We are Mississippi

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.

*subSIPPI is set to release in 2013, check it out at www.subsippi.com.