From West Point to Woke Area Native Challenges Students at Georgia High School to Read About Underrepresented Issues, People
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ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI C DISPATCH.COM 75 ¢ NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY FRIDAY | JULY 26, 2019 FROM WEST POINT TO WOKE Area native challenges students at Georgia high school to read about underrepresented issues, people Courtesy photo Cicely Lewis is surrounded by titles she had chosen for her “Read Woke” program at Meadowcreek High School near Atlanta. The West Point native started the program in 2017 and since then, it has been adopted in schools and libraries in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Norway. B Y SLIM SMITH of titles selected on a set criteria. The It was the time of talks of Muslim [email protected] books must challenge a social norm, bans, police brutality against unarmed give voice to the voiceless, provide African Americans, threats to the DACA movement can start in the least information about a group that has been program and broad-scale deportation of likely of places. disenfranchised, challenge the status undocumented Hispanics living in the A “Read Woke” is such a move- quo or have a protagonist from an un- U.S. At a high school where 70 percent ment, a program that started in a school derrepresented or oppressed group. of the students are Hispanic and 25 per- library in Georgia three years ago and is Knowledge is power, and the source cent black, these issues weren’t abstrac- now being implemented in schools and of knowledge is most often found tions. They were serious issues affect- libraries in the U.S., Canada, the United through reading. ing the lives of many of her students. Kingdom and Norway. Lewis decided to do something about “Read Woke” is designed not only to A long awakening that. encourage teens to read, but to empow- Technically, “Read Woke” began in Yet in another sense, the origins of er them to become involved citizens 2017 when Cicely Lewis, a librarian at “Read Woke” began much earlier and by by exposing them to relevant, topical Meadowcreek High School, a large high another person. literature students can relate to in their school near Atlanta where 97 percent of Dorothy Bell was a single mother own lives. its students are minorities, was stirred of four girls in West Point. She loved to Over the past three years, thousands to action by the events of the day that read and understood the importance of of students have participated in the had serious implications for her stu- education. “Read Woke Challenge,” reading a list dents. See ‘READ WOKE’, 6A ‘I felt like his message, for us, is very timely’ Freedom Writer to speak Scott’s speech centered around his experience at Wilson High Manny Scott, one of School in Los Angeles, California the original “Freedom at SOCSD Convocation Writers” from Wilson where, more than 30 years ago, he High School in Los BY AMANDA LIEN was part of Erin Gruwell’s English Angeles, will speak at [email protected] class. In an effort to both improve Starkville-Oktibbeha students’ writing skills and help Consolidated School STARKVILLE — Two years ago, them process the trauma of their District’s convoca- Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated daily lives — gang violence, turbu- tion ceremony on School District Assistant Principal lent home lives and a volatile school Aug. 1 at Lee Hall Anna Guntharp and West Oktibbeha environment — Gruwell gave each on Mississippi State County Elementary School Principal student an assignment that seemed University’s campus. The event is open to Gabrielle Mills heard Manny Scott, strange to Scott and his fellow stu- the public and tickets one of the original Freedom Writers, dents. They were to write a journal are first-come, first- speak at a conference in Orlando, in a composition book. They could serve. Florida. See SCOTT, 3A Courtesy photo/Manny Scott WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR COMING SUNDAY PUBLIC 1 What are the first names of Don Corle- MEETINGS Today July 30: Columbus one’s four children in “The Godfather”? ■ Buds & Burgers: Home 2 Which first lady was wrongfully ac- cooks, restaurants, businesses, Municipal School cused of fatally poisoning her husband District Board, spe- — Florence Harding, Ida McKinley or organizations compete in this Dolley Madison? best burger contest 5-8 p.m. in cial-call meeting, 3 In the “Harry Potter” books, what do Starkville on the block of Russell 6 p.m., Brandon Blake Taylor people look into in order to see their Street between Mill and Jarnigan Central Services heart’s desires? Kindergarten, Caledonia Streets. The public can sample July 31: Lowndes 4 What is both a type of makeup and burgers and vote for a favorite; County Supervi- another word for rosé wine? $10 