Pouring rain on the lush green foliage of Southwestern Mississippi marked my birthday; born April 3, 1938, on Poplar Hill Plantation in Jefferson County, Mississippi, the eighth of thirteen children. My parents, Willie Jackson and Sarah Whitney Jackson spent their entire lives in Jefferson County, born, baptized, married in 1926, died and their final resting place, the Poplar Hill Cemetery behind the church. Family stories of the experiences during the Civil War and reconstruction, seldom talked about, the guilt of beatings, the shame of miscegenation, the humiliation of these events became the secrets to keep. Consequently, families who suffered through those ugly times, did not speak of them and did not want the children to hear those …show more content…
Farming was our life, generation to generation, once a farmer always a farmer, what we knew was working in the fields of Poplar Hill, working from sun up until dark, we knew little else. In the spring, planting and then you go to school, the fall harvesting first and then school. My school was a small building of about 900 square feet, a two-room school house, with a moveable wall in the center, it divided the grades first through fourth and grades fifth through eighth. Along the outer wall, to stave off the winter chill was a wood-burning stove, collecting wood to burn a task for the younger children, the older students oversaw keeping the fire going during class time. Homespun benches, no desks, no books (from first grade through fourth grade) pencils, paper, we had none, we did have an hour for lunch (that’s if you had one), and then back inside to learn. Comfort at school was not paramount, we sat on benches made of hard wood, of course a desk was out of the question. Lunch time was great, except for the students who did not have a lunch, my older siblings remembered having little or nothing for their lunches. Lunch for me was a biscuit with preserved fruit or a boiled sweet potato, maybe a hard-boiled egg, once we finished eating there was time for play, recess in the front yard of the school, if you had a ball we played catch, hide-n-seek, tag, if you had a piece of rope we jumped rope, maybe a game of tag, and we made up
My maternal grandparents are JC Williams and Clara Goree and they were both born in 1910 and born and raised Sprotts (Marion), Alabama. My grandparents lived in segregated AL; JC ethnicity was black, southern Baptist, farmer, and Clara was combination of black and American Indian, homemaker, and farmer. Clara and JC wedded in 1926 and had their first child (Bobbie) shortly afterward. Subsequently, this union birth a total thirteen children and my mother (Mary) was number 11 of 13. The children worked well together to ensure their basic needs were met; however, once they became of age, the children all left to start their own careers and families.
My grandparents were both born and raised in Cidra, Puerto Rico and so were their three children. They wanted to start a new beginning. Though the exact date is forgotten my grandparents moved to Cleveland, Ohio sometime in 1989. My grandparents were very poor when they lived in Puerto Rico since there were not many job opportunities and barely any resources, my grandparents could barely make ends meet.They wanted to give their children to have more opportunities and resources that they didn't have when they were younger, so they decided to leave their home in Cidra. They choose to move to Cleveland because they already had some family down here such as brothers, sisters, and even cousins.When my grandparents got to Cleveland they already knew they made the right decision for their family, Cleveland gave them a more stable life then what they had in Puerto Rico. There were better-educated schools in Cleveland for their children unlike in Puerto Rico, the food in Cleveland was way more affordable, medicine as well, and it was easier to find jobs that paid well.
Farming is a very important job. Humans didn’t start with framing thougth. At first we were hunters and gatherers moving with the food. Over time we started to farm; after the Ice Age there was a huge drought. Humans started to farm and live at one spot. Document 1-1
Generations upon generations of people have been thriving in Spanish speaking countries. Cuba is no different, through traditional clothing and special holidays they always are in tune with the past. With flamboyant traditional attire, that rivals the suns bright color and Spring flowers, coupled with fun to watch free flowing up beat music like Guaguancó or Pachanga, the Cuban culture is very exciting. In order to start to describe my family ties with Cuba, I will use an analogy: With every spin of a vibrant dress it seems as if the hands of time slowly turn back time. As the clock goes back so does my family history. In the early 1920's my great grandmother and her family made the trip from Spain to Cuba. Ever since then my family has had bearings
Many see agriculture as growing food and feeding cows, but to me that is only the picture of it. Agriculture is full of men, women, and children, who have learned and are being taught the principle of hard work. By growing crops and raising animals, I have begun to learn and apply that principle.
