Mike Yawn teaches at Sam Houston State University. In the past few years, he has taught courses on Politics & Film, Public Policy, the Presidency, Media & Politics, Congress, Statistics, Research & Writing, Field Research, and Public Opinion.
He has published academic papers in the Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, Social Security Quarterly, Film & History, American Politics Review, and contributed a chapter to the textbook Politics and Film.
He also contributes columns, news analysis, and news stories to newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time, Huron Daily Tribune, Laredo Morning Times, Beaumont Enterprise, Connecticut Post, and Midland Reporter Telegram.
Yawn is also active in his local community, serving on the board of directors of the local YMCA and Friends of the Wynne. Previously, he served on the Huntsville's Promise and Stan Musial World Series Boards of Directors.
In 2007-2008, Yawn was one of eight scholars across the nation named as a Carnegie Civic Engagement Scholar by the Carnegie Foundation.
You can’t visit New Orleans with stopping by Café du Monde, so the LEAP students did just that. This morning, we made our way to Café du Monde for breakfast and got some beignets. Beignets are essentially fried dough with powdered sugar on top, and they reminded me of a funnel cake.
Café du Monde is located near the French Market and Jackson Square. The cafe has been open since 1862 and has become the most famous shop serving beignets in New Orleans.
I personally am not a huge fan of sweets so I also got some breakfast at Monty’s on the Square, which is right across the street. We enjoyed our breakfast and the music performed outside Cafe du Monde, after which we explored Jackson Square.
After breakfast, we walked to the French Market, which is a really nice spot for souvenirs. All three of these spots are popular areas for tourists.
An Afternoon in Biloxi
Jessica Cuevas
After spending two days learning about and experiencing the historical significance of several sites within the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, we visited the Ohr-O’Keefe’s Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi.
In many ways, it was unlike any other museum that I have seen before. Not only was it smaller, but it was not the typical modern building I am used to. In fact, it has its own unique and very beautiful architectural structure and style. It was designed by the well-known American Canadian modern architect Frank Gehry, who despite designing a modern expressionist structure, incorporated and tied in the history and culture of Mississippi into the design in such a way that it would not awkwardly stand out. He did this by utilizing local materials and historical local vernacular.
Interestingly, Frank Gehry worked around the live oak trees at this site to preserve and minimize any damage to them. What makes Gehry’s work unique is the fact that his structural design would not have been possible without computer programs to create renderings of it.
This museum is named after both Jeremiah O’Keefe, who helped turn the vision of this museum a reality, and George Ohr, known as the “Mad Potter of Biloxi.” Ohr is famous for his modern art and ceramic work, which defied the 19th century convention through its aestheticism which is highly admired by artists today.
In the main building, there was a bust of Booker T. Washington, an African American leader who emphasized education orally and through written text, by Richmond Barthé, a sculptor known for his connection to the Harlem Renaissance.
Booker T. Washington contributed to the civil rights movement in one way by being the first African American to eat at the White House, having been invited Teddy Roosevelt was the President of the United States.
The first exhibit we saw at this museum featured a New Orleans artist by the name of Sally Heller, a multi-media creator whose art pieces may be openly interpreted.
The exhibit was titled “I can see all obstacles in my way.” It is composed of fabric, clothing, fishing net, plastic objects, and conveyor belts.
My interpretation of this exhibit was bitter-sweet, since I was impressed by the local art pieces since they were abstract, but the web like shape along with the length of it led me to wonder if it represented the barriers she faced and conquered.
The second exhibition was titled a city within a city. Within this exhibit there were photographs and a timeline related to the civil rights movement, and specifically its impact on Biloxi.
The city was heavily impacted by hurricane Katrina in 2005, and many historical buildings were highlighted within the photographs in this exhibit.
It is also in this exhibit that we learned about how Medgar Evers participated in “wade-ins” to attempt to desegregate the beaches – a fact which many of us were not aware of.
The final exhibition was a set of buildings referred to as “the pods,” which held visual and audio artwork that was heightened or emphasized by the acoustics within the building because of its dome-like figure.
While we have visited many museums on this trip, this museum has been a completely different experience, and exposed us not just to the city’s historical significance, but gave us an insight into the cultural and architectural significance.
A Ray of Hope
Jayelynn Bordeaux
Later in the day, we visited the beach in Biloxi, Mississippi, and attempted to feed bread to the seagulls, however the seagulls either were not hungry or it was too chilly for them to come out and socialize. I never realized there was a beach in Mississippi, but I was more distracted by how cold I was.
To end the day off, we took a picture in front of Biloxi lighthouse. The lighthouse was established in 1848 and has become a well-known feature of the city, symbolizing both hope and resilience.
I felt this was an appropriate end to our day on the eve of the weekend before Martin Luther King Day.
