Posted by student CHAD WILLIAMSON – I left Little Rock at 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday and headed to the Delta for what I thought would be an opportunity to document history. I awoke to a text message tone at 4:00 a.m. from the NAACP. The message was simple, “This is it.”
I had never been to the Delta, but it was a beautiful day that included a spectacular sunrise on my way to meet a classmate, Sanford Johnson (Class 3). Sanford lives in Helena-West Helena and is a great advocate for the Democratic Party and Barack Obama. He allowed me to follow him on his day of canvassing in the Delta. I did not know what to expect but wanted to document as much as possible.
If you know much about the Clinton School, you know the word of the day – everyday – is ambiguity. The night before, I storyboarded my “Election Day in The Delta” story, identifying what I thought would be my project. Well, it didn’t quite work that way.
I arrived at Sanford’s house at 7:00 a.m., and we headed for Clarksdale, Miss., where Sanford taught middle school before working at the KIPP School in Helena-West Helena. We arrived at the Democratic Committee staging area and met Elizabeth, a law student from Cal Berkeley who took leave in order to support Obama in Mississippi. She immediately gave me an Obama and assigned us to knock on doors all afternoon. She gave us a map that would become our area to canvas. The area turned out to be an economically disadvantaged section of town that was primarily African-American. Given the dynamics of the day, my job description had changed, so I put a microphone on Sanford, which proved to capture great conversations and stories.
People talked to us at length and their passion for change was palpable. t was a new experience for me, particularly being in the Delta. I was the minority, supporting a black candidate in Clarksdale, and it felt not only like the right thing to do but a great thing to do. It was a pleasure to walk and talk with Sanford as I got to know another classmate in a different light.
Get your walking shoes on because Sanford might be on a ticket somewhere soon. Tuesday was a great day in American history, no matter what your party. Aren’t we all privileged to be a part of an historic day?
Chad Williamson is a Clinton School student from Tampa, Fla. He is currently working with Arkansas Children and Families to raise awareness for children’s health care for his Practicum (group) public service project.