Proposal

       During my 22 years of living in Texas, I have taken road trips to both California and Florida. While on these trips, there was never a time I truly divulged myself in the rich history the southern states I passed through had to offer. I missed out on things such as southern food, the music, and what took place in those places during the past and present. On these trips I would stick to the highway and never venture off course to see what the smaller cities could tell me about each state's past.  

      I propose a 7 day journey by car from Austin, Texas through the southern states: Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi in order to reach Jackson, Mississippi. On this trip I will have a two thousand dollar budget for food, room, gas, and attractions. After getting to Beaumont I will be taking I-10 East to Baton Rouge. Once there my trip will take me on I-55 North to Jackson and eventually finish up on I-20 West through Lake Providence and Shreveport until I head back to Austin. Over the course of those 7 days I will head there and back while spending most of my time in Jackson seeing its rich history and its relation to Richard Wright's work. This is the town that Richard Wright, author of "12 Million Black Voices", grew up in during the 1920's as he went through high school. His time spent here shaped his impressions of the American racisms that took place and the struggles that many African-Americans worked tirelessly to overcome. By spending time here I hope to discover resemblances to that mentioned in Wright's work and what the history of these states show. The nice part about traveling and seeing these places firsthand is that I get a sense of realness that would normally be unobtainable by just reading certain novels. Because of that reason I will also be avoiding chain restaurants while hotels will be an exception. Music is an essential on this journey as it will relate to the things I see. Although I do not mention Gospel in my blog posts it is a good thing to listen to especially after my visit to the Parish Baptist Church. Wright shows many people in the South attending church and having a strong religion.

       Wright argues in his prose, "If we had been allowed to participate in the vital processes of America's national growth, what would have been the texture of our lives, the pattern of our traditions, the routine of our customs, the state of our arts, the code of our laws; the function of our government! Whatever others may say, we black folk say that America would have been stronger and greater!"(P.45). I also hope to discover the influence of a strong, black community in his hometown and I am curious to see the influence cotton has had on Jackson in the past as her refers to "Queen Cotton" alot. After this I want to be able to answer the question on whether Wright's hometown bears an influence on his work and if the places I am going to visit show a history similar to what is depicted in the novel.


History of Jackson:
During the Civil War, Jackson was a strategic center of manufacturing for the Confederacy. Battles took place in Jackson that helped shape the outcome of the war. Many protests and riots took place in Jackson during the Civil Rights Movement. Today there are few antebellum structures left standing in Jackson.
After 1920 there were strong attempts at oil and natural gas industries which surely affected the jobs available to the people of Jackson. These industries strengthened the economy of Jackson until their decline after 1934. Once the Civil Rights Movement came around, Jackson became a site for Civil Rights activism with many mass demonstrations.
Today Jackson is home of Malaco Records, which is one of the leading record companies involving; gospel, blues and soul music. Black figures have risen to prominence in Jackson in jobs such as the mayor and police chief position. Currently the racial makeup of the city is 70.6% Black while 27.8% White. Industries today in Jackson include electrical equipment, machinery, processed food and it also boasts a surrounding area strong in livestock, cotton and poultry.
As a place deep in the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, Jackson has undergone many changes and it will be interesting to see its memoirs of the past and what takes place today. They may give hints as to what Richard Wright was talking about in his text and support his arugments for what went on. Jackson is the home for Wright's high school, Lanier High School which is still in place and strong in academics for both black and whites in the community although it is predominitely black. The school is working to overcome drugs and violence and achieve a high standard of education.