The Besthoff Sculpture Garden, The Best of Sculpture Gardens
Ava Garrett
To kick off day three of our trip, the LEAP students went to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff sculpture garden, where we picked the picked morning to stroll through and look at all of the captivating pieces of art.
This garden sits on 11 acres of land and is filled with a variety of artwork, everything from abstract pieces to figurative ones and all from many different artists with varying artistic style. Just as you enter the garden you cannot miss Henry Moore’s reclining woman and child sculpture standing next to the tall gold sculpture of a woman with a crossbow and arrow.
As we proceeded further along the path we crossed over the Morris G. and Paula L. Maher bridge, which led us to the fascinating escalating brushed stainless-steel sculpture of humans stacked on top of each other. This piece was called “Karma” by Do-Ho Suh, and we all had mixed feelings about this piece; some loved it, like Quinn, and others like me, found it a bit scary to look at.
After a while, it was nice to be able to start recognizing and connecting specific artists to their artwork, now that we have started to become familiar with the artists’ styles. One of the artists featured here was Jesús Moroles, who also has pieces of his work on display at The Wynne Home and at Sam Houston State University back in Huntsville!
My favorite piece in the garden was the life-size blue safety pin created by Coosje van Bruggen and Claes Oldenburg.
This pin is known as the “Corridor Pin,” and it stands at a whopping 21 feet tall. Further into the garden we passed many other interesting sculptures such as an oversized spider and even a Greek sculpture called “Hercules Archer” by Antoine Bourdelle, which tied into our mini theme of recognizing Greek and Roman influences on architecture, art, culture, and government on this trip.
Even though we didn’t get a chance to see every single one of the sculptures in the garden, we still gained a lot of new information to reflect upon in the many other art museums that we are going to visit during this trip.
With that said, there are over 90 sculptures in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff, garden so there is bound to be a sculpture in there for everyone to like, and it’s definitely a place that I will come back to the next time I visit New Orleans!
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Ilexus Williams
Art is a beautiful avenue for understanding other cultures, life experiences, and history. And, to that end, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art displays many artists that highlight African American life, history, and social justice issues, giving patrons insight into the creativity and culture of African-Americans in the south. (Not to mention many other cultures that are represented in the south and in this museum.)
Benny Andrews is an American figurative painter with both African and European Ancestry. Not only is Benny Andrews a talented artist, but he is also a social justice advocate for African American artists. In 1969, Andrews helped to establish the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, which is an organization that was created to advocate for greater representation of African American artists in New York. Additionally, as the director of visual arts for the National Endowment for the Arts, Andrews pushed for opportunities such as fellowships and grants to be awarded to promising African American artists who rarely received recognition for their work.
A perfect representation of civil rights is Benny Andrews’ piece entitled Death of the Crow. This piece depicts an African American man peering down in disbelief at a dead crow in the dirt. With Death of the Crow being created in 1965, the dead crow is symbolic of the end of Jim Crow Laws and the evolution of civil rights in the United States.
The viewer wonders: is the older man satisfied? Is he thinking of what might have been, if only this had occurred earlier? Perhaps the verdant garden setting promises a “new leaf,” a brighter beginning in the realm of race relations and equity. Or is he simply astonished?
The next piece, Born Scared by Mike Hartnett, spoke to the growing concern for African American lives, police brutality, and racism in America. “Born Scared” shows a black and white image of a pregnant woman with the letters BLM written on her stomach.
This image illustrates the fear that black mothers have of bringing their children into a world full of racism and injustice. No matter how hard black mothers try to protect their children from the ills in the world, they know that it is impossible to protect them from everything.
Kara Crowley is an African American artist who uses her art to give reverence to black culture by highlighting social issues. Kara Crowley’s piece, Exertion, portrays a beautiful collage of hands in various hues of brown and tan joined together.
Exertion is the perfect representation of finding beauty in diversity and embracing our differences in skin tone. With colorism being a crippling issue in the black community, Kara Crowley piece effectively demolishes the notion that certain skin tones are better than others and emphasizes that beauty comes in all shades–while also emphasizing that integration is better than segregation.
These three artists gave unique perspectives of African American history, lived experiences, and culture., and this could have served as a complete visit. But there is much more to see at the Museum, from photographs from the civil rights era…
….including at least one photo of Martin Luther King…
…the work of Clementine Hunter…
…and much more!
It is wonderful that the Ogden Museum of Southern Art captures the diverse group of lives, peoples, and cultures reflected in the South.
Lunch at the Auction Market
Jessica Cuevas
After exploring art at the beautiful Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the LEAP students headed to the Auction Market for lunch. Inside this market there were different cuisines available, including Indian food from Tava, where we ordered their Tikka Masala Chicken Panini and the Tikka Masala Chicken Rice Bowl, and an Asian cuisine from Asian Licious, where my peers ordered a Louisiana Spicy Roll and a Poke Bowl.
