Seeing The World Through 'Mississippi Eyes'

That’s the term the man used – “Mississippi eyes.” He was describing how he saw California’s Imperial Valley after he had spent time as a civil rights activist in Mississippi and Alabama. He had been born and bred in the Imperial Valley, deep in California’s agricultural belt. But he had never understood the inequities or racism of life there until Mississippi taught him how to see.

Once he returned and had his eyes opened, he became involved in the early struggles of Gilbert Padilla, Dolores Huerta, César Chávez and the United Farm Workers. He had no choice but to become educated and involved.

This is something I’ve been struggling with for some time – how to give people “Mississippi eyes.” It seems to come randomly rather than systematically. My outlook is completely colored by my experience as an urban educator. My wife, who once moved in the world of MBAs and marketing, never understood me better than after she was born again as an elementary school teacher.  She suddenly understood why I spent the money, argued and believed the way I did. We’ve seen conservative family members open their eyes to the problems of undocumented immigrants. But that happened only after they visited my wife’s classroom – and after several years of arguments.

I’ve had trouble getting people to see schools differently. Since No Child Left Behind and the test-score rage began, it’s been hard to get people to see what real schools offer. Learning is more than numbers on a page.

So how do we give average Americans “Mississippi eyes?” Changing their outlook on schools can be especially difficult. Schooling is a shared experience. So many people think that their experience is the same as everyone else’s.

The problem is deep. So perhaps it requires a radical solution. Maybe we need to mandate two years of public service in urban or rural communities. Or perhaps a less drastic approach would work as well. Whatever the answer, the conversation needs to get going. How would you give people “Mississippi eyes?”