By Kate Hayden As you can see in the About Us section, Africatown is a community steeped in rich history and controversy. Not only does it flank against one of the most important watersheds of the Mobile Bay and Gulf of Mexico, but it is also completely isolated from other communities by industrialization and highways. As we explained in our grant proposal to NAS, Africatown is the most disadvantaged and underserved community in the state if not in the entire Gulf Coast region. Ever since the original enslaved Africans from the Clotilda settled in what was considered the town of Magazine Point (or Plateau) along Mobile Bay, their community has been repurposed, rezoned, and whittled away by the decedents of the original landowner and financial backer of the Clotilda, Timothy Meaher. As a result of decades of systemic industrialization and a complete historical disregard for environmental protection or public health by the city and state, the residents of Africatown have been plagued by health problems and have been fighting back in hopes of restoring and preserving their unique community and rich heritage. In addition to the unique combination that Africatown provides in terms of overtly racist environmental injustice, a unique community history and heritage, and a vital watershed in need of protection; Africatown is also home of the first public black high school in Mobile: Mobile Country Training School. Founded in 1910 and accredited by the state in 1928, MCTS now serves as a middle school for students in and around Africatown. According to the most recent data from the Alabama Department of Education , MCTS is a title 1 school comprised of nearly 100% marginalized groups (99% Black/African American). Over 90% of the student population is considered economically disadvantaged, 22% have physical or learning disabilities and almost 6% are considered homeless. ALSDE reported that MCTS has a chronic absenteeism rate of 27%, three times the rate of nearby Calloway Smith Middle School. Interestingly, during discussions with teachers from MCTS, we later learned that the increased rate of absences for their students is largely due to localized flooding, trapping students in their homes. Climate change coupled with continued industrialization and land stripping will only exacerbate this problem for students and faculty at MCTS. Often, we find educational programs that leverage active learning and project-based learning (such as the one we aim to create) tend to target more affluent communities or families. Often these are students who are already high achieving and are funneled into accelerated programs or schools. There is a prevalent misconception in the education system that underperforming students would be unprepared and would fail if placed in such programs and are therefore channeled into programs that focus on remedial (and often boring and ineffective) educational practices. And often, these students come from poorer families and communities. Misconceptions like this are grounded in racist stereotypes that foster fixed mindsets philosophies of how students learn and grow. While underperforming students do require proper preparation and scaffolding to succeed in an experiential learning environment, evidence suggests they may have the most to gain from such an approach. To wrap up Part III of Giving Voice to a Wish: Why Africatown, I will leave you with a sermon recorded by Rev. Leonard Morse (Dean of MCTS in 1923). In this sermon, Rev. Morse prays that "our children whose lisping tongues and innocent laughter encourage us to lift ourselves out of our second bondage". May we add our voices to his wish nearly 100 years later. If you missed parts I and II of Giving Voice to a Wish, simply follow these links:
Giving Voice to a Wish Part I: Prologue Giving Voice to a Wish Part II: Why Us? And stay tuned for the conclusion of Giving Voice to a Wish: Part IV: Why Now?
2 Comments
8/4/2022 05:20:49 pm
Great blog, well spoken; I can easily believe and identify with the developmental and infrastructure issues you have enumerated.
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Kate Hayden
8/5/2022 09:16:40 am
Thank you for taking the time to read our article and your thoughtful response. I hope you do get the opportunity to visit Africatown. We hear that the Heritage House will likely open this coming winter. As we know, COVID-19 has caused a lot of delays in building, but there has been significant progress in the construction since this article was released last year.
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AuthorThis is a collaborative blog with multiple authors from our community of practice focused on the community of Africatown in Mobile, Al. Archives
August 2023
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