Vivian Shell
22
Psychology
Senior
Chicago, Illinois
I would choose James Baldwin. I would want to talk with him about identity, race and mental health and how he used writing as a way to process pain and truth. Baldwin had a unique ability to speak honestly about racism, love, fear, and humanity without softening the reality of oppression.
Semajah Pendleton
18
Nursing
Freshman
Cleveland, Mississippi
I’d definitely choose Claudette Colvin. I chose her because she was the ‘Original Rosa Parks’. She was so young when she encountered her life changing experience with racial equality. Due to her not being the ideal person for a movement such as this because of how dark, young, and pregnant she was, she was swept under the rug.
Karen Games
18
Biology Pre-Nursing
Freshman
Tupelo, Mississippi
I would choose Frederick Douglass. He accomplished a lot in his life and escaped from slavery. He was a great writer and speaker. I would love to hear about the things he didn’t get a chance to write about. Experiences that no one else knows. He is a very inspiring figure and I would want to absorb a little bit of knowledge from him.
Jasmine Gatewood
18
Pre-Nursing/Biology
Freshman
Greenwood, Mississippi
It would have to be Frederick Douglass because I agree with most of his political viewpoints and I believed that the way he viewed the black race was how everyone should view it. He was an educated former slave who knew that the key to all black people truly being free was through proper and accessible education.
Quintarius McCray
19
Sports Management
Junior
Greenville, Mississippi
I would love to speak with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because of his wisdom and bravery. I would ask him so many questions about life at that time and how he changed the mindset of an entire generation.