The
FOG MACHINE
Comes to St. James
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Minnesota author and Mississippi
native Susan Follett will bring “The
FOG MACHINE: Stories from
Civil Rights History, Then and Now” to
Saint James for a series of events.
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Mon., Jan. 18, 2:00 pm: Staff
Development Day with Saint James
6-12 Teachers
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Mon., Jan. 18, 6:30 pm, SJHS
Little Theatre: Watonwan County
Library presents “Meet the Author”
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Tues., Jan. 19: Conversations
with Lee Carlson’s SJHS English 151
Students
Follett grew up in the Jim Crow South
during the height of the Civil Rights
Movement, unaware of the march from
Selma, scarcely 100 miles from her
hometown Meridian, Mississippi, where
three rights workers disappeared
during Freedom Summer. She has spent
most of her adult life in Minnesota.
She will discuss:
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How Mississippi and Minnesota are
interconnected in terms of her
thinking on race in America
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How moving from MS to MN caused her
to dig deep into history she lived
through yet knew little about
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Connections between Freedom Summer
and Ferguson, our modern-day icon
for interracial strife
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6-12
Staff Development Day Diversity Session
When St. James High School Principal Karla
Beck read
The
FOG MACHINE,
she saw a connection to ongoing cultural
awareness work at SJHS. She invited Susan
to kick off the diversity segment of their
January 18 Professional Development Day
and join teachers of grades 6-12 in
conversation.
Susan will speak on cultural awareness
through the lens of her work as a writer.
She will particularly focus on:
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Recognizing how our own culture shapes
us
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Observing and reflecting on our
reactions to others and theirs to us
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Actively engaging with
others
She will address a common challenge faced
by teachers—to become sufficiently
familiar with their students’ cultures, in
order to serve their needs—by:
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Drawing on her knowledge of 1964 freedom
school design and teaching principles
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Sharing four strategies for cultural
awareness—key lessons which have shaped
her as a writer and person
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The “Meet the Author” program Monday,
January 18 at 6:30 pm in the SJHS
Little Theater is presented by the
Watonwan County/St. James Library and
will include stories, music, and
photography. Follett will:
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Consider today’s issues in light of
1960s Civil Rights Movement history
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Recount the journey to research and
write her historical novel
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Share the power of story to bridge
divides and enable conversation
Alison Kulseth and Miah Rehm will perform freedom songs
selected from the many that united the
Freedom Summer volunteers with civil
rights struggles before and after
them.
A slideshow will feature photographs
from 1964 taken by Freedom Summer
volunteers working in Meridian, MS.
The Country Collage will handle book
sales, and the author will sign books
on request. |
On Tuesday, January 19, Follett will meet
with two sections of English 151, a
concurrent enrollment course in the
College Now program at Southwest
Minnesota State University. SMSU’s College
Now program,
accredited by the National Alliance of
Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP),
allows high school students to earn
college credit in their high school.
English 151 at SJHS is taught by Lee
Carlson.
Through the generosity of Saint James
Friends of the Library, students and Mr.
Carlson have received copies of
The FOG MACHINE
for reading in advance.
Conversation will use students’
familiarity with the novel to cover topics
including:
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What divides us/brings us together?
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How are SJHS students like the 1964
Freedom School students?
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What is critical thinking and why does
it matter?
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What is our true history and what is its
power?
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What’s the essential connection between
Freedom Summer and Ferguson, Mississippi
and Minnesota, then and now?
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What can students do to help bridge
cultural divides?
Freedom songs were the soundtrack of
Freedom Summer, the voter registration and
education movement that is the central
element of
The FOG MACHINE. Freedom Summer volunteers, as depicted by point-of-view
character Zach Bernstein, started the
summer singing and never stopped until
after they left the 1964 National
Democratic Convention in Atlantic City.
And so—whenever possible—freedom songs are
an integral part of “Stories from Civil
Rights History, Then and Now” events.
Teacher Alison Kulseth and student Miah
Rehm will perform the following a
cappella:
“This
Little Light of Mine”
Harry Dixon Loes composed “This Little
Light of Mine” as a children’s song in
1920.
In The
FOG MACHINE,
Zach Bernstein recalls the song shortly
after arriving in Meridian to teach at the
Freedom School.
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C.J. would come around, learn to
take more risks and stand up for
herself, he thought. He could
help her with that. Didn’t that
line from “This Little Light of
Mine”—shows what the power of
love can do—say it all?
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All the best freedom songs could be and were adapted on the spur of
the moment to the particular town and
struggles of the people who were singing.
In Meridian, Mississippi—setting for the
last third of
The
FOG MACHINE—volunteers adapted “This Little Light of Mine” as “All around
Meridian, I’m gonna let it shine.”
“Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round”
This is an
adaptation of a traditional song by
participants in the Albany Movement. It’s
a favorite of Zach Bernstein, the Freedom
School teacher, because it speaks to him
of the unshakeable resolve that sometimes
deserts him during Freedom Summer.
“We
Shall Overcome”
This is
a musical and lyrical adaptation by
Zilphia Horton, Frank Hamilton, Guy
Carawan, and Pete Seeger of the old
African American hymn “I’ll Overcome
Someday.” First used as
a protest song in 1945 by striking tobacco workers in
Charleston, SC, “We Shall Overcome” became
the unofficial anthem of the American
Civil Rights Movement. As was the custom
during Freedom Summer, gatherings were
brought to a close by crossing arms,
joining hands, and singing “We Shall
Overcome.”
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Independent booksellers know
their books, get behind them, and help
integrate them into their communities.
And so, whenever possible, independent
booksellers handle sales at “Stories
from Civil Rights History, Then and
Now” events.
Books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy
of
Jeanne Miest,
owner of
The
Country Collage Gift Shop, changing with the times and surviving on “Main Street”
in St. James, MN.
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“I can’t
stop talking about it and am
hoping for a sequel. I stock it
for teachers, book groups, and
students—what better way to
prepare them for college life!”
—Jeanne
Miest, owner, The
Country Collage, St. James, MN
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