This is a remarkable story that's as American as it gets. A story about a city coming together to help their community. To help each other, down to each individual person when the need arises. How this came about was the vision of Darlene Carter, the President and CEO of the Moss Point Visionary Circle.
This story covers a recent symposium on the BP spill sponsored by MPVC and an interview with Darlene Carter. She describes why they put on and the back story behind their organization. Her complete interview is included in the video.
After the camera stopped rolling, I asked Darlene to clarify what she said about working with outside alliances and consortia. She pointed back to the Katrina aftermath where those who waited for outside help took the longest time to recover. That was her "aha" moment. She saw the power, intelligence and spirit inside the people of Moss Point and set about organizing them into a formidable force to rebuild, restore and renew.
The MPVC's focus on the children makes sense. Any parent knows that it's the young ones who will ultimately take our places here. They need the best foundation that we can give them to build a better future. So they step in to help when parents' primary concerns are forced elsewhere, like how they are going to put food on the table. The sunlight of the world does not shine as brightly upon Moss Point as it does in more affluent communities so Darlene and the MPVC are making their own light.
This comes from a deep place in the American tradition. From the first days of the Colonies when Native Americans in Plymouth helped the Pilgrims bring in their first harvests, to the farms of the hills and plains where people pushed outward to build farms. Those communities came together to raise barns and lend a hand when times were tough.
It still goes on today, although it's not always visible for us to see. There are flashes that show up as "human interest" stories in print and electronic media but they are short shots that quickly fade. This story will stand in the sunlight that the people of Moss Point have made for themselves, adding their light to the sum of light.
2 comments:
Thank you for your attention to the oil spill - and for the Moss Point video. I wish you had told the true story of that event with the kids and BP. About how the kids and parents showed up hours early because they were enticed with free school supplies a week before school started. BP's presentation was an embarrassment - they showed a technical 'adult' video and did nothing to make the presenation informative or appropriate or interesting to the kids and parents who were there. The question asked by a child - when can we start fishing - deserved a better response about whether it was actually safe to eat fish caught in the gulf. Those poor kids were so polite and patient and well behaved. They deserved better. Please - citizen journalists please try to get the story right since we need objective info, which is not provided by BP or the government.
Thank you for your comment.
This project is apolitical and has no agenda beyond telling the stories as they are told to me or as they unfold before my camera. Yes, BP made the largest presentation at the event, but they didn't stage it. It was put on by the Moss Point Visionary Circle and they invited BP along with the MDEQ, Moss Point Parks and Recreation, and a handful of other organizations.
You are correct that BP donated some school supplies that were given away to the kids after the symposium presentations concluded. It is also true that other businesses and organizations contributed to those donated school supplies. I had that verified by two different people at the event not associated with BP.
One of the biggest problems with the BP oil spill is that no one knows the ongoing effects from it. Some say that the fish is now safe to eat while others are skeptical. I've personally witnessed scientists from both the EPA and other non-governmental agencies say that the true effects on the marine life are as yet unknown.
This story was really more about the Moss Point Visionary Circle and Darlene Carter's work within it than it was about the symposium. There was substantially more time spent with Ms. Carter's interview than the BP presentation. I did this for a reason.
As a one man crew, I am not able to do deep background on all aspects of a particular event or story. Not even the largest news organizations can, or choose to do that. All I can do is recognize the stories of people and public groups effected by the spill and try to let them have a voice.
There are no doubts that there are times I will get it wrong and I'll rely upon concerned people like you to bring that to my attention. I thank you for that and appreciate your concern for those impacted by the BP spill. If this story had been about the BP presentation, I should have looked deeper into the things you describe, but it was not. It was really about the MPVC and how local people from a community with needs can step forward for positive change.
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