When attending trips through the LEAP Center, students are encouraged to be adventurous in their food selections and to always be open in trying new things. This was my first time trying a dish of Indian cuisine, and the exposure to new and diverse foods is only a gateway to understanding new cultures, traditions, and perspectives, which is what trips like this one are all about.
So Many Exhibits, So Little Time
Jayelynn Bordeaux
Next we visited the enormous World War II Museum in the heart of New Orleans. In my 19 years of life and several history courses, I did not realize how uneducated I was about World War II until I confused it with a different war entirely!
World War II began in 1939 and lasted until September of 1945. Germany, under the rule of Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, prompting an international response that ultimately led to this worldwide conflagration.
The Germans, under the Nazi regime, employed the Blitzkrieg strategy, which translates to “lightning war,” and was a tactic involving tanks and a massive use of air support. This often resulted in a quick victory for Germany; in 1940 Germany successfully overtook Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, and France.
The two sides in the war were the Allies and Axis. The Allied powers consisted of the United States, France, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. The Axis Powers included Germany, Japan, and Italy. Something that really caught my attention was the harsh practices used by Japan during the war. The Japanese would engage in banzai charges, killing as many as they could before they died. This was due to the Japanese commitment to honor, and their refusal to be taken prisoner.
One of the most compelling stories in the Museum is that of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who hid in an attic throughout the majority of the war to avoid the atrocities of the Holocaust.
I actually had the chance to read her diary entry about D-Day. Her description of it is that of hope, and she wrote in her diary, “Today is the day…I have a feeling friends are approaching.”
Of course, she would not live to see her freedom; her family was discovered and eventually taken to Auschwitz. Anne and her sister would die of typhus before the war’s end.
One of the most significant moments of the war in my opinion was the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is estimated that both the bombings approximately killed over 200,000 civilians. It is unimaginable to understand how difficult the decision to use such a lethal and unforgiving force must have been, and it forces one to consider the heavy burden felt by military commanders on all sides, but especially that of President Harry Truman, who made the decision to use the bomb.
This was a great learning experience for me, giving me the chance to learn about the major countries involved, their military leaders…
…their political leaders…
…not to mention a guy named Doris Miller…
…a hero at Pearl Harbor, who was the first African American to win the Navy Cross. Interestingly, he was from Waco, the same home-town as my co-traveler, Ilexus Williams.
Homer Plessy
Jessica Cuevas
After our somber and overwhelming historical visit to the World War II Museum, we took a trip down to the corner of Royal and Press Street, which is the site where Homer Plessy, the civil rights activist most well-known for the Plessy vs Ferguson court case, was arrested for “violating” the 1890 Louisiana Separate Car Act, which separated passengers by race.
On June 07, 1892, Plessy went to the “whites only” section of the train, and when it was discovered that he was of African descent, he was taken out of the train he was aboard. This act of “civil disobedience” was intentional, as Plessy was asked to get himself arrested by a group called the Citizens’ Committee in 1892.
During the trial, Plessy’s lawyer forcefully made the argument that removing him from the train violated his 13th and 14th amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution; however, as we may remember from previous history courses, Plessy lost the case, since Ferguson’s policy of Louisiana having the right to regulate their railroad trains was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. This landmark case marked the first “post ‘reconstruction’” legal challenge to the use of the 14th Amendment, and led to the unfortunate establishment of the “separate but equal” doctrine.
Near this location there is a mural with civil rights related artwork, and amongst them are two of Ruby Bridges, the first African American female to be integrated into a public school. One of these depicts her mother and her along with a newspaper telling her story and the other adapts the iconic image of her walking to school, a tryptic in three separate colors constituting a single mural.
Ruby attended the all-white William Frantz Elementary School at six years old and had to be accompanied by the U.S. Federal Marshalls because of all the threats and negativity she would receive. Interestingly enough, Ruby Brides is very much still alive at the age of 66.
This historical site and murals of crucial figures of the Civil Rights Movement was our last stop of the day, and we all appreciated its historical significance. We also caught a glimpse of a train that would have passed through the same railroad tracks where the train Homer Plessy was aboard would have been. This was a perfect way to end our day. As the sun set, we took in the immense power of the site juxtaposed by the memorialization of the beginning of “separate but equal” and the mural depicting the end of segregation in schools.
With another day completed, we look forward to what lies ahead on the both historical and ever-persisting journey to civil rights and equality.
