The Way Things Were, The Way Things Are

I arrived in the hills last night. It was a lovely, but long drive. Even hauling ass with few stops, it takes me a little more than four and half hours to make it from the Northeastern corner of Missouri to it's mountainous Southwest corner.

One of the first things I pondered on the drive down was how my little sister, Sarah, was faring. She's growing up in the same high school I went to and graduated from in 2004. When I attended Galena High, students were friendly. Nearly every student left their locker un-locked. I recently visited my school to find that this had not changed. Stealing from one another was almost unheard of.

Like many rural schools throughout the region, the student population was rather homogeneous. Considering Galena, Missouri which according to the last census is 98% Caucasian, I'd say that number was aptly reflected in the student body. There were exceptions, of course. A family of three children attended throughout high school who were Pacific Asian and Native American. There was also a girl who was a quarter African American. Her black brothers would attend the school's home games. They were always treated nicely to my knowledge. There were also a few children who were Spanish. That was about all the diversity I ever recall there being. I don't remember anyone being targeted because of their ethnicity.

So, a couple of months ago I sat down with my youngest sister, Sarah, to talk about Galena High school. What were students up to now?
I was especially interested to hear what she had to say about her classmates' attitudes about President Barack Obama. The county was strongly Pro-McCain/Palin during the election, and the Ozarks earned a rather negative rap via the Sarah Palin rally in Springfield and a racist sign posted along a highway in West Plains that made national news.

Here's what my sister had to say.



Once again, talking with my sister and other area residents has reminded me that there is a shift of sorts taking place under the surface.

I also feel that sharing stories from this area is key to understanding why attitudes are the way they are. It isn't just Rush Limbaugh and Corporate media influencing these individuals. As I have traveled all over the US and abroad, I realize that many people have no concept of what it is like to live in an area with an utter lack of diversity. I've met people who have experienced culture shock after moving into the area from cities in California simply because they went six months without seeing a person of color. And, on the flip side, I've met people from here who were surprised to see so many different shades of skin, and all shapes and sizes of human beings interacting when visiting a city.

Things here boil down to tradition, a sense of "this is the way things have always been."
It appears to me that some of the area youth may be breaking through more areas than we think.

Back to the Hills

I'm going back home to the Ozarks tomorrow. It may be one of the last times I visit before jetting off to j-school in London.
During my last few visits, I have been chasing the truth about racism in the Ozarks. What is the state of neo-nazi organizations? The KKK? What are the sentiments of the locals about President Barack Obama? So far, I've learned that guns and bullets are flying off of the shelves in Springfield stores- but signs of the KKK have all been pushed back to the southern edges of the mountains, in Arkansas. In the meantime, groups based in Springfield, including the Hammerskins and National Socialist Worker Party are visibly organizing and holding public meetings.

Follow me on my last visit- where I hope to shed light on these questions. Interview footage will be posted within the week. One thing I have learned, is that it is not so easy to paint the area with broad strokes. The Ozarks is in flux, with tourism bringing diversity and money. How are attitudes changing?

Recent Kirksville History

Just to catch you up on things:

It has occurred to me that Kirksville keeps getting stranger and stranger. If anything, the town's notoriety has varied, but we've made it into the national headlines within the past year for the following:

On Wednesday, a tornado swept through the Northern part of Kville, destroying a car dealership and more than 30 homes. Even, Bill O'reily covered the story on Friday night.

On Sat. May 9th- Students protested John Ashcroft's commencement speech at Truman State University's graduation ceremony. He also received an honorary degree from TSU. Who wants their campus associated with that Constitution-stomping son-of-a-bitch?

In early March, Kville made headlines because of the anti-gay remarks of city councilman, Aaron Rodgerson. He "wouldn't rent to a homosexual." And cast the single vote against a city-wide ant-discrimination policy.

And in the pretty shady murder case- former Adair Country Jail Administrator, Jackie Gleason was not charged in the shooting of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Rogelio Johnson. This case was the first test of a new Missouri law, known as the Castle Doctrine.

Then, last summer, the area made its original appearance on the Weather Channel due to severe flooding.

Wowee!

Hopefully the area will make in big again for the massive wind-power operations that are planned within these next couple of years.