The memory of Hurricane Katrina creates a new image of Mississippi. Residents of Mississippi tell their own story by marking a boundary before Katrina and after Katrina. Their identity, their culture and their hometown story washed away by the hurricane. The town’s landmarks they used to give directions are no longer there. Moreover, the residents feel that they lost their
The daily life for a farmer looked like this: Wake up very early, work hard all day until nightfall go back to your
Farming most likely began with sedentary hunter-gatherers who manipulated the plants around them to their advantage. Like almost everything, farming
When choosing subjects for this Essay one must look at the personal importance of historical events and choose carefully to embody the choices being considered. Within the subjects that I have chosen for this Essay I am embarking to express my individual opinions and views on the following subjects. We will be going over the seedling of gender equality, the faith of the Jewish people of my heritage, the Greeks impact on architecture and design, the council that made a religion from a man, and lastly a Queen that inspires me to never give up.
For years there had been a standing invitation for me to come and visit Poplar Hill, the opportunity arrived in the Fall of 1986. October, a good time to travel to the south, usually the time of year when the intense heat of the summer in Mississippi is waning and cooler conditions are on the way, but not the summer of 1986, the heat, was still intense. Ordinarily, visiting with family, an easy task, however, this visit was a bit different. Excited by the opportunity of this visit, a bit nervous, questioning my preparation, but determined to gain knowledge and the hope to chronicle stories about Jefferson County, and the Poplar Hill Plantation. Amazingly, I fell in love with this place in the backwoods of Jefferson County, it would
Finally, last but not least is the history of farming. Farming was a huge way of life for many people centuries ago. Farming was the men’s job. This is a way that families made money, by selling to markets or trading with others. It also was a way to know for sure that they would have food on the table or their family. The farmers had a large number of crops to watch over and maintain. They typically grew cash crops of tobacco and wheat, but also grew a variety of other crops as well such as corn, oats, cotton, flax, and hemp. On their farm they also had livestock to care for. Most farmers had dairy and oxen cattle, beef, poultry, sheep, horses, and
Agriculture- Agriculture, also know as the act of “farming,” describes the systematic method of taking nature and using it to the benefit of other humans or animals. Agriculture and farming truly started to take root in the Neolithic Revolution of 10,000 BCE. This change in manner became a result of humans choosing farming over traditional “hunter-gathering” methods. The popularity that agriculture in growing populations led to the permanent settlements and the creation of civilizations.
It was around ninety degrees with a one hundred percent chance of rain on that long and gloomy Saturday. The air was hot and so humid you’d swear you were going to suffocate just standing out in the open. What better day to have the annual family reunion down in Iuka, Mississippi. As we traveled across the state line the cruel Alabama weather slowly started to fade within the back glass of my mom’s traverse. I remember looking through the front window there was sunshine for miles. I thought to myself “hey maybe this will be a good day after all.” I’ll be the first to tell you, that in fact I was wrong.
In “Coming to age in Mississippi” Moody describes her life from childhood into Womanhood in rural Mississippi. Her autobiography provides incite into the atrocities committed in the south due to racism and prejudice. Moody illustrates how the economic, and social injustices of the 1940s and 50s plagued her childhood. Inspiring her to make a change as a leading advocate during the Civil Rights Movement.
Being in constant contact with nature is one of the most common statements made by different farmers. Seeing a deer crossing happily through the fields is beautiful to see and it is not within reach of other jobs. In addition to this, it is your responsibility to choose when and how you want to work, giving you freedom for working. Contrary to popular belief, farmers are required to develop their creativity as they can try to perform new techniques of sowing, for example, or, they can develop new devices to improve their work. Another important aspect is that your work is going to be different through the years because every harvest is going to be different from the previous one. Becoming a farmer will teach a lot of new things, not only about plants and crops, but also you are likely to become a weather forecast. For example if the clouds of the sky look like stone pavement it is very possible that the next day is going to rain. Consuming your own harvest is one of the most rewarding experiences and the taste of your own production is not going to taste the same as the products bought in the