♪ [opening music] ♪ <Beryl Dakers.> Hello, I'm Beryl Dakers.

Welcome to Palmetto Scene.

With the new year, as the COVID 19 vaccinations begin to take place around the world, there is hope on the horizon.

Yet, there are still concerns about the treatment process in certain communities.

Growing evidence shows that some racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Inequities in the social determinants of health, including access to healthcare, have resulted in higher levels of COVID-19-related hospitalizations among African-American, Latino and Native American individuals.

Our SCETV Digital Telehealth series examines these disparities which are not only evident on a national level; but also prevalent across South Carolina.

<Woman> One of the things we've learned as a result of COVID-19 is that there are digital inequities all across every slice of life, if you will.

And oftentimes those hit hardest in under- resourced communities in under resourced schools.

<Man #1> We saw early on that our African American population was being much more affected by Coronavirus in both regards to the amount of people in the hospital, the amount of people who got sick and the amount people who died.

<Man #2> So inequities are driven by things like transportation, like education, housing, insurance status, rural versus urban, a lot of things create inequities, where is you have two people similarly situated who should theoretically have the same outcome but because of some social factor, they are having a different outcome.

<Woman #2> I believe that the tale of the two pandemics, COVID-19 juxtaposed to the social determinants and the impact that social determinants, it was a perfect storm.

We find ourselves now realizing we've got the documented proof that there are certain populations in our country that have been adversely impacted by the virus.

<Anton> We have some 300 thousand South Carolinians who can't afford to buy health insurance coverage.

These are people who work every day but they work in a type of job that doesn't provide health insurance coverage for them at work and therefore they need to get it on their own.

They should qualify for Medicaid but the state has made a decision that Medicaid is not a priority to provide coverage for people who are working but yet still low income.

<Jim Clyburn> What we're talking about now is number one, accessibility.

Whether or not, you've got access to quality health care.

Then there comes the question of affordability Can you afford quality healthcare.

We've got to look at drug prices.

We've got to look at where community health centers are.

We've had four rural hospitals to close in South Carolina, in recent years.

Those people are very upset about not having those hospitals in their communities.

I think if we had Telehealth in these communities, many if not all these hospitals would still be open.

<Michael> When we try to reach patients virtually in the medical world, if your broadband connection or your Internet connection isn't good, conversation is missed, certain physical things that I can see it over the phone are missed.

Dermatological problems are not able to be diagnosed by phone if your video is not high resolution.

So there is a definite disadvantage to people who don't have access to good Internet.

<Anton> The more our state advances our conversation around broadband in making broadband more accessible in rural communities that there is low to no cost technology access, there's a lot of care that could be provided digitally or from a Telehealth standpoint to help meet the needs in rural communities.

<Sherrie> Telehealth is vitally important because it allows us to increase the quality of care that our students need but it also allows us to make specialist referrals more easily and more efficiently for parents who are not able to often times come into the building or not able to take off work.

We can handle those experiences there.

We've also expanded our tele-mental health supports for families who might be in crisis or children who might be experiencing crises, help the student better understand how they can manage and navigate and cope with whatever those issues are that they're experiencing.

<Anton> When it comes to racial inequities and disparities everyone of us has a responsibility and everyone of us has the power to do something.

There's a health needs assessment that the state does and you can see the communities that have needs, so you can access the data and understand what disparities exist.

Once you understand where the disparities are, you can be a part of the process to advocate for change, talking to your lawmaker, your City Council Member, your mayors, your community members or even your local hospital leaders around what are they doing to close the gaps on disparities.

You first got to raise your awareness and I would encourage you to get involved where you're most passionate about and where you feel like you can have the biggest impact.

<Juana> There's nothing that we can do about the 400 years of history behind us as a country and people of African heritage.

What we can do though is look ahead, look forward.

What do we need to do?

What are some of the things that I need to personally do what are some things that we can collectively do to make sure that the next generation has a better opportunity and the generation after that builds upon the successes of the previous generation.

That's going to take time.

It's going to take heart and it's also going to take real legitimate soul searching.

But in the spirit of grace you kind of create a space for someone who may be different, whose perspective may be different, whose life may be different, whose experiences may be different and apply that same grace you want applied to you, apply it to that person.

