving experience...  She was tireless in her pursuit of Civil Rights, often suffering greatly as a result.  Her home was the center of planning, especially in regard to SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). And we were told that Mrs. Hamer was forever supplying food for the hungry, any way she could.  She was a wise, generous, determined, kind soul...and she inspired so many others to give selflessly, too.  

 Mrs. Hamer is buried next to her beloved husband, Pap