Treading Into the Unknown
Izza Ahmed-Ghani
Undergraduate Senior
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I. The honest to God first thing that comes to mind when working
on this project was the elementary experience of learning the 50 states and how to
spell it. While Mississippi pays homage as the birthplace of the King of Rock and
Roll, Mr. Elvis Presley himself, my perceptions of this magnolia state were originally
far and few between. Based on preliminary recollections of U.S. history, I suspected
that there had to be detrimental historical repercussions from the civil war with
regards to marginalized communities. However, I could have never predicted the unfortunate
reality in residential health outcomes.
Over 50% of Mississippi residents populate rural communities: a population of common
public health concern. As our class learned more about Mississippi, stakeholders
in the food prescription program, and the three counties that students from our class
would be working with, the image of concern became clear. Not only does it rank as
the most food insecure place in the U.S., but in 2019 Mississippi additionally ranked second worst in health outcomes across America in
mortality, behavior, & physical health. The consequences of the state's racially systemic issues leaves members of the
Delta facing disproportionate barriers in access to healthy food and health care.
While the health crises in Mississippi are meagerly projected, our class has the opportunity
to partake in the call to action focusing on food insecurity.
While the tasks ahead are unbeknownst to the lot of us, there are many skills to grow
in which I’m so excited to grow. My group, specifically assigned to Coahoma county,
has developed a community assessment in understanding the challenges of the community,
as well as curated stakeholder question guides pertaining to farmers. I’m curious
to see how we will extract the qualitative data from the town halls and planning meetings.
Most importantly, I’m excited to learn and unlearn from current notions in this field
work experience.