The second day of our LEAP adventures continued to focus on expanding our knowledge of civil rights, and today that began with us visiting the National Battlefield Site of Vicksburg in Mississippi. The siege of Vicksburg was a crucial strategic key point in the Civil War, a part of the Anaconda Plan, which spanned from May 18, 1863 to July 4, 1863. Vicksburg belonged to the Confederates initially, and it was crucial because it is located right next to the Mississippi River, which was very advantageous since it allowed for supplies, goods, and reinforcements to be easily transported. Another strategic advantage of the river is its course; it creates a C-like shape, where a piece of land is surrounded on three of its sides by the river like a peninsula, which allowed whoever had control over Vicksburg to place infantry along the banks and shoot the cannons at any ships or boats from the opposing side.
If the Union could take control of the Vicksburg area, they would have control and access to the river without having to worry about being attacked, and this is what happened. Conversely, for the Confederates, it meant that the Union cut off their supply chain, which left them with three options: fight to regain, retreat, or surrender. After 47 days, General Ulysses S. Grant’s move to strangle them from any resources led General John C. Pemberton to surrender.
While at the battlefield site, we visited two monuments: the Illinois monument and the Texas monument.
The first monument that we stopped to look at was the Illinois monument, which was dedicated in 1906.
It has an ornate Roman-style architecture and somewhat resembles the Roman Pantheon. This monument has 47 steps in its stairway – I counted them as I worked my way up – which symbolic of the 47 days of the battle.
Inside of this building are bronze tablets with the names of 36,000+ Illinois soldiers who fought in this battle.
Another architectural note that I appreciated is the acoustics of the monument, a result of the domelike ceiling, which causes an echo of any noise within the structure.
As a sidebar, it’s worth noting that Ilexus Williams was interviewed by KBTX here.
The second monument was the Texas monument, which was dedicated on November 4, 1961. This monument was in its own unique way very Texan since it was a completely different type of grand as compared to the previous one.
This monument has 11 steps which symbolize and honor the 11 states in the Confederacy. A bronze statue in the foreground displays a Texan soldier, and symbolizes the Texans who helped to seal the breach in the Vicksburg front line.
Both the architecture and the history of this national site have given us a profound new outlook about the impact the Civil War had on paving the way toward Civic/Social equality. Moreover, we discovered that the Texas Monument has an SHSU connection, in that the monument quotes John Thomason, for whom SHSU’s “Thomason Building” and “Thomason Room” in the library are named.
This was a great way to kick off the day, and ranks as one of our favorite parts of the trip thus far!
Sweetie Pies Frying Bird
Ilexus Williams
A day full of travel struck up growing appetites for the LEAP students. For lunch, we traveled to Sweetie Pies Flying Bird to satisfy our hunger with food that is nourishing to the soul: soul food.
We were pleased to see that not only did the restaurant require masks, they also took customers’ temperature at the entry way.
We ordered an assortment of items including fried chicken, neck bone, fried fish, macaroni & cheese, green beans, candied yams, and black-eyed peas.
Favorites of the group were the macaroni & cheese and candied yams.
The staff at Sweetie Pie’s were nice enough to take a photo with us, which we did masked, but still managed to convey the sense of stomachs well satisfied.
And this gave us some needed energy to undertake our tour of the MS State Capitol building.
Capital Tour
Ava Garrett
On yet another of our many stops on our inaugural trip, we visited the Mississippi state capitol which is located in Jackson. The capitol was built in just 28 months from 1901-1903, on the site of the old state penitentiary.
Just like many of the places we have visited on this trip, such as the Starr home and the Vicksburg National Battlefield, the capitol building’s architecture had a Roman and Greek influence, evident in the columns lining the entrance and the magnificent dome above it. The architect, Theodore Link, definitely worked to give the capitol a grand, elegant design appropriate for a state capitol building. Just before entering the building at the south entrance you can’t miss the beautifully crafted stained glass windows, which looked even more breathtaking from the inside when the sun shined through.
After stopping in the rotunda…
…and gazing up at the Italian white and black marble and taking in images of the blindfolded Lady Justice, we took the golden elevator…
…upstairs and made our way to my favorite room in the capitol: The House of Representatives chamber, which was bustling as the legislative session was under way (the bustling activity was just underneath us, and not visible in this photo)…
Just being in that room made me really excited; it was cool to see the room being used and in action. The only other capital I have visited – the Texas capital – was much less active the last time I went.
Sadly, we could not visit the Senate due to COVID-19 restrictions, but I’m sure it would have been just as interesting as the rest of the building, and we did get to see the former Supreme Court….
…and the art in the rotunda, painted as part of the WPA program, and designed to highlight MS history.
On our way out, we were able to pick up some fun souvenirs such as brochures, stickers, and even a pin with the capitol building on it. Finally, to wrap up our self-guided capitol tour we got to take some fun photos of us standing on the capitol steps.
