The Caring People of Clarksdale

At the Quapaw Canoe Company

In Clarksdale, Mississippi I feel like I met so many special people with unique stories and different backgrounds. There was such a homey vibe that I got from Clarksdale that made me think about my home back in Jersey. The first person that really got to me was Bill Sutton. He is a staple in the Habitat for Humanity program and he really made us comfortable. He told us about the racial history of the place as well as a county named Phillips County in Arkansas. He told us a story about black people making an effort to advance and being pulled down by the violence of white people. He educated me on some things I didn’t know and I really value this new knowledge. Next we met some

kids from the Griot Arts Program. It’s reassuring to me that most parts of America deal with the poverty issue because that means we can all work together and fix it. Another person who really touched me was Ms. Jenn Ruskey and the teachers who attended a cookout at her house. We had a deep conversation about their failing education system and I could feel their pain from where I was. I met two bankers, Dina and John, through the Meals on Wheels program, it's called Clarksdale Care Station. We served food to many people in the town and they (Dina and John) seemed to have a relationship with every single person we served. We also met a farmer named Bowen Flowers along with his wife & daughter who graciously invited us to their house to us to go swim in their pool and have dinner together. Last but not least, I met a couple named Robert and Margaret Brown who spoke about their hardships in Clarksdale including the murder of Margaret's sister. She told us that she still speaks to her sister's killer and I found it amazing that she finds the heat to forgive. That’s why she is respected across Clarksdale along with her work for many years in a local day care center. Clarksdale may not be the biggest or the flashiest town, but its community is so tightly knit and everyone has as story to tell.

We also met Mr. Bubba O'Keefe, who described the
programs going on to help Clarksdale.