Helen Bass Williams and Mississippi Action for Progress

2020 ◽  
pp. 127-149
Author(s):  
Emma J. Folwell
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Head Start ◽  
Executive Director ◽  
The State ◽  
State Sovereignty ◽  
Community Leader ◽  
Head Start Program ◽  
Development Group ◽  
Start Program

Chapter five tells the story of Mississippi Action for Progress: the Head Start program that was created to replace the Child Development Group of Mississippi. It focuses on the African American executive director of MAP, Helen Bass Williams, and her relationships with white businessman and community leader Owen Cooper and the state sovereignty commission director, Erle Johnston. The harassment campaign against Williams illustrates the way in which moderate businessmen could—even inadvertently—serve to further entrench white power in anti-poverty programs. It also shows how successfully the sovereignty commission was able to adapt its tactics to the new racial realities of Mississippi in the late 1960s.

A Sociolinguistic Investigation of the Speech of African American Preschoolers

1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken M. Bleile ◽  
Hillary Wallach
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Head Start ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Preschool Teachers ◽  
Head Start Program ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Head Start Teachers ◽  
Speech Patterns ◽  
Children's Speech ◽  
Start Program

In this study we attempted to investigate aspects of the sociolinguistic environment of African American preschoolers. Specifically, preschool teachers were asked to identify African American preschoolers who "have trouble speaking." Subsequently, speech-language pathologists analyzed samples of the children’s speech to isolate the speech patterns that may have corresponded to the teacher’s judgments. Subjects included 27 children who were enrolled in an inner city Head Start program. Head Start teachers belonging to the same race and community as the children acted as judges. The analysis yielded a number of speech patterns that distinguished the children judged to have trouble speaking from children judged to have no difficulties in speaking.

Head Start: Evolution of a Successful Comprehensive Child Development Program

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-445
Author(s):  
MILTON KOTELCHUCK ◽  
JULIUS B. RICHMOND
Keyword(s):  
Child Development ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Head Start ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Head Start Program ◽  
Disadvantaged Children ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Start Program

The commentary by Besharov and Hartle1 concludes that disadvantaged children deserve better than what they are getting. Indeed, it is our view—along with virtually all Americans—that all of our children deserve better. The improvement of the health, education, and welfare of all children is a never ending quest. Perhaps the frustration with the Head Start program that permeates the Besharov and Hartle commentary is due to a fundamental misconception of the goals of the Head Start program. From its inception, Head Start has been a comprehensive child development program and not a program focused solely on long-term cognitive gains.

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