DSU students visited Graball Landing in Tallahatchie County during recent field trips to important civil rights locations. Left to right: Kristina Irwin (Winona); Ilayda Hacioglu (Istanbul, Turkey); Jeffrey Isbell (Orlando, Florida); Heidi Ylinen (Turku, Finland); Aaron Fernandes (Mumbai, India); Veera Peltonen (Tampere, Finland); Demyia Graham (Vicksburg).CLEVELAND, Miss. — Delta State University students, faculty, and staff recently traveled to significant civil rights sites in the Mississippi Delta and Memphis, Tennessee, as part of the university’s ongoing commitment to providing meaningful, educational travel experiences. The trips were sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs and the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
Students attended the Emmett Till Commemoration event, sponsored by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, We2Gether Creating Change, the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, and the Racial Reconciliation Task Force of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. The event marked the 69th anniversary of Emmett Till’s 1955 kidnapping and murder. The group visited Graball Landing in Glendora, one of the sites of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, where Till’s body is believed to have been pulled from the Tallahatchie River. Afterward, they visited a barn near Drew, the location of Till’s brutal beating and murder. Participants were invited to lay red roses at the barn and reflect on the legacies of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.
“I attended the Emmett Till Memorial field trip because I like to learn about real history,” said Veera Peltonen, a business administration graduate student from Helsinki, Finland. “History books often tell a general story but hearing the history while being in those places gives a much deeper meaning. I felt fortunate to be born in a time where we can talk about these issues and learn from the past instead of living through them.”
Kiara Addison, an undergraduate elementary education major from Greenwood, shared her experience: “This trip was fun and inspiring, but also emotional. I learned a lot about what happened during the civil rights movement in Mississippi, especially in my own city of Greenwood.”
On September 28, a group of DSU students, faculty, and staff traveled by chartered bus to Memphis for a full-day civil rights field trip. Their first stop was the Peabody Hotel, where they met Duckmaster Kenon Walker, learned about the hotel’s nearly 100-year history, and witnessed the famous duck march to the hotel fountain. The group then enjoyed lunch at the Four Way, the oldest soul food restaurant in Memphis, located in the historic Soulsville neighborhood. Since 1946, the Four Way has served notable figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jesse Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin. The final stop was the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, the site of King’s assassination in 1968.
“We had a wonderful group of students, faculty, and staff on this year’s trip to Memphis,” said Dr. Chuck Westmoreland, Associate Professor of History and Interim Chair of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “At each stop, we gained a deeper appreciation for the rich history of Memphis, the Mississippi Delta, and the nation. Our fall civil rights history trip has become a valued tradition on campus, and we are grateful for the support of Student Affairs.”
For more information about programs available through the DSU School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, visit www.deltastate.edu/education-arts-humanities/arts-humanities-social-sciences/. For more information about the Office of Student Affairs at Delta State, visit www.deltastate.edu/students/.
