{"id":37546,"date":"2017-01-19T12:42:14","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T18:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=37546"},"modified":"2017-01-19T12:43:44","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T18:43:44","slug":"the-boys-on-the-bus-university-of-mississippi-fraternity-and-law-students-host-at-risk-youth-for-mlk-observances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/the-boys-on-the-bus-university-of-mississippi-fraternity-and-law-students-host-at-risk-youth-for-mlk-observances\/","title":{"rendered":"The Boys on the Bus: University of Mississippi Fraternity and Law Students Host At-Risk Youth for MLK Observances"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MLK<\/a>
Photography by Galen Holley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The bus ride bringing 48 young boys from across Northeast Mississippi to Oxford<\/strong> was less than tranquil, but the men from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity<\/strong> and the 100 black men of Grenada<\/strong> were capable chaperones. The brothers in community building knew that they had better let the youngsters yelp and holler at least some before they got down to business. The crew disembarked at the Malco, stormed the lobby like a beachhead and, with tottering bags of popcorn, ambled toward the theater where Hidden Figures<\/em><\/strong> was about to begin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Garret Estes<\/strong>, president of the Black Law Students\u2019 Association<\/strong> at The University of Mississippi<\/strong>, Constance Slaughter-Harvey Chapter<\/strong>, rubbed his temples with his forefingers but maintained a warm, paternal smile as he ushered the boys along. \u201cWe try to stimulate our communities in any way that we can,\u201d said Estes, waving his arms down the corridor and toward the seating area as the boys filed past. \u201cWe\u2019re dedicated to community service and activism, to men helping other men be better,\u201d he said. Estes and his brothers form the Pi Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha<\/strong> snapped pictures with smartphones, helped the boys carry brimming cups of soda and took time to offer advice about gentlemanly behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MLK<\/a>
Photography by Galen Holley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many of the boys were from at-risk situations. They lived in fatherless homes, attended alternative schools, and rarely experienced the pleasure of visiting a theater. Ninth-grader Damien Collins<\/strong> of Grenada was one of the older boys on the trip. Setting an example, Collins pulled his hood off, took out his ear buds and looked to the younger boys, helping them order their snacks at the counter then make their way to their seats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on true events, Hidden Figures<\/em> tells the story of how a team of black women provided NASA with the mathematical calculations needed to launch the program\u2019s first, successful space missions. Many scenes were raw with historical accuracy and hard to watch, as when white women at NASA unkindly exiled the black women to \u201ccolored\u201d restrooms across campus, or when the white, male project leader shamelessly took credit for work done by the black heroine of the movie. The boys seemed to innately understand that what they were watching demanded reverence and, for a group of raucous males, showed a great deal of respect for the female characters. Spontaneous yet restrained applause erupted when the heroine, played by Taraji Henson<\/strong>, after enduring numerous hardships at the hands of her colleagues, finally voiced her frustrations to the boss, played by Kevin Costner<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rod Hickman<\/strong>, president of the Pi Sigma Lambda Chapter, was pleased with the boys\u2019 behavior as they left the theater and said that he and his fraternity brothers, as members of first, black, intercollegiate Greek-lettered fraternity, wanted to help make this year\u2019s observances of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday special. \u201cWe want to live by example and be a light for anything missing in our communities and in these boys\u2019 lives,\u201d said Hickman.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten-year-old Alvin Benford<\/strong> of Grenada saw the hand of God in the remarkable events portrayed in the movie. \u201cIt was a miracle,\u201d said an excited Benford, describing the opening scene in which the women mathematicians start a broken-down car. Jakedrick Exson<\/strong>, 11, had an historical perspective. \u201cThis was inspiring,\u201d said Exson. \u201cBlack people back then didn\u2019t have the rights we do now.\u201d The women\u2019s courage inspired twelve-year-old Tyler Sally<\/strong> of Grenada. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to live behind,\u201d said Sally. \u201cWe can follow our dreams and be successful.\u201d Tylon Hubbard<\/strong>, 12, was the most philosophical of the Grenada bunch. \u201cEven in the darkest of times, you can see the light of day,\u201d said Hubbard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MLK<\/a>
Photography by Galen Holley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the movie, the group went to the Robert C. Khayat Law Center<\/strong> for a pizza supper and for presentations on character-building. Alpha Phi Alpha member Jason Anderson<\/strong>, founder of The Class Acts<\/strong>, the nonprofit hosting the day\u2019s events, said that the Martin Luther King holiday provided the perfect occasion for bringing some positive reinforcement into the boys\u2019 lives. \u201cThis aligns with two, key pieces from our mission, which are education and empowerment,\u201d said Anderson. \u201cMLK Mentor Weekend is part of a national initiative, organized by the Black Star Project.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Herrington<\/strong>, a junior at Grenada High School<\/strong>, noted that the movie was especially powerful for black people in Mississippi, which has such a dark history of racial discrimination. \u201cIt\u2019s remarkable to see that we, as African-Americans, accomplished so much in the face of such adversity,\u201d said Herrington. \u201cThere is no color on your brain. Intelligence and persistence are the keys.\u201d Seventeen-year-old Kameron Mallett<\/strong> of Grenada agreed. \u201cWe get what we earn,\u201d said Mallett. \u201cCharacter determines how people view you. The main character in the movie, she could have given up at any time. We have to have a strong mindset. We live up to the standards we set for ourselves.\u201d Mallett leaned forward in his leather chair and looked down at the floor, with the waning, evening light spilling through the tall windows of the law center. Mallett folded his hands, then raised his eyes. \u201cNever give up on something you believe in,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>
Photography by Galen Holley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The bus ride bringing 48 young boys from across Northeast Mississippi to Oxford was less than tranquil, but<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":259,"featured_media":37557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[780],"tags":[9797,9793,9791,4082,9805,9807,9798,9802,9806,9795,4,9792,9801,9796,9794,9803,9804,9799,9800],"class_list":["post-37546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-service-volunteerism","tag-alvin-benford","tag-aplha-phi-alpha","tag-damien-collins","tag-grenada","tag-grenada-high-school","tag-hidden-figures","tag-jadedrick-exson","tag-jason-anderson","tag-kameron-mallet","tag-kevin-costner","tag-oxford","tag-pi-sigma-lambda-chapter","tag-rbert-c-khayat-law-center","tag-rod-hickman","tag-taraji-henson","tag-the-class-acts","tag-tim-herrington","tag-tyler-sally","tag-tylon-hubbard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2017-01-19-MLK-Day.jpg?fit=620%2C349&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/259"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}