One other thing is worth noting: In November, MS voted to remove the confederate symbol from its state flag. They replaced it with a Magnolia Bloom, fitting for MS, which is the “Magnolia State.” We all agreed it was a much more inviting symbol for the state, and matched the residents’ friendly and charming natures.
Now I can officially say I have been to 2 out of 50 capitol buildings!
Medgar Evers Home
Ilexus Williams
After immersing ourselves in the history of the Mississippi State Capitol, we visited the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, more commonly known as Medgar Evers Home. The home is located in the Elraine Subdivision, which was the first planned middle-class subdivision for African Americans in Mississippi following World War II. Medgar Evers and his wife purchased the home in 1953 and lived in the home until 1963.
Medgar Evers was an influential Civil Rights Activist in Mississippi. Before embarking on his commitment to fighting for civil rights, Medgar Evers served in the United States Army, during World War II from 1943 to 1945. Evers even took part in the D-Day invasion on the shore of Normandy on June 6, 1944 during his service.
Following his time in the military, Evers began his work in civil rights as the president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership. In this organization, Evers worked to establish measures to impact civil rights. One of the measures taken included a boycott of all gas stations that denied African Americans access to the stations’ restrooms.
To challenge the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on segregated public schools, Evers partnered with the NAACP and submitted a Law School application to the University of Mississippi as a test case. Evers was denied admission solely because of his race. Evers’ effort to desegregate public schools brought him praise from the NAACP, so in 1954, Evers became the first Mississippi state field secretary of the NAACP. As a state field secretary, Evers organized voter registration, demonstrations, boycotts of businesses that had discriminative policies, and investigated crimes against African Americans.
Due to his activism, Evers was the most prominent civil rights leader in Mississippi. Because of this, Evers and his family experienced countless threats. On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was assassinated in his driveway. Although his life was cut short, Medgar Evers’ contribution to the civil rights movement and the fight for equal treatment for all will never be forgotten.
The evening came to a close as we arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, where we settled in and sampled some creole cuisine from Creole House Restaurant & Oyster Bar, where we got to try alligator po-boys, muffaletta, blackened chicken jambalaya…
…and some delicious caramel bread pudding and pecan cobbler. We have a full day tomorrow, and we cannot wait to explore New Orleans over the next two days!
The Center for Law, Engagement, And Politics has taken students to the last five Presidential Inaugurations. Given recent events in the capital and to travel safely within numerous COVID precautions, this year’s LEAP Center-led trip will focus instead on sites outside of Washington, DC that are politically, artistically, educationally, historically rewarding–especially with regard to civil rights.
Day One: January 12, 2021
Texas’s Downtown Treasures
Jayelynn Bordeaux
To start our Inaugural Trip, we visited three small towns on our way through Texas. We focused mainly on the historical and cultural contexts of the downtown areas of Nacogdoches, Marshall, and Jefferson.
Nacogdoches is known as the oldest town in Texas and tourists are drawn to the town because of its unique history. One example we learned about was the story of the Marx Brothers, a comedy team from the early-20th century. Apparently, their comedy career began at the Old Opera House (now the Cole Art Center) in Nacogdoches, when a runaway mule upstaged them, causing the audience to leave mid-performance. When the audience returned, the Marx Brothers spent the remainder of the show insulting the crowd, which resulted in laughter. Thus, their trajectory toward stardom had begun.
The red brick roads in Nacogdoches beautify the city’s downtown area…
Photo from KTRE
…and were a regular sight in the other towns we visited today, including Marshall, Texas. Marshall has a historical legacy as well, being one of the key cites in intellectual property cases in the US. In fact, out of the 93 US Federal Judicial districts, it leads the country in such cases! For a group of five pre-law students, this kind of thing is interesting!
Lastly, we stopped for lunch in Jefferson, at Joseph’s Riverport Barbecue. After lunch, we explored downtown and a general store, which had all sorts of goods including a gift shop, a cafe, and an ice cream parlor. What stuck out to me was their huge variety of flavors of candy and soda fountain drinks.
After visiting all three downtown areas, we noticed how each downtown storefront had its own unique style, which makes that area of a city special and personal. Most towns, for example, have numerous strip malls that dot their interior, with chain stores offering the only shopping to the community. These towns, however, offered various shopping options–none of which were chains, at least in the downtown–and they also stamped the area with their own unique architectural and cultural styles.
The Starr Home
Ava Garrett
For one of our first historical stops, we visited the Starr Family Home State Historic Site, a state-owned and -operated historic site, where we received a great tour by Joe. The main structure of the site, Maplecroft, was home to Frank and Clara Starr, a wealthy couple living in Texas in the 19th century.
