A Graduate Student....
“I enrolled in Graduate School with the distinct intention of working with youth from low-income educationally disadvantaged communities. I am interested in developing youth oriented programs that promote equity at all levels of education, greater and more successful access to post-secondary education and the enhancement of the quality of life.”
The quality of education in South Carolina’s I-95 corridor had its origin in a 1740 law which instituted a pattern of depriving blacks of education. The law stated:
That all and every person and persons whatsoever, who shall hereafter
teach, or cause any slave or slaves to be taught to write, or shall use
or employ any slave as a scribe in any manner of writing whatsoever,
hereafter taught to write; every such person or persons shall, for every
offense, forfeit the sum of one hundred pounds current money.
The I-95 corridor reflects the legacy of the law of 1740. It also refers to the 36 public schools districts in the rural, mostly
impoverished areas of South Carolina that sued the state in 2009 over substandard conditions that still exist. The schools along the corridor are among the worst in the nation. Some are literally crumbling from age and neglect. Poor health care and resulting illnesses are endemic to the region. Poverty, lack of information and awareness, results in despair and feelings of helplessness. People are dying in the corridor faster than elsewhere in the state. Research has shown that learning and feelings of hopefulness are impossible under such conditions. Sick people cannot work even if jobs were available and sick children cannot learn and do not want to go to school. Bringing hope to the corridor is not impossible, but will take significant time and effort. Most importantly is the need for long term commitment from our state government, good intentions of everyone involved, strong community partnerships, and effective community planning and development. However, it will also take money, the engagement of the families in the corridor and follow through from all interested parties. We view the Dream Makers
Project (DMP) as a beginning signal of the kind of hope that is needed.