Andrew Young Lectures Graduates of Mississippi's Piney Wood School

Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger ^ | 05-26-03 | Goodman, Julie

[Theodore R.]

PINEY WOODS

[Theodore R.]

The article does not explain just what the Piney Woods School is. It appears to be a boarding school of high-school age students. Is it all-black? Also what is Piney Woods? Is this a town near Jackson? The writer seems to assume, mistakenly in my case, that the reader understands the nature of Piney Woods.

[07055]

Young advised the 47 graduates not to marry too young, telling the young men to stick to one woman when they do.

I wonder what Martin would have said if Andy had told him this?

[Theodore R.]

The headline should read "Piney Woods," not Piney Wood. I typed it too quickly.

[Yudan]

I'm from Jackson, MS originally - so here, man. Piney Woods is about 30 miles south/southeast of Jackson on U.S. 49, on the way to Hattiesburg (where the University of Southern Miss is - Brett Favre's alma mater).

http://www.pineywoods.org/

The students have to work the school's farm to help defray the cost of their education. It's actually called The Piney Woods Country Life School.

[dixiechick2000]

Piney Woods ping!

[WKB]

Thanks
Piney Woods is Ms's best kept secret.

[Theodore R.]

The article did not explain what the Piney Woods School actually is though; having read her article, I needed to do research in that I am not too familiar with the intricacies of MS's schools and small towns.

[PackerBoy]

... (where the University of Southern Miss is - Brett Favre's alma mater)...

This MUST be hallowed ground, then.

GO PACK, GO!

[Yudan]

Roger THAT.

[bourbon]

Fanie Lou Hamer BUMP!
( Today's world could use a lot more Fanie Lou Hamer and a lot less Jesse Jackson! )

[bourbon]

I'm from Jackson, MS originally

I hope I speak for all the habitues of the MS threads, when I say we hope to see you around here more often!

[Theodore R.]

Fanie Lou Hamer was the LBJ leader in MS, when Governor Paul B. Johnson, Jr., was unenthusiastically endorsing Goldwater. I do not know much about her otherwise. Care to fill us in. Was it "Fanie" or "Fannie"?

[bourbon]

Oh, it was "Fannie." I'm sorry I misspelled her name above. Darned typos. :-)

The best summary of her life and career that I have read was in a book by Charles Marsh, called God's Long Summer. Marsh has a chapter in his book which highlights the centrality of her Christianity in her life and work. Notably, Hamer remained consistently pro-life until her death in 1977.

Here is a pretty decent bio on Hamer. I believe there are at least two full-length biographies on Hamer. Though I haven't read either one of them, I have heard good things about Kay Mills' book, This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer.

In many ways, I'd say she's probably my favorite civil rights leader of the 60s.