When Mississippi Delta native Julian D. Miller, A.B. ’07, got to Harvard College he was overwhelmed with the possible paths his life could take. “I think I wanted to be a screenwriter,” he remembered contemplating at one point, before following his lifelong interest in politics, with a plan of working in Washington, D.C.
Two years into his government concentration though, his grandmother needed help recovering from surgery, so Miller took the year off from school. Back home in Winstonville, Mississippi, in addition to his role as a caregiver, Miller got some first hand experience with local politics, serving as a policy director for the congressional campaign of local politician Chuck Espy and helping coordinate direct support to Katrina victims through the Community Relief Foundation.
After his grandmother recovered, Miller returned to Harvard and finished his last two years with a clear path in life: coming back to Mississippi and helping those who are struggling.
“The issue to me seemed that there had to be a meeting of the grassroots and the top level. These institutional resources,” such as federal grants, “need to be brought down to the grassroots level. A connection needed to be made,” he said.
Miller decided that enrolling in law school would give him better access to and understanding of that top level, but before that he wanted to get more direct, hands-on experience with anti-poverty initiatives.
“I was able to reconnect with my first grade teacher, Sister Theresa,” who was working with a group of middle school and high school girls looking to do community service in the Mississippi Delta town of Jonestown.
“They came up with this idea called Clutter 2 Compost, where they would collect all this yard debris,” which a recent law made it illegal to burn, “break it down and make it into compost, and sell the bags of compost in the same program.”
“That was the first grant I had ever written and received,” Miller said, adding that the economic sustainability of that program — selling the bags at a price that supported further growth — really opened up his eyes to how change can last.
“If we can develop a sustainable economy in the Delta that’s worker owned, we can essentially create revenue to address social problems.” Which is exactly what Miller did with his next project.
Just before entering the University of Mississippi School of Law he co-founded the Delta Fresh Foods Initiative, a community of growers, health and agriculture educators, schools, and food retailers committed to creating equitable community food systems in the region.
