Southern Roots
Photos provided by Jordan Clarke
Jordan Clarke ‘23 journeyed to the South in search of history and family.
December 26, 2022
In the Summer of 2022, Jordan Clarke ’23 visited Mississippi with his family to experience the often overlooked history of the struggle of African-Americans in the state.
One of the places he visited was Yazoo City, a town “in the middle of nowhere, that’s barely on the map” and with little to no infrastructure: malfunctioning electricity, rusting pipelines, barely any internet, and a now burnt-down shopping mall.
Originally, Jordan wanted to visit to see the University of Mississippi “Ole Miss” and “go back to his roots,” but his mother suggested to further look into the history of the state during their visit and to “see his real roots.”
“It’s important to build community wherever you go… and to always be a person that is willing to help those in need.” — Jordan Clarke ’23
He visited the African American Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Mississippi, and that, along with his visit to Yazoo City, changed his perspective on the state of Mississippi after learning about its dark history.
In particular, he mentioned a specific moment that really impacted him on his visit: A poor family who didn’t have a car, no shoes, reused diapers and pants, had one kid tease another kid about having to go to school.
The kid who teased their sibling said that they didn’t need learning, a sobering reminder of what students everywhere do on a daily basis. They had nothing, and they just lost their older sister to a flood caused by a faulty pipe. It really brought light to the fact that these historical issues carry on to today, and that there are people right now who have to endure such suffering.
His family endured many hardships in Mississippi–his mom particularly. She lived in a “shotgun house,” which was about the size of a port-a-potty, with nine other members of her family.
Picking cotton with her siblings for pennies and dimes was the only way for her to survive, as her mom left and her dad was working and living in his car in Jackson, Mississippi for six days each week just to make enough.
In spite of all this hardship, the family stuck together as part of a community, a message that Jordan especially wanted to share.
“I really enjoyed my trip to Mississippi and the parts where I got to learn more about my family’s history more than anything.”
“In Yazoo City, they built a community based on care” in spite of all their troubles. “It’s important to build community wherever you go . . . and to always be a person that is willing to help those in need.”
His family’s foundation, the Clarence and Mary Lee Howard Charity Foundation, donated hundreds of school supplies to local children to give back to their community and to primarily, give hope.