<Beryl> The Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School provides a unique educational experience.

Kelly Simmons is a unique and extraordinary young man who has left the corporate world, taking his talents to a place where young people are given a second, and sometimes even a third chance, to overcome life's challenges and pursue their dreams.

<man #1> What we do is not about us.

I love and I have a passion of working with youth.

And I've learned from the students that sometimes we have all the answers but what we do is we find the answers that we're looking for in those that we serve.

♪ [upbeat guitar music] ♪ (man speaking to class) At Wil Lou Gray we provide personal development, leadership development through our program called Empowered to Win University where we work with students when they first arrive here at the school to kind of help get them acclimated to the culture, to the environment which then we provide career readiness, a career success course that they participate in which is ten weeks.

While they're taking that course we provide what we call the Empowered to Win Youth Summit to kind of put those things now into practice where partners from Wil Lou Gray from the Wil Lou Gray community partners that we've established to bring them here to give them a better experience and better knowledge about the career field that they're choosing.

But then also to give them some encouragement and let them know that there are possibilities out here but you got to fight for it.

And you can do it because it's within you.

<man #2> Since I've been in South Carolina I realized there is a large percentage of students that are not in school, for many reasons.

There is a large percentage that want to finish early.

So not too many places offer them an opportunity as the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity school, giving kids the opportunity to complete an education and for those that want to start college early, or other reasons.

You don't find that too often.

So, this is great.

Great for the state of South Carolina.

<man #3> It's designed for kids who haven't had success around the state in their local schools, in their local districts.

We'll take kids from around the state of South Carolina who are at risk of dropping out or who are not having success.

We have kids that also get vocational training.

We have vocational training where we do computer science.

We do building construction and we do automotive technology.

We do about 200 GEDs a year.

Last year, I think we had 194.

The year before we had 201 We average right around 200, which is a lot for the state of South Carolina.

Those kids go back in.

They are beneficial to society.

They go back into the into their communities and they're productive.

<Kelly> Generally, what you'll find is because of the family dynamics being raised by either single moms or some may have never had engagement with another man.

So, there's a challenge there, because in their mind, I've been the man of the house.

And there's this little boy inside but he's 19 now, and so hearing directives from another male becomes a challenge.

So, young ladies trust anger, a lot of challenges that young people have they're real.

One thing that we talk about within the class, with the course that we go through is, okay how many of these are actual challenges and how many of them are actually excuses.

<Dallas Webb> The one thing that I'm learning about young kids is they definitely need mentors.

They need someone that's in their corner.

They need someone to listen.

We talk at children.

But we need to listen to them sometimes.

Some of it may be fathers gone, left the home.

Sometimes it's the mother that's gone.

Sometimes it's sexual abuse.

Sometimes it's gang violence around that area.

And so I think programs like this help them to see that there are people first of all who care for them and secondly that there are answers and solutions to problems.

You just have to talk about it.

Discuss it.

Think about it.

Kelly's had a passion for this for years.

He loves children.

He loves the young adults.

He wants to make a difference and everything I know that he's done has been in the lives of young people trying to push them forward, trying to help them reach their goals, whatever they are.

<female student> I think it's important for me to go through this program, because if I didn't I wouldn't be in school.

I was kind of ready to go home because I wasn't used to it but it's helped me a lot with my attitude and working with people and talking to people and getting to know people.

I love the classes.

They're actually better than regular school because you get to do more hands on learning and more experience.

It's teaching me discipline that I need and everything.

<Kelly> What it's teaching me is that again what I thought I knew, there's more to learn, going from what I like to say from good to great.

That's an enemy because you can do things good.

But how can you do it in a great way?

I've learned that.

And I've learned really how from your students we think even from a mentoring standpoint that sometimes we have all the answers but what we do is we find really the answers.

that we're looking for in those that we again serve and those that we help.

It's been just a full circle for Mr Gaines from the administration that they really do care about their students.

I've learned from the students.

I've learned from the cadre that at the end of the day again it does take a village to make sure that our children win.

So, I'm just enjoying the process.

