How Emmett Till Changed Our Lives: A New Perspective for Teaching Social Justice

Oct 15, 2026

Two graduate assistants at the University of Mississippi reflect in their own voices on how place-based experiences shape early childhood teaching, presenting their observations and integrating guidance in a concluding call for educators to self-reflect. They describe Mississippi Delta trips through small towns marked by poverty and segregation, noting how childhood education systems and childcare policies reflect systemic structural racism. The account connects firsthand classroom visits to practical insights on building responsive, welcoming pre-k environments with limited resources, aiming to inspire enhanced teaching and real change.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Background

The Trip

How Emmett Till Changed Our Lives: A New Perspective for Teaching Social Justice By Danika Lynn Aday, Alison Lynn Kenney, and Cathy Grace The authors, from the left: Alison Kenney, Cathy Grace and Danika Aday This two-person account by graduate assistants (GAs) at the Graduate Center for the Study of Early Learning at the University of Mississippi constitutes a reflection of “new to the field” early childhood educators on how place-based experiences influence how and what you teach. The two students present their own stories in their own voice and combine thoughts with their guide in a concluding section, which challenges all seasoned educators to reflect on our own teaching. Background The graduate student (GA) experience is as successful as one chooses to make it. Given the interests of the major professor, the focus of the work varies. It is understood when someone is a GA at the Graduate Center for the Study of Early Learning, a trip to the Mississippi Delta is expected. The purpose of the Delta trips, according to our supervisor, is to experience the real life of Delta residents along with the history, up close and personal, not just words written in a text. We see small towns that are filled with boarded up stores and pot-hole filled streets. We hear stories that illuminate the lives of those who stay in these nearly dead communities and who are all too often trapped by poverty. By taking this trip, you have the opportunity to feel and understand the true essence of the Mississippi Delta, even if for only a few hours. The Delta is a very unique place to say the least. Many students who attend the University of Mississippi are from out-of-state who have never heard of the Mississippi Delta, much less visited it. This trip was created to show people from other states, countries, and even the Mississippi natives what life in the Delta is really like. Multiple lessons can be drawn from the Delta trip including; the impact of gen erational poverty, racial discrimination, cultural differences, resilience, lack of access to high quality education, social injustices, and inequalities. The Delta trips provide graduate students with opportunities to take these lessons to heart and transform impressions and ideas into teaching practices upon graduation. It is by learning about the lived realities of children that we begin to build connections with their experiences. The ultimate hope is that real change and enhanced teaching will take place. The Trip The most recent trip involved driving to the southern portion of the Delta, but not taking the I-55 route. Instead, we took the back roads, right through the heart of the Delta. We traveled through small towns that we had never seen before. Getting to see how students different from us were living was an eye-opener. Coming from small towns ourselves, we knew the possibilities for different living situations existed, but these areas were like nothing we had ever seen before. Poverty is such a real thing, and this was evident while driving through these small towns. While in one Delta town, we visited a local public 22 Dimensions • Volume 48/Number 1 preschool and observed two pre-kindergarten classrooms. One thing that struck us was how segregated the schools appeared to be where we visited. In the Delta, most schools are not racially integrated. Basically, white children attend private schools and black children attend local public schools. It appears in most Delta towns, neighborhoods are still segregated and defined by railroad tracks; the white families on one side and black families on the other. Historically towns have always been racially divided and unfortunately, it does not appear to have changed. Child care and early education policies are often shaped by a history of systemic and structural racism (Johnson-Staub, 2017) . It appears from what we saw and heard it is true in this Delta town. On one side of the tracks there are nice looking privately fu

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Mississippi Delta trips described in the account?

The trips aim to experience the realities of Delta residents and the region’s history directly, not merely through text. The authors use these experiences to understand place-based lessons for teaching.

How do the authors describe educational segregation in the Delta towns they visit?

They report that schools often appear segregated by race, with white children attending private schools and black children attending public schools. Neighborhood divisions remain linked to geography and infrastructure, such as railroad tracks.

What do the authors observe about early education classrooms and resources?

They witness pre-k centers tailored to four-year-old students, with appropriate transitions, play, writing, fine-motor, and social activities. They also highlight that much of what they see can be obtained at low or no cost through community donations and free teacher resources.

Oct 15, 2026

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