"...the Mississippi Crying" is a collection of poems and stories of healing written as responses to racial injustices dealt with in the Black community. Starting in 2005 with the response to Hurricane Katrina and ending with looking at our future as a Black community, this book examines the emotions, responses, and conversations that occurred after each incident within the Black community. Often times we are bombarded with issues of oppression in the United States and seldom take the time to work through the emotions or to work through the pain. Black bodies have been targeted for years and now that it has been exposed to public scrutiny we must take care of ourselves. This book is designed as a tool for healing through words. Mental health issues are real. Mental health issues need to be addressed.
About the Author: Born May 29, 1992, Michael J. Seaberry is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana and currently resides in Baton Rouge, LA. He is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership, Research, and Counseling at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Michael is a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, where he received a BS in Biology, Pre-Medicine. After the death of his father in 1995, his mother has shown him that resilience and perseverance is the cornerstone of success and thriving, not surviving. At a young age, Michael dealt with teachers who purposely limited the amount of high-level reading he engaged with, instructors who harshly advised him not to go on because of his skin color, and peers who ridiculed him for his love of art and theatre. After graduating from Xavier University of LA, Michael enrolled in the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York, where he found his passion for social justice training and the strong need for males of color to be in the literature for adults, similarly as they are lacking in the literature for children. Due to this, he left the University of Rochester after one year, following his true passion, and enrolled at Louisiana State University as a doctoral student in Educational Leadership, Research, and Counseling, with a focus on Higher Education Administration. Social justice oriented, Michael focuses on eradicating racism in educational contexts using the lens of Critical Race Theory, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, and Narrative Inquiry. He has published works in peer-reviewed journals and higher education magazines such as the Journal for Critical Studies in Higher Education and Student Affairs and Diversity: Issues in Higher Education. He also has published book chapters in Race, Population Studies, and America's Public Schools: A Critical Demography Perspective and Understanding, Dismantling, and Disrupting the Prison to School Pipeline. As a former Ronald E. McNair Scholar, a recipient of the Man of Service Award, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., service is and always will be a part of his life. He reminds himself daily, "In order to fearlessly fly, you must first trust yourself. In order to trust yourself, you must first know who you are."