Saturday, May 05, 2012

A story about how beauty flowers from the fields of brutality


A detailed story about the birthplace of the blues appeared in an unexpected publication, one that is devoted to reporting on homelessness, poverty, human rights and related issues.

Yet, the article,"The Mississippi Delta: Birthplace of the Blues," published in the April issue of Street Spirit, makes perfect sense, according to editor Terry Messman.

"You cannot listen to blues music for long before you are confronted by the terrible and tragic history of racism, slavery, segregation and discrimination in America," he wrote.

According to Messman, the article is a "reflection on a beautiful trip through the Mississippi Delta my wife Ellen and I took last month." In it, he details his journey to "the wonderful series of blues museums, state blues markers, murals, grave sites and birthplaces of the Mississippi blues musicians that we love the most."

Street Spirit is a publication of the American Friends Service Committee in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Read the article