The house was built for the couple by Clara’s parents, and the inside décor – much of it consisting of the original furniture and art – is just as elegant as the architecture itself. This family home was built in the 1870s, and is filled with many portraits, tools, and household items that illuminate the life that once occupied the home.
My favorite part of the home was the east wing where Clara Starr’s mother moved into. In this part of the house, we gained a closer look into the lives of the Starr family and the lifestyle of the time period they lived in.
The European-styled hanging portraits on the walls told stories of the lives of the Starr family, and some, like the ones hanging in the east wing, shed light on the hardships that the family endured, such as losing a child.
The next room we ventured into (which I also greatly enjoyed) was the parlor, where any guests that came to visit would gather. The color scheme in the room consisted of yellows and golds, which seemed to mimic the cheerfulness that would likely take place in that room. I found it intriguing how unique each room was decorated and how they all were painted different colors depending on what was in style at that time.
Another one of the aspects that I found interesting about the Starr Home was that the home was divided, meaning that the workers/staff of the home were kept out of sight from the family and guests as much as possible, which was a common practice during this time. This meant that the staff’s rooms and corridors were separated and unseen in the back portion of the home. The staff even had a separate staircase to use that was less elegant and narrower than the main one.
In a strange way, each room in the Starr Home was calming and inviting, and it was nice to put ourselves into that time period and imagine what it would be like living there. Although this was only one of many exciting stops, I know this home is going to make my “Top 5” list.
Caddo Lake Tour
Ilexus Williams
After leaving Jefferson, we made our way to Uncertain, to tour Caddo Lake., which is a lake and bayou located on the Texas-Louisiana border. The origin of the lake’s name is derived from the Native American Tribe, Caddo, the first inhabitants of the area. We had a great tour guide who was brimming with historical facts about the lake and area. (Many thanks for a great tour, Mr. McFarland!)
(Editor/Professor’s note: Prior to leaving for the trip, the students watched the documentary “Uncertain,” a fine film about the lake and some of its inhabitants. The locals are, at times, presented a bit unfairly, but the story is compelling and the film succeeds in prompting people to learn more about Caddo Lake. Educationally, such pre-trip activities prime the students to learn, a process reinforced by the direct experience, and further reinforced and crystallized upon reflection, as in this blog.)
Caddo Lake is credited with being the only naturally developed lake in Texas, formed as a result of the New Madrid Earthquakes from 1811-1812. Although Caddo Lake is a naturally made body of water, it has been altered to make the transportation of goods more efficient. For instance, Government Ditch was a canal that was created to ship cotton by steamboat from New Orleans, Louisiana to Jefferson, Texas.
Caddo Lake is filled with interesting vegetation. The swamp-like water is home to Bald Cypresses, which are tall canopying trees with wide trunks and branches.
And all are covered in Spanish moss. Their roots, called “knees,” are found extending like spears just above the swampy water to supply the trees with oxygen.
Salvinia is another variety of vegetation that is found at Caddo Lake; however, this plant should really be classified as a pest. Salvinia is an invasive species that doubles in size every seven days. If it is not properly controlled, Salvinia can overtake native vegetation.
Interestingly, Caddo Lake is a hot spot for filming movies, manyof which are horror films!
Some of the movies include The Long Hot Summer, The Legend of Boggy Creek, The Ghost of Cypress Pass and many more!
Not only does Caddo Lake offer amazing scenery, but it is also filled with beautiful wildlife that we were lucky to capture.
We may have traveled to Uncertain, Texas, but we are certain that this tour was breathtaking!
After traveling through Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi just in day one – some of us visiting these states for the very first time – we are eager and excited to see what the rest of our journey has in store!
Postscript: The students also take any targets of opportunity they can. So, in passing by Gibsland, LA, we stopped to see what Google maps calls “the death site of Bonnie and Clyde.” (That’s actually what you type in to get directions). By this time in our travels, it was nighttime, but we did get to see the site and the two markers that commemorate the occasion.
Just before Thanksgiving break, we held our last meeting of the Fall 2020 semester. In spite of the challenges and unprecedented measures taken to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pre-Law Society was able to continue its program with safe and innovative activities to engage our members in the law school process.
Following some announcements, the evening’s activity was explained. We were told we were going to simulate a law school admissions committee panel, which would give us an opportunity to see what it was like to be sitting on the other side of the table.
President Quinn Kobrin Tackles the Agenda
We formed small groups – socially distancing of course – and were given five mock students’ applications, which ranged from well-formatted and to many grammatical errors. Some were well-formatted, with strong letters of recommendation; others had spelling or grammatical answers, or did not have compelling personal statements. Once each group read the applications, they ranked them to decide who would be admitted into their law school and why.