<Beryl> Next, we'll take a look at a National Endowment for the Humanities grant project that centers on teaching by using local history.

This project, for example, utilizes the history of an upstate Mill and Mill village.

And it will draw K-12 social studies educators from around the country to the experiences of the mill community of South Carolina.

<man> I think it's important to preserve the memories of the textile industry for this area of the Upstate because it was the primary industry for nearly a hundred years.

<man #2> Textile industry leaders here in the south anyway have always been committed to building the industry and to improve the product, and to improve the livelihood of the people.

<man #3> Today we've gotten into a time where people want to tear down history or forget history.

You know history's there.

We ought to preserve it.

These were the backbone of our community 50-75 years ago, the cotton mills.

There were two thousand people I think that worked at Beaumont during the first World War.

There weren't but 18-20 thousand citizens of Spartanburg.

<Jimmy Gibbs> The important thing, I think it taught a lot of virtue and honesty.

I don't think you can find a better worker than somebody that spent their life in the textile industry.

This certainly taught me a lot.

And I'm certainly very thankful for that.

<James Adams III> Beaumont was a self contained neighborhood.

We had a meal store, which not only was groceries but clothing, all sorts of things.

<Mary Della Heatherly> My father worked at the mill approximately 22 to 23 years.

My father passed away but then when my mother passed away I bought the family home from my brothers and sisters, so I still live there.

We rode bicycles around the community.

At that time, there was not the fear that there is now.

All of the folks in that village were watching out for you.

I know where that get a thing now where it says it takes a village.

<woman> I grew up at Beaumont Mill and my father worked in the mill.

Basically he said that they would go around through the mill and fix any machine, any problem they had.

Daddy could fix anything if it were electrical, plumbing, carpentry.

Mother never had to call the repairman, because the repairman lived with us.

The mill village system was a paternalistic system.

And that means that the workers had no rights.

They were absolutely dependent on the mercy of the owner of the mill.

At Beaumont, we were very fortunate because Walter Montgomery Sr. was the owner and he was a very good man who cared about his workers.

(Paul Grady> Just recently we received official word from the National Endowment of the Humanities that our grant Fabric of the Past Weaving the 20th Century at Beaumont Mill and Village in South Carolina was officially supported, officially funded.

It's going to provide an incredible opportunity to the University of South Carolina Upstate.

>> Our task is really to as professional historians recreate the story of that community, to tell the story of the mill as an economic endeavor, as a social enterprise, the community, the neighborhood around it and its impact on the history of Spartanburg and then from our works both in archival sciences and the social studies classroom, we'll assist social studies educators in translating our work into educational material for high school and middle school students.

Over two consecutive weeks, we will bring to Spartanburg 72 social studies educators from the middle and upper grades who will spend a week with us uncovering the vibrant stories of this community and the individuals who made it home over the course of its 107 years of existence.

<woman> My job will really be toward the latter stages as we start to work with teachers in workshops and work with teachers to develop materials that they can then use to translate the community history that our historians and archivists have gathered into curricular materials for students.

<Ann Merryman> People were very excited to provide us with photographs and different memorabilia that they had.

Them having the opportunity to tell their story and realizing that they did have material that could help support the telling of the story.

I think people really want their stories to be told because they think that in their mind that imprints them in history.

<Warren Bareiss> My part in this is to help teach how to collect stories in this case about history.

Then to analyze those stories.

Because when someone tells you these stories there's kind of a superficial level like this is what happened A.

B. and C., but there are deeper levels in the stories too about perceptions about right and wrong, good and evil, and these perceptions percolate through the story.

That's what narrative analysis is all about, to get in the person's head to see how they see things.

>> The cotton textile industry was an extremely important part of Spartanburg's history and also of the American South, in general.

The Beaumont Mill story is tied to a larger story.

That's why we chose that particular site.

First off, it's one of the last remaining, intact mill villages and it still has part of the mill.

So, we have the actual infrastructure, which is important.

<Andrew Myers> USC Upstate is proud of the fact that it trains the next generation of teachers in our community, and in our state.

And this project allows an innovative way to train those teachers, particularly the social studies and history teachers that will go into our schools and teach the next generation of students.

<J.

