Sixteen-year-old Darryn Price decided to spend her summer between 11th and 12th grade doing something other than binge-watching Netflix and started living outside her comfort zone- “Shabbat Shalom.” Photo Courtesy Onelia Hawa
by Darryn Price
[gdlr_frame type=”border” align=”left” caption=”Photo by Zaccheus White”][gdlr_image_link type=”image” image_url=”https://www.jxnpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Darryn_Price_Portrait-200×300.png” link_url=”https://www.jxnpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Darryn_Price_Portrait.png” alt=””][/gdlr_frame]
I usually spend my summers curled up in bed eating chips and watching Netflix. This summer, instead of following my routine, I’m being productive and doing things that I’ve always wanted to do which, for me, is absolutely mind-blowing. I joined the Youth Media Project late, but I had so much access to so many amazing opportunities in that short span of time.
I visited Medgar Evers’ home, where his daughter, Reena Evers, gave us a visual on what it was like when her father was shot. I visited the Lumumba Center, where I and the rest of the YMP group interviewed some of the nice, intelligent teens visiting there from the Next Generation of Leaders Institute, all of whom came from different places, religions and races. And I attended my first Shabbat service.
Shabbat was very different from the church services I usually attend, but it gave me insight on how different someone else’s religion might be compared to mine. [gdlr_frame type=”border” align=”right” caption=”Students attend Shabbat at Beth Israel Congregation.”][gdlr_image_link type=”image” image_url=”https://www.jxnpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/image4-300×227.jpg” link_url=”https://www.jxnpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/image4.jpg” alt=””][/gdlr_frame] While participating in these activities, I have learned many things, from videography and photography skills. It’s fascinating to me that I have learned so much in such a little amount of time.
The Mississippi Youth Media Project has taught me that anything is possible if you just work for it. My favorite project is the interview with hip-hop artist Genesis Be—mainly because I didn’t work on it with anyone else. I truthfully thought that I wouldn’t be able to interview Genesis because I can be socially awkward at times, especially with “professional” things. I pulled through and proved to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to.
