The second day of the workshop is devoted to learning about the diverse cultural history of the Delta region. Tuesday morning begins with a bus ride to Greenville, where participants visit a Chinese cemetery, a black cemetery, and Jewish temple.
On the bus ride, participants watch the documentary Delta Jews, gaining insight into the unique identity that forms at the intersection of Jewish and Southern identity.
Cathy Wong, the sole caretaker of the Greenville Chinese cemetery speaks to participants about her family’s history in the Delta and what it was like to grow up among a small population of Chinese people in the region. Though, according to Wong, many of the Chinese people she grew up with have left Mississippi, the legacy of the Chinese Deltans is preserved by active community members like herself.
As explained by Cathy, the gravestones in the cemetery have both English and Mandarin inscriptions. While the English inscriptions contain the name and dates of birth and death of the deceased, the Mandarin inscriptions include details of their Chinese family history.
At the Hebrew Union Temple, Benjy Nelken speaks to workshop participants about the history of the Jewish commthe temple's efforts to preserve Jewish culture and community in Greenville.
Stained glass windows serve both aesthetic and religious purposes, filtering beautiful light into the temple and displaying symbols such as the menorah and the ten commandments.
Blues guitarist and singer Bill Abel brings an engaging end to a full day. He fascinates the group not only with his authentic sound and witty yet profound familiarity with blues music, but also with the guitars he handcrafts from materials such as driftwood and cigar boxes. Participants line up to purchase these guitars as well as Bill Abel's CDs.
Participants had the opportunity to jam with Bill Abel, showcasing some of their amazing musical talents.