All of the attending PLS students seemed to be very interested in this activity and each team had great discussions that both developed their understanding of the admissions process and enhanced their teamworking skills. The exercise led to an organization-wide conversation about what a strong application looks like, and we came to understand why admissions committees make the decisions they make.
Of our activities this year, this and the witness interrogation simulation were some of our most successful. As we continue to navigate the challenges of COVID-19, we hope to improve upon old activities and find new ones that will offer our members a fun and educational introduction to law school and the legal profession.
To wrap up the final meeting of the semester, Professor Yawn announced the following four LEAP scholarship recipients: Jase Brazzil (senior), Kiera Scurry (senior), Jocelyn Aviles (junior) and Ben Breckinridge (junior).
This was a great way to end our Fall semester. Our next meeting is not yet announced but will be at the start of the Spring 2021 semester. We are very excited to see what the new year brings!
Our second meeting of the fall semester was a success. The meeting began with our president, Quinn Kobrin, introducing the new officers to the Pre-Law Society members.
After that, we briefly discussed law school preparation. Michael Freeman (senior), asked, “How long does it take for law schools to let you know their admissions decision?” Professor Yawn explained that it can take weeks, if not months, and it depends on factors such as your LSAT score and GPA, and how badly they would like you to come to their school. It was then suggested that members use all available resources to help prepare for the LSAT, especially asking members who have already taken their LSAT for help and advice.
We were then showed a video of Texas’ 10th Court of Appeals on a Zoom call to learn how they discuss oral arguments during the pandemic, and see what challenges are presented by the virtual experience. It was apparent that both the attorneys and the judges were still adjusting to the format, as there were a few awkward moments where individuals dealt with connection or sound issues.
Our members were then in for an unexpected treat. We watched two short clips from the movies, Death Wish and Fargo. Death Wish showed a mugging that ended in three murders, and Fargo showed an aggravated burglary. While watching these videos, an actor walked in and took an envelope – which our members believed contained the organization’s cash on hand – from right under our president’s nose.
With these three crimes committed, witnesses were chosen from the group and taken to another room to write witness statements. We selected a number of attorneys to question the witnesses, including Michael Freeman, and Jase Brazzil (senior). One by one, witnesses were brought back into the room and an attorney was given their statement. It was then the attorney’s job to either get the witness to reaffirm their story or to catch inconsistencies to determine whether or not the witness was credible.
While doing this activity, despite the challenge of communication presented by wearing masks, we had a good laugh and discussion about what the suspects looked like and what really happened in the “crimes.” The exercise was a good reminder that not all witness accounts are reliable because we all perceive things differently.
This activity concluded the meeting, and we are looking forward to our final meeting of the fall semester, which will be on November 18th.
In a continuation of the LEAP Center’s Facebook one-on-one series, Professor Yawn interviewed Professor Jim Olson about his life during and after his career as a CIA case officer. This having been my first time hearing Mr. Olson speak, I was astounded at how little I knew about the world of counterintelligence.
Olson began the conversation with a definition of counterintelligence. He explained that its purpose is to protect the United States from other nations who may try to steal our secrets and technology. Much to my surprise, he told us that there are approximately 80 countries spying on us right now.
The conversation then turned to Olson’s 31-year career in the Clandestine Service. He was asked about his cover identity, which he could not share in great detail, but he explained that when he was in another nation, he would often have a cover as a U.S. diplomat, so he would have diplomatic immunity if he got into trouble. Sometimes, however, he was in other countries without working as a diplomat, and therefore would be subject to that country’s justice system if he were caught.
He shared that he and his wife – also a case officer within the CIA – never anticipated to come out from their cover identities, because doing so posed a threat to themselves and to their family. However, he was approached by President George H.W. Bush and George Tenet (former Director Central Intelligence) to work at the Bush School of Public Service. Olson was excited for the opportunity, but there is a CIA policy that does not allow officers to go onto college campuses covertly (which was news to me). So, he was forced to give up his cover.
In a similar vein, he was asked about how he and his wife broke the news to their children that they were officers in the CIA, and how they took it. Apparently, when he was stationed in Vienna, terrorists managed to get ahold of his address and sent him a death threat. They decided to tell their oldest son, who was sixteen at the time, and asked him to look after his siblings. As each of their children learned, he said, they took the information in with a sense of pride. He told us that each of his children has now gone on to pursue a career in the service of others.
Next he discussed CIA recruitment methods. We learned that the CIA seeks out a variety of candidates who may be cut out for a career as a case officer. Mainly, they are looking for character; they want recruits who are reliable and trustworthy.
To prepare for a career in the Clandestine Service (one of the most commonly asked questions of the event) Olson said that a bachelor’s degree usually would not be enough, and that students should aim to get a graduate degree of some kind. He suggested learning new languages, taking on roles of leadership, and working in positions that might allow you to travel abroad.