Derham Cole> The award is really I think an endorsement of the value of community based history.

I think it's going to be a great experience.

It's a big opportunity for USC Upstate for the entire region of the Upstate of South Carolina and ultimately for the country.

<Beryl> In a time of uncertainty, one South Carolina guidance counselor is reaching out to help her community.

Jordan Culbreth works at Westview Elementary School in Goose Creek.

She, along with her husband, created a music video to reach her students.

It's a video with a very specific message.

♪ (couple sing and clap) Rehearse...and sing this song ♪ called Walter the Whale ♪ and it won't take long.

♪ <Jordan Culbreth> The story of Walter the Whale is about a whale named Walter and this ship captures him and puts him in an aquarium where he meets a jelly fish named Flow.

And at the time, Walter is alone.

He's scared.

He's anxious, frustrated and Flow the jellyfish teaches him to go with the flow and that it's going to be okay.

Eventually, Walter the Whale is set free by the big blue boat.

He realized that everything is okay, even though it didn't feel okay at times.

Then it all happened so that he can stay healthy and safe.

♪ (couple singing) ♪ My name is Jordan Culbreth.

I work at West View Elementary, grades three through five in Goose Creek.

I'm a school counselor there.

There's just no better job out there.

I get to help kids socially, emotionally, academically and I love providing that support.

And my husband, he is a musician.

He's a producer, a songwriter.

And he plays music for and produces for the band, Stop Light Observations.

He helps me write the song.

So, I created the characters Walter the Whale and the jellyfish named Flow.

He went along with the lyrics, helped choreograph the dance and produced the entire song.

So, its a really fun activity, not only for us, to kind of put our creativities together, but also for the kids to see.

The reason my husband and I created Walter the Whale music video was to reach to, at first just the students and families at West View Elementary and let them know that we are all in this together.

Even though at times we may be frustrated or anxious or feeling alone, that it really is going to be okay.

That we have to just go with the flow, even though going with the flow can be pretty hard, at times.

♪ (singing) ♪ Advice that I give to parents is to make sure you are communicating with your children that you yourself are taking breaks, because I know right now you probably have your job and you're trying to do home schooling with your children.

Advice I would give to students right now is, even though things might not feel okay, they are okay.

Everything that's happening right now, self quarantine, no school, E-learning, it's all happening just to make sure we're safe, even though it might feel scary, you might feel alone.

It really is okay.

♪ (woman singing to music) Go with the flow ♪ <Beryl> For more stories about our state and more details on those you've just seen, please visit our website at palmetto scene.org.

And, don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Join us again next time for yet another edition of Palmetto Scene.

Tonight's "“Palmetto Postcard"” looks at the historic beauty of the Upstate's Oconee State Park!

For ETV and the folks here at Palmetto Scene, I'm Beryl Dakers.

Thanks for watching!

<man> Oconee State Park is nestled in the upstate of South Carolina roughly about 14 miles from the state of North Carolina state line in the mountains of South Carolina.

It has 1,165 acres.

It has 19 cabins.

It has multiple day use facilities to include four shelters.

It has a 139 site campground.

It has a natural swimming area in our 20 acre lake stands behind me here at the park.

We also have a 12 acre lake fishing pond, which is located right on the edge of our campground.

The lake offers fishing from bass and brim.

Also rainbow trout, brown trout which is stocked yearly by the local fisheries.

We also have camping, which most people enjoy on a good campfire along with S'mores at night and good stories.

And then we also with our 19 cabins, the folks just kind enjoy family time.

The bath house is one of the most iconic buildings here at Oconee State Park.

It's the original building at Oconee.

Oconee was established in 1935.

It was built by Civilian Conservation Corps.

Each stone laid by hand, each timber cut by hand and still stands here today.

It sits right on the edge of our lake.

It's also the housing for the spill way that feeds from our main lake.

But then also we provide our movies at night.

We do movies at night here at the park, we do it right beside the bath house and the lake.

It's very much a traditional park, which is where we have the slogan of experience, the tradition of Oconee because families have been coming here for years.

They've been coming with their grandparents and their parents and now their parents.

And they've been coming here for decades together as families.

♪ [closing music] ♪ ♪