admission. Beverages sors, 9 a.m., Coun- High Low 5 What predominantly female sport fea- available for sale. Get tickets 90 66 tures jammers, pivots and blockers? ty Courthouse Mostly sunny at 662tix.com. Visit facebook. Aug. 5: Lowndes Full forecast on com/MitchellDistributing. Answers, 6B County Supervi- page 2A. ■ Black & White Musical sors, 9 a.m., Coun- Ball: Music by Glenn Jones, ty Courthouse The P.C. Band Live Show and DJ INSIDE Lovebone are featured at this Aug. 6: Columbus City Council regular Classifieds6B Obituaries 5A event at Trotter Convention Cen- Comics 4B Opinions 4A ter. Showtime is 9 p.m. Advance Look for The Dispatch’s Insight meeting, 5 p.m., Crossword 6B Religion 5B tickets $35 at 404-617-9423; Magazine, a guide to the Golden Municipal Complex 140TH YEAR, NO. 117 Dear Abby 4B $40 at the door. Triangle, in Sunday’s newspaper. Courtroom DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2019 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com SAY WHAT? DID YOU HEAR? “It wasn’t the intention of the district to harm or inconvenience any of the families in our school district.” Girls report more harassment Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley West school board in a statement apologizing for telling parents behind on their lunch bills their chil- amid rise in US cyberbullying Friday dren could end up in foster care. Story, 5A. Three times line abuse, though the over- all number of students who as many girls report being bullied stayed the same. Photo of armed students at reported being “There’s just some pres- sure in that competitive at- harassed online or mosphere that is all about at- Emmett Till sign is investigated tention,” Whalen said. “This by text message social media acceptance Historic marker, where 14-year-old Emmett Till’s tunities for those members and the — it just makes sense to me chapter.” than boys that it’s more predominant body was recovered, is the third to stand after It’s unclear whether the stu- amongst girls.” dents actually fired at the sign THE ASSOCIatED PRESS Many school systems two earlier ones were destroyed by vandals or when the picture was taken. It SEATTLE — Rachel that once had a hands-off shows two students standing with BY JEFF AMY the case. Lamar did not respond Whalen remembers feeling approach to dealing with guns and a third unarmed student The Associated Press to repeated emails and phone calls gutted in high school when off-campus student behav- kneeling in tall grass at night, lit by from The Associated Press seeking a former friend would mock ior are now making rules what appear to be the headlights of A photograph of three Univer- comment. her online postings, threat- around cyberbullying, out- a vehicle. It’s unclear who took the sity of Mississippi students posing Guajardo called the image “of- en to unfollow or unfriend lining punishments such as photograph. with guns beside a bullet-pocked fensive and hurtful” but said the her on social media and post suspension or expulsion, The image strikes at what re- and oft-vandalized historic marker university hasn’t disciplined the inside jokes about her to oth- according to Bryan Joffe, mains one of the nation’s most to lynching victim Emmett Till has students because the off-campus ers online. director of education and wrenching civil rights cases, de- sparked a possible federal investi- picture wasn’t part of a university The cyberbullying was youth development at AASA, cades after Till was slain in 1955. gation and suspensions of the three event. so distressing that Whalen a national school superinten- The African American 14-year-old by their fraternity. Jesse Lyons, assistant executive said she contemplated sui- dents association. was visiting relatives in the Missis- The Mississippi Center for In- director of the Kappa Alpha Or- cide. Once she got help, she That change partly came sippi Delta when he was kidnapped vestigative Reporting first pub- der’s national office in Lexington, decided to limit her time on along with broader cyber- from a relative’s home after an lished a story about it Thursday, Virginia, said the Ole Miss chapter social media. It helps to take bullying laws, which have encounter with a white woman at saying the image had circulated on suspended the three men pictured a break from it for perspec- been adopted in states like a country store. He was tortured the men’s social media accounts. after leaders learned of the photo tive, said Whalen, now a Texas and California in re- and later shot, with his body found Ole Miss spokesman Rod Gua- Tuesday. The fraternity has long 19-year-old college student cent years. weighted down by a cotton gin fan jardo said the image was reported been associated with Old South and in Utah. The survey showed in March to the university’s Bias Confederate imagery. Although in the Tallahatchie River.