FYI - Mississippi blues artist Jessie Mae Hemphill is in need of help with her living situation!

Hi Gang:
I'm passing along this information in hope that you can pass it along to interested parties, and/or perhaps make a small donation on your own. Nobody I, or the other people who have been trying to help Jessie Mae out with this situation, know, has much money to spare right now, so we anticipate the funds will be rounded up in very small amounts.

Anyway, here's the situation. The 501C3 which provided a trailer for stroke-handicapped Mississippi blueswoman Jessie Mae Hemphill, has decided to evict her from it. I've been embroiled in a series of phone calls with lawyers representing the 501C3, Jessie's friends, and many other people for the past several weeks, since receiving a panicked call from Jessie that she was being evicted. It's not clear why
this action is being taken against her, although it seems cruel and highly unusual.

A concensus has been reached by all of Jessie's advocates that she needs to be relocated from Senatobia to Clarksdale, so she can be near people who can help take care of her. To that end there is an immediate need for as much as $1500 to move Jessie,
her possessions and her storage shed to Clarksdale. She's already 12 days past her eviction date (which was given to her with an outrageous 10 days notice).

If you would like to contribute to this effort, please send a check for whatever amount you're comfortable with to: David Tollison, 2166 Stage Road, Senatobia, MS 38668. The check should be made out to David Tollison. I have checked with several parties active in the effort to relocate Jessie, and they say David is trustworthy. I have also spoken with David and Jessie about this. He is a friend of Jessie's and built the wheelchair ramp to her trailer as well as the chair-accessible back porch. He is a Senatobia-based contractor.

If any funds are left after the move, they will be put in an account for Jessie. The consensus is that Jessie also has difficulty managing her health and hygiene and her finances, and it seems that David, Joni Mayberry from the Delta Blues Museum or her friend Blue Mike from Clarkdale may end up with power of attorney on Jessie's behalf, with her blessing. As long as she can keep her things, have a place to live and keep her dog she seems happy with whatever the results of this episode may be. thanks for your
attention,

Ted

Ted Drozdowski
P.O. Box 531
East Boston, MA 02128
617-568-9789