Journalism as service to the community

At the site of the Bryant's Store
in Money, MS

I had the opportunity to meet Aallyah Wright — a fellow journalist who lives in Clarksdale. She came to visit us because she loved how students from across the country visited to the Delta to learn. When Aallyah arrived at the Habitat for Humanity dormitory where we were staying, she proceeded to interview every student in the group to prepare for an article that she would write about our school's visit to the Mississippi Delta, and that felt unusual for me because I’m so used to being the interviewer instead of the one being interviewed. After she spoke with all of us, Aallyah rode along with us to see the sites related to the murder of Emmett Till, and I got the chance to sit and talk with her. I discovered that, similar to me, Aallyah’s passion for journalism stems from writing for the purpose of serving the community. Having grown up in Clarksdale itself, she knew the area very well. As a student in the local schools, Aallyah grew up with a strong interest in reading. She attended Delta State University in Alabama and pursued a major in journalism. Rather than move away to a large city, Aallyah made the decision to stay in the Clarksdale area where she is now the reporter for education and social issues for the news site mississippitoday.org.
I am glad that we were able spend time with her. She was with us for the entire day, and she was able to see what we do when we present to our classmates about our assigned location. Wood-May and I were assigned to talk about the Delta, and the area where Emmett Till was murdered. Aallyah came with us to the bank of the Tallahatchie River where Emmett's body was found, and to the courtroom in Sumner, MS where the trial of his murderers occurred. She was also with us at the site of the country store where Emmett allegedly offended Carolyn Bryant.
Personally, I was glad to be able to spend the entire day with a professional journalist and talk to her about my plans to also pursue a journalism major, just like she did. I am inspired by her example of being a person who could contribute to the improvement of my community through the use of writing and journalism.
We were all sad to say goodbye to Aallyah a few days later when she joined us for Sunday service at the First Methodist Church in Clarksdale. I was glad to have had this memorable time with this remarkable person. Thank you, Aallyah.