U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

2001 PRESS RELEASES, ADVISORIES AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION RELEASES MISSISSIPPI DELTA REPORT: DISPARITIES IN POVERTY, EDUCATION, AND VOTING RIGHTS STILL AFFLICT TROUBLED REGION

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights today released a wide-ranging report on the underlying causes of racial and ethnic tension in the Mississippi Delta, focusing on the areas of equality of economic opportunity, public education, and voting rights.

The report, titled The Mississippi Delta Report, is the seventh in a series on Racial and Ethnic Tensions in American Communities: Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination. It is the product of a three-day fact-finding hearing, sworn testimonies of numerous witnesses, subpoenaed data, and research by Commission staff.

The report finds that the Mississippi Delta remains one of America's most troubled regions, the legacy of a history of enslavement, Jim Crow laws, disenfranchisement, and racial segregation. That legacy lives on in the region's unacceptably high levels of poverty, educational inequality, and continuing problems with voting rights and political representation.

The report directs specific recommendations to the Federal government and to the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Among them:

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture should thoroughly investigate and resolve outstanding complaints of discriminatory treatment at local FSA offices, and resolve the backload of civil rights complaints;
• The U.S. Department of Education should increase its scrutiny of educational disparities in the Delta and provide adequate avenues for parents and teachers to participate in monitoring and evaluation processes, specifically those regarding assignment to special education and disciplinary action;
• The U.S. Congress should increase funding for the civil rights enforcement activities for the Federal agencies investigating discrimination in the Delta, and enact legislation to increase economic development in the region.

Dr. Mary Frances Berry, Chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, noted that the Delta is one of the poorest regions in the nation based on virtually every socio-economic indicator, and urged the executive and legislative branches to move ahead with the recommendations contained in the report. "The problems of the region stem from a debilitating history that we must finally confront and overcome," she said. "It is our hope that this report will help move that effort forward."

Individual copies of the report are free and available to the public by contacting the Publications Office, U.S.CCR, 624 9th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20425 or by calling (202) 376-8110.

3/15/01