Mendez and Brown ~ Youth Picture Pathways

to Graduation

Canton, Mississippi Youth Photojournal, 2012Intercultural Development Research Association

with support from Critical Exposure

funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and

the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

With the civil rights promises of Mendez vs. Westminster and Brown vs. Board of

Education as a backdrop, a group of Canton high school students took up 35 millimeter

cameras to reflect on barriers and opportunities for building pathways to high

school graduation and college access in Canton, Mississippi.

Framework for College Access & SuccessMany of the students images and reflections speak to the

need to expand pathways around a seven-part framework*

• Affordability• Preparing students• College access• Institutional

persistence

• Institutional resources• Graduation• Graduate and

professional studies

InterAction Framework, IDRA 2005

These are excerpts of their stories and photographs.

AffordabilityStudents emphasized that affordability of higher education and transportation to and from college were make-or-break issues in their decision about whether or

not to enroll. To be accessible, college has to be affordable.

Low FundsKevarious Hamlin, 12th Grade“I’ve been saving but still not enough money for college. I need some help, any positive financial help for my brother and I who both want to go to college.”

Financial ProblemsTonisha Brown, 11th Grade“My family doesn’t have enough money to put any of my family members in college.”

No TransportationTatyana Dixon, 9th Grade“Some parents try to fix up a car for their children to drive to college but never finish.”

FinancialKeairra Starks, 11th Grade“As you know, college is expensive. I will have to do this if I choose to go to college.”

Hard TimesWilliam Kittrell, 9th Grade“It would be hard trying to find transportation to school if my car or my parents’ car is always broken down and needs repair.”

Denise Cortez, 9th Grade

No GoKevarious Hamlin, 12th Grade“I pass this truck on a regular basis at this body shop and wonder if the owner cannot afford or chooses to not afford to get this truck fixed. Either way, it makes me think about the fact that I do not have dependable transportation to and from school yet (and I am a senior).”

Financial ProblemsTecorche Bates, 11th Grade“Financial problems are a big reason one cannot go to college. Tuitions, loans, books and other college needs have to be paid for, even if it’s by picking up cans to save money.”

Even if I Had a Car, I Wouldn’t Be Able to Afford the GasWilliam Kittrell, 9th Grade“The price of gas is getting so high that just having enough money to pay for gas going to and coming from school would be hard.”

Kijana Clay, 9th Grade

TransportationIsabel Moreno, 9th Grade“I’m scared I will have no way to get to college.”

More Money than Ever BeforeTyrick Manning, 11th Grade“At the age of 18, I can work for Nissan Motor Company, where most jobs pay over $10/hour. Having a good paying job without a degree can stop me from going to college to make a better salary with benefits.”

UntitledAriel Coley, 11th Grade“Some people may have transportation, but if my brother and I decide to go to two different schools, it might be hard to transport all of our stuff in this one family vehicle.”

UntitledAriel Coley, 11th Grade“Tuition for college is very high, and money is low! We need more jobs in Canton that could help us start saving money for school.”

Preparing StudentsStudents described the need for preparation,

information and support of the kind that not only provides academic readiness for college courses

but also helps in managing weighty decisions and building bridges between home and college life.

They raised questions not only about being prepared but also about fitting in, being valued,

feeling welcome and feeling safe.

Is this For Me?Aliyah King, 11th Grade“I’ve always dreamed about attending a college in a big city. But having grown up in a small town, will it be too overwhelming?”

Even if I Had It Jamesha Brown“If all my other problems were solved, I would still be confused about what college to attend. We could use a class that just prepares us for college and helps narrow our choices for our major.”

GoneAliyah King, 11th Grade“Starting college will be exciting, but all I can think about is what I’m leaving behind: family, friends, HOME!”

PandemoniumAlexis Jackson, 10th Grade“This is a mixed feeling of being caged and confused. Not wanting to leave my family is getting to me but experiencing college is something I want to adventure. Which way should I look? Should I go to a college closer to home, one that doesn’t involve my career?”

UntitledAliyah King“Fear of competition is something I struggle with when thinking about college. Wanting to pursue a career in the medical field, I have to study now so I can know when the time comes. But there's always someone who's more knowledgeable than I am. The fire in this picture represents a challenge. So, bring it on!”

It’s Too MuchAlexis Jackson, 10th Grade“It all feels as if I’m getting overweighed with decisions of the college life. This photo is important! It should persuade others to start deciding early.”

Not Fitting InTamerial Lewis, 11th Grade“This is a picture of a boy standing to himself… I feel like when I leave to go to college I may not fit in with the other students.”

Not Fitting InKeairra Starks, 11th Grade“Me not fitting in makes me not want to go to college. There will be times I would want to be able to do things but me not fitting in makes me feel unwanted.”

Why is it So Hard for Me to Choose a College?Tonisha Brown, 11th Grade“It is hard for me because I don’t know if I want to go to a two-year or a four-year or a university or a community college.”

