The People
“As people watch this film, I want them to understand that the struggles of poverty and intergenerational issues are real. They are still prevalent; but we want to change the narrative around it. If you dig deep into the heart of the community, you find people that are doing everything they can to make life easier or equitable for those who are not able to fight for themselves. That really is what I’m hoping that they see in this film– that genuine, genuine love.”
Jason Coker
The Rev. Dr. K. Jason Coker is the President of Together for Hope. After nearly two decades of life and ministry in Connecticut, Coker returned to his home state of Mississippi to work for peace and justice in areas of persistent rural poverty. His lived experiences and multi-dimensional ministerial career have given him critical perspectives on human compassion and equality, which now drive his work in rural poverty relief.
Chiquikta Fountain
Chiquikta Fountain is a native of the MS Delta and has worked in family and community engagement, organizing, and education advocacy in MS for over 19 years. She is honored to be the Executive Director of Delta Hands for Hope and serve the community of Shaw. Featured in the film, the mission of Delta Hands for Hope is to strengthen local assets in the areas of health, recreation, education, and future development.
Chiquikta is a graduate of Delta State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Masters of Business Administration. She is Chairperson for the Bolivar County CAN and a member of the P-16 Council for Cleveland School District. She is the mother of one son, who is a Junior in high school. Chiquikta Fountain Delta is a proud product of Sunflower County, and is deeply proud of her Delta roots.
Pamela D.C. Junior
Motivational speaker, historian, and women's activist, Pamela D.C. Junior was previously the Director of the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, Mississippi. As the former manager of Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, Pamela fought tirelessly to make the Museum a first-class place of interpretation, bringing the Museum from financial struggles to features across the nation, most notably, one of CNN's " 50 States, 50 Spots". After seventeen years of service at Smith Robertson, Pamela became the inaugural director of the first state-sponsored civil rights museum in the nation, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. After two years of serving in this capacity, Pamela was promoted to director of the Two Mississippi Museums. Here she continued her diligent work to share the stories of Mississippi with audiences from all over the world.
She believes the stories told in the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museums should be used as educational tools for all persons. In her words, " Your history is a connector to your past- seek out who you are, seek out history. Soak in the knowledge of the ancestors, marinate in their wisdom - come out awakened by the epiphanies, come out smarter, come out whole!"
Cora Jackson
With 27 years of practice experience serving families and developing community resources, Dr. Cora Jackson is a multidimensional social work professional. As a first generation college student, Cora received her Bachelor’s of Social Work from Delta State University, her Master's of Social Work from Mississippi Valley State University, and her Doctorate of Social Work from Tulane University. Dr. Jackson has worked in various practice arenas including mental health, medical social work, Head Start, child welfare, non-profit consultations, and academia. Over the past thirteen years, she has served as an Instructor and Field Director training both BSW and MSW students about the fundamentals of Social Work. She has supervised graduate level social work students from several universities, including the University of Alabama and Baylor University.
In addition to her career in social work, Dr. Jackson was a founding board member for Delta Hands for Hope at Shaw. Cora now teaches social work full time for Walden University.
Rev. Charlie “JOe” Jackson
Rev. Charlie Jackson, Jr, better known by friends and family as “Joe” was born the youngest of 12 sisters and two brothers. He completed his elementary education in both the Shaw School District and Ruleville School districts where he engaged in many of the school’s segregated activities such as singing in an all-white choir and playing sports. He developed a passion for sports which led him to Mississippi Valley State University, playing alongside such greats as the Rice and Totten duo.
Charlie obtained a BA in Business from Delta State University, a MA in Theology from Tennessee School of Religion. He was called to ministry in 2003 and continues to serve in the capacity as Pastor of the Silent Grove Missionary Baptist Church and of an additional ministry he founded, True Believers Church. He is the owner of Kingdom Foods and Catering, a business that celebrates the joy of food and of serving others. He is famous for his fresh processed meats and sauces, which have won numerous awards and have been shipped worldwide.
Charlie gives of his service to the community through outreach as a youth leader and mentor at Delta Hands for Hope, a nonprofit in the Shaw Community and serves as a school board member in the West Bolivar Consolidated School District. Charlie and Cora Jackson united in holy matrimony in December 1990. This relationship has lasted well over 34 years and continues to thrive.
Robert Luckett
Robby Luckett received his BA in political science from Yale University and his PhD in history from the University of Georgia. A native Mississippian, he returned home, where he is a tenured Professor of History and Director of the Margaret Walker Center and COFO Center at Jackson State University. His books include a collection of essays, Redefining Liberal Arts Education in the 21 st Century (2021), and a monograph, Joe T. Patterson and the White South’s Dilemma: Evolving Resistance to Black Advancement (2015).
Robby is an Advisory Board member for the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York City, the Mississippi Book Festival, and the South Central Region of the Anti-Defamation League, and he serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Girls Scouts of Greater Mississippi. For his work in racial equity, he was named a Kellogg Foundation Fellow. Robby has three children: Silas, Hazel, and Flip.
Roderious Phillips
Roderious Phillips is a photographer and filmmaker from Shaw, Mississippi. Roderious attended Mercer University, receiving his BA in Journalism and a minor in Media Studies. He now resides in Macon Georgia, where he works with Good Faith Media as an Associate Producer. Rod aims to capture human authenticity through portraits. As a photographer, he brings the personal conversations he has with his subjects to his artistry, transcending the moment to capture an entire story in a portrait.
Temika Simmons
Dr. Temika Simmons serves as the Director of the Local Government Leadership Institute (LGLI) at Delta State University. She is a native of Jackson, MS and a proud graduate of Jackson State University and Howard University where she received her undergraduate (B.S.E.) and graduate (M.Ed. & Ph.D.) training in Educational Psychology. She is a former middle school teacher, and a licensed teaching educator for the state of Mississippi with endorsements in Elementary Education, English, Social Studies, & Psychology. Prior to her work with Delta State’s Leadership Institute, Dr. Simmons served as an active, tenured member of the DSU faculty for more than eight years. Her research interests include professional & racial identity development, teaching efficacy, and municipal and community leadership.
Dr. Simmons has received a number of campus awards including DSU’s 2014 Diversity Award for Excellence from the MS Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, DSU’s 2016 Connected Educator Award, and DSU’s 2017 & 2019 Lady Statesman Emerald Award of Excellence for Inclusive Excellence & Advocacy. She is a member of the Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi class of 2019 and serves on several community boards including the Mississippi Center for Justice and Higher Purpose Company. In addition to directing the LGLI, Dr. Simmons serves as Chair of the campus Winning the Race Conference and campus lead for Mississippi’s Delta Proud Youth Initiative. She is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and lives in Greenville, MS with her husband and two children.
Herron Wilson
Herron Wilson is a speaker and leader from Caile, Mississippi. He is currently the Director of Delta Ministry Mission. Reverend Wilson graduated from Tougaloo College and found a position as a news reporter at WABG TV in Greenwood. In 1991, he was assigned to cover the first night of an E.V. Hill Crusade at Mississippi Delta Community College. While still working full time at the television station, he enrolled at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson. In 1995, he graduated with a vision to impact his own neighborhood with a gospel-based outreach to the local children.
Herron looks back on his childhood in Caile, MS, with fondness, believing that rural life brings a sense of connection and creativity. As a result, he is passionate about using his voice and his many gifts to empower youth in Mississippi.