Jesse Griffin, Executive Director
South Central Community Action Agency

I was born in rural farming community in Mississippi, the youngest of nine children. Limited opportunities existed for African-Americans outside of farming. Growing up, my dreams were restricted by the suffering I was witnessing around me. However, I had sisters and brothers who pushed me to apply myself in school. They made sure that my homework was done, and that I did well in other various studies. They taught me my first lesson in sharing and caring for others. Being part of a large and poor family, our entertainment was sports. We played yard ball, mostly basketball and football. Through my brothers’ and High School coaches James Turner and Odell Jenkins’ training, I developed athletic skills early. This earned me an athletic scholarship to Jackson State College (now university) and opened the door for me to meet strong constructive men such as coaches Bob Hill, and W.C. Gordon, who were my college coaches.

They not only honed my athletic skills, they taught me life skills. They helped me to understand the inner me. Their mentoring helped me to gain an inner confidence that enabled me to dispel a lot of the anger and frustration that experiences with racism and poverty had built. After graduation, coming back home was a challenge. I remembered the words “colored” and “whites only”. I also remembered the encouragement I had received from others; encouragement to always become engaged in making life better for others, to reach out and teach as I had been taught.

It was during this time that I met another man who became a mentor to me: C.J. Jones. He asked me, “people here need your help; are you going to help or take your education and leadership skills and go somewhere else?” That question tugged at my inner core and ignited a desire to help create a new community where everyone had hope and desires limited only by their willingness to work, learn, and to grow.

I later understood that the work in which I was becoming involved was called Community Development. In 1978, we organized a county wide baseball and softball program for youth. The program was totally financed by people in the African-American community. In 1979, we organized a non-profit called the Simpson County Client’s Council. In 1980, we created and raised the initial funding to start the Community Law Office. The “Council” led the effort to redistrict the county.

As my skills grew, my participation in statewide organizing and the training of local community leaders increased. I never left my roots even though my career took me into state government. I served in the Governor’s Office and the Secretary of State’s Office and the Director of Consumer Services for the Mississippi Department of Human Services as well as the State Advisor of DECA for the Mississippi Department of Education. Through it all I have been led back to my humble beginnings and currently serve as the Executive Director of the South Central Community Action Agency, where our mission is “helping people changing lives”.

There continues to be struggles and challenges that we as a community of people must overcome. I am blessed to be used in the continuous process of addressing possible solutions to a never-ending cycle of community needs.