"BUT WHAT ABOUT US?" Exhibit Comes to the Technical College of the Lowcountry
Jasper County students will have all new facilities when they return to school next fall. Not so for students along the rest of the Interstate 95 corridor. Student photographers in seven of the rural school districts that were seen in the film, "Corridor of Shame," have documented some of the deplorable learning conditions that most will return to in the "But What About Us?" exhibit.
The exhibit was first displayed in the entry hall of the State Capitol in Columbia in an effort to bring a student’s eye view of their school to the legislative body. Many of the student photographers were there to share their concerns and express their feelings. Scholastic’s Administrator magazine features the exhibit in its October/November issue
Each photograph, with its stark image that could well stand alone, is accompanied by a brief description, some with a touch of humor but all with a sense of urgency. Many of the photos were taken by students in high school who wanted conditions to improve for those who would follow.
The display powerfully represents the deficiencies of the state's rural schools and the unmet needs of the over 132,000 students in the 36 districts in the "Corridor" that argued that their school buildings were worse than the “minimally adequate” that is required by state law.
The exhibit consists of sixty photographs that were selected from those submitted by 250 student photographers. Each of those that were selected for the traveling exhibition is identified with the student’s name, grade and school, along with their chosen caption.
Several of the selected photos in the project were taken within the Jasper County schools that are still in use today, but will be replaced next fall.