Aldrich Ames
On the subject of character, he spoke briefly about some former CIA officers who betrayed the United States. He spoke vehemently about his former colleague Aldrich “Rick” Ames, who he considers the worst traitor to the country for turning over to the KGB. He explained that Ames had identified Russians who were working for the CIA to the KGB, which led to their imprisonment or execution.
To wrap up the session, we asked Olson what he wanted people to know about the CIA. He explained that CIA case officers are public servants. They do not do what they do for money, power, prestige, or status. They do what they do with honorable intentions.
Despite all of the challenges of COVID-19, the Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics continues to provide engaging and interesting learning opportunities for students. Most recently, students were able to watch a Facebook live interview with President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, where she discussed her grandfather’s leadership in World War II and as president. Author of the biography How Ike Led, she had much to share about his life and overall legacy.
The interview began with a look at President Eisenhower’s role in D-Day,
liberating Europe from Nazi rule, and his handling of the discovery of concentration camps. It was explained that Eisenhower opted for a broad, slow advance to defeat the Nazi empire, rather than a fast and hasty one. He wanted to bring an end to the regime, and prevent it from rising to power again, and for his approach he was criticized by some who wanted a quicker–but riskier–approach.
In spite of his critics, this slow advance would be an important factor that led to the discovery of concentration camps. When he learned of the atrocities, he took it upon himself to examine every corner of the camps to understand what had happened and how it had come to pass.
She told us that he then issued orders for as many people as possible to document and bear witness to the camps. He brought in journalists, elected officials, and everyone fighting on the front lines.
He then had townspeople from surrounding areas marched through to see what their denial and willful ignorance had led to, and many were made to give burials to the deceased.
As she discussed the importance of Eisenhower’s foresight, and how he was able to anticipate that many people would not believe what had happened in the camps, Susan Eisenhower reminded us that Germany is one of the few countries in the world with zero tolerance of Holocaust denial. LEAP ambassadors learned about Germany’s efforts to reverse the wrongs of the Holocaust and its lingering effects earlier this year.
As the discussion transitioned to Eisenhower’s post-war service, I learned several interesting facts about his commitment to service and duty…
Apparently, on more than one occasion, President Truman offered not to run for reelection after his term, and instead let Eisenhower run for the Democratic nomination. Eisenhower refused each time because he was not in search of power. His granddaughter reminded us that he had wielded more power than most other leaders during World War II, and did not want run for president except when he felt it was his absolutely duty to do so.
A few other aspects of his commitment to duty were his refusal to wear a helmet because they should only be worn by those serving in combat, and his refusal to accept the Congressional Medal of Honor for the same reason – it was meant for those who had shown valor in combat.
The conversation then pivoted to Eisenhower’s leadership style as president of the United States. It was made clear that he did not engage in personal attacks; he was strategic and methodical in his political approach. When dealing with Senator McCarthy and his infamous hearings, Eisenhower did not call him out directly. Instead, he gave speeches about what American democracy should look like, insisted on televising the outrageous investigations, and let the Senate come to censure McCarthy on their own.
President Eisenhower also suffered no nonsense when it came to dealing with issues of race. As LEAP ambassadors learned in January of this year, the governor of Arkansas – Orval Faubus – dragged his feet in complying with the decision of Brown v. Board of Education, and made every effort to not desegregate schools. In response to this, Eisenhower mobilized the Arkansas National Guard and deployed 101st Airborne (paratroopers he had commanded on D-Day) to protect a group of African American students, immortalized in history as the “Little Rock Nine,” as they desegregated Little Rock Central High.
Susan Eisenhower then spoke about how her grandfather was a leader through study and discipline, and was naturally empathetic. He knew what people needed to hear, and tried to be relatable and genuine whenever he could. We saw a picture of him speaking with members of the 101st Airborne Division prior to D-Day and were told that he was discussing fly-fishing techniques with Lt. Wallace Strobel, rather than giving a pep talk about their mission. He wanted to remind them of their humanity.
Finally, President Eisenhower’s legacy of leadership and empathy are embodied eternally in Norman Rockwell’s portraits of him, which at various times depict him both serious and smiling. As his granddaughter explained, the big, toothy grin we saw was his trademark smile, as he was generally in good spirits around his family.
As the meeting came to a close, Susan Eisenhower reminded us that we will “be better as people if we can understand the views of those who come from…different backgrounds,” encouraging us to be ‘like Ike’ when it came to how we view and deal with those who are different than us.
This interview was so interesting and informative, and we were incredibly lucky to hear from Susan Eisenhower. We are grateful for her time and insight, and look forward to the possibility of meeting her in person someday soon.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 