I know usually my post is a witty commentary on my
life but today I wanted to talk about something different, something more,
something deeper. I want to talk about where I’m from.
I am from Mississippi, and that is a fact that I am
proud of. Unfortunately you’ll find that many people would not see it that way.
There is a misconception about Mississippi, about the South in general really
and it’s a misconception that breaks my heart. Ask around and you will find
that the country overall views us as poor, backwoods, uneducated, racist, lazy people;
this could not be further from the truth. Does Mississippi have its problems?
Of course it does, but so does every other state in the Union. Are we marred by
a dark and disgraceful past? Yes, but we are not defined by our past, and our
future should not be dictated by the sins of our fathers. Take a closer look
and you’ll see that Mississippi has more to offer than you ever thought.
Mississippians are some of the hardest working
people I've ever come across. Every day they break their backs to provide for
their families, to give their children something better. I’m proud that those people are my people.
I’m proud that Mississippi mud runs in my veins.
Mississippi is also a hidden gem of art, culture,
and music. Giving us people like BB king, Morgan Freeman, Elvis Presley,
William Faulkner, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Beth Henley, James Earl Jones, Jim
Henson….The list goes on: singers, authors, activists, actors, people who make
a difference in this world. I graduated from the Mississippi School of the Arts
in Brookhaven, MS and there I was exposed and nourished by the art and history
my state has to offer. What if we channeled that? What if we challenged the
notion of what has always been and pushed forward with what could be? My friends
Vincent Chaney and with Greg Gandy along with Lauren Cioffi made a documentary
called subSIPPI (edited by Clay Hardwick) that explores that very question, digging
beyond what was hidden beneath the years of discrimination and assumptions to
expose what could flourish if we let it.
Does Mississippi need to change? Absolutely. We need
to stand up and be heard for who we are, not who we are assumed to be. Let’s not allow our state be judged and
discriminated against because of the actions of a few. Let’s take back our
voice from those who should not be speaking for us. We are Mississippi, and we
are proud.