FightsIsabel Moreno, 9th Grade“I’m scared there will be too many “fights.

DistractionsJamesha Brown, 11th Grade“If I am easily distracted by friends or other things now, this could stop me from going to college. Teens need positive things to challenge and nurture our minds in Canton.”

Down, Dark and LowAlexis Jackson, 10th Grade“Is everything black bad? I think [it’s] a beautiful color, butwhat will others think?”

SafetyTonisha Brown, 11th Grade“Safety is a big part of me not going to college, because I would like to feel safe at a place where I can get my education.”

RestroomIsabel Moreno, 9th Grade“In college you never know how the restrooms are, if they are clean or not.”

Feeling AloneJamesha Brown, 11th Grade“Beginning college, I won’t know a lot of people and might feel alone at certain times. (The door adds to the feeling that no one is there to support me.)”

UntitledAliyah King, 11th Grade“Coming of age in Small Town, Miss., makes you want to break away. When the time approaches, will I have my ‘Red Badge of Courage’ or will this be the only red I see.”

College Access Students wondered if college would be

accessible and described the need for greater preparation for the workload and admissions.

Admissions policies need to use multiple criteria for admissions.

An Overload of WorkTamerial Lewis, 11th Grade“This is a picture of homework… too much work stresses me out.”

Not Smart EnoughAndreauna Taylor, 11th Grade“I might not know enough knowledge to get accepted in college.”

ExamsKevarious Hamlin, 12th Grade“Our teachers always remind us about tests, and all we hear is surrounded around tests. I am not a good test taker, and this makes me nervous about going to college.”

Low Self-esteemTatyana Dixon, 9th Grade“Sometimes I doubt myself and am scared about going to college.”

Too Much WorkIsabel Moreno, 9th Grade“I’m scared there will be too much work in college.”

Institutional Persistence Students described concerns that parenting and responsibilities for family could keep

them from attending college. They talked about concerns the threat that police harassment, crime, getting a juvenile record; negative peer pressure; or health issues

could stop them from enrolling and being accepted, pointing to the need peer and adult support, counseling and advising, and institutions for higher education that are

designed to accommodate students with multiple commitments.

Family MatterNakeki Austin, 11th GradeThis is a picture that sets out from all the others the fear of leaving my blind nephew behind because my sister is sick and I actually take care of him and he also has heart problems and it fears me to leave him because he could barely talk and I trust no one else with him.

ParentingAndreauna Taylor, 11th GradeIt might be hard for me to leave my son.

Don’t Want to LeaveKeairra Starks, 11th GradeLearning is very serious these days. If I leave, learning would not be as important to my brother as it was when I was with him.

Health ProblemsTecorche Bates, 11th Grade“When dealing with a health problem, it can be difficult balancing your college schedule, health schedule, and spare time schedule. If I go to an out of state college, it will be hard to find another hospital to care for my medical problem like my current hospital.”

Finance ProblemsAndreauna Taylor, 11th Grade“I might not be able to balance my money out well enough to take care of my child and go to college.”

Falling Prey to the StreetsTyrick Manning, 11th Grade“Getting a felony or having a criminal background can stop me from going to college.”

Jail/Police HarassmentKevarious Hamil, 12th Grade“I know that if I commit certain crimes that this could hinder me from going to college.”

Peer PressureJamesha Brown, 11th Grade“Our peers can pressure us into doing things that can stop us from getting into college.”

Blurry VisionsAlexis Jackson, 10th Grade“This is caused by the sideliners that aren’t there to support me, just there to make fun of me and down me. The ones who was there at one point of the time and gone the next minute.”

"There is no more important thing to be doing on a Saturday than hearing the perspectives of youth

about education" – Dr. William Truly, Mayor

Pictured here with participating Canton High School students and their teacher, Ms. Firenza Anderson.

Special thanks to the following people for helping to coordinate the project

project in Canton, Mississippi

Ms. Firenza Anderson

Ms. Carina Lindsey

Mr. John E. Fleming

Ms. Shirley Sanders

Participating Students

• Arabia Carr • Octavius White• Aliyah King• Nakeki Austin • Keairra Starks• Denise Cortez• Alexis Jackson• Kijana Clay• Tyrick Manning• William Kittrell

• Andreauna Taylor• Isabel Moreno• Tonisha Brown• Tecorche Bates• Tamerial Lewis• Tatyana Dixon• Jamesha Brown• Felicia Ferminick• Kevarious Hamlin• Ariel Coley

This project, led by IDRA in collaboration with the non-profit Critical Exposure, Canton Public School District and South Liberty Baptist Church, with funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, builds on a framework for community blueprint meetings that engage youth, community, family and school leaders in community-based dialogues and planning to improve public education.

To learn more, visit www.idra.org

Intercultural Development Research Association Intercultural Development Research Association Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, President & CEO5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101San Antonio, Texas 78228

210-444-1710 • contact@idra.org

www.www.idraidra.org.org Ensuring that educational opportunity and successfor all students are guaranteed

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