I'm from Mississippi. I love my home state and the people. Matter of fact, I'm going to retire there. When my momma passed away, she left me a little land. I'm going to build on it. I so miss being around my family. Most importantly, there is a sense of peace I don't ever feel anywhere else.
But one thing I have grown tired of living away from my home is defending it, especially when you really can't.
I'm going to try to explain my reasoning. If you're not from Mississippi, you're probably not going to understand fully, but this is for the people of Mississippi to hear.
Mississippians are great people, warm and friendly. They are patriotic, brave and true. They are also stubborn...make that extremely stubborn.
They don't want to be told what to do. I understand that. When I first moved up North, I couldn't see why everyone had a problem with my home state. I saw more bigotry and racism in Boston in a week than I ever had in my little town in Mississippi.
To be honest, I cringed when the movie Mississippi Burning came out and refused to see it. Yet, try as I might, I couldn't escape it. The movie was shown to my kids at school. What do you tell your kids when they ask "Isn't that where you're from, Momma?" Wasn't something I could defend. Instead, I said that it was something bad that happened, but it happens all over the country. It's not just isolated to Mississippi.
Truthfully, I meant that. I mean I never saw anything remotely attached to racism going up...but I guess I was raised differently. My daddy always said to judge a man by his actions and not his appearance. I never heard a negative word to slander an African-Amercian just about race. Daddy would have whipped my butt if I ever used the N word.
But then, I began working with an African-American woman from the Mississippi Delta. I was so happy to met another person from Mississippi. (We Mississippians always feel a connection to our state.) Like most Mississippians I know, she was warm and kind. But I always found her to be a little reserved when I mentioned Mississippi. That's when I learned there was a difference between us.
The way I was treated growing up was totally different than the way she was. I don't mean how her parents raised her, but the way she was treated because she was poor and black. She told me a story that wrenched my heart. She was one of eleven children, being raised by a single mother. One day the sheriff came and arrested her mother for being two days late for a payment on a TV—only 2 days! They handcuffed her in front of all her children and took her away without a word. The officers left behind eleven children to fend for themelves for days without a word of communication from their mother or anyone... The children were scared and afraid. Their ages ranged from thirteen to one...a baby! Her mother did eventually come home. As soon as they were able, they moved up North.
Something struck me at that moment.
I stopped trying to defend my state. I don't know what its like to go up African-American, but I now understood, there is a difference.
We need to see the world through their eyes. We need to understand they have the right to feel things.
We need to stop trying to defend our ancestors' actions and begin to live in the present.
One of the things that bothers me greatly about my state is their flag, the symbol of Mississippi. They need to remove the Confederate flag from it. I know...I know the agrument that the Confederate flag is a legacy for the brave men that fought in the Civil War. I want to state for the record that may have been the intention, but the Confederate flag now stands for bigotry, hatred, and racism because of the KKK and its not only about the KKK.
African-Americans see the flag as a sign of oppression...the sign of slavery. The Civil War was fought to keep them in bondage (I know...I know we could debate that statement for the next ten years). But simply stated, it was. Can't you see what African-Americans might feel when they see the flag?
What you might see as a white Mississippian isn't what your brother sees.
White Mississippians need to understand that. White Mississippians need to stand with their brothers and design a new flag, one that stands for all Mississippians.
So, now I return to Ole Miss basketball players.
Good for you!! This was not done to disrespect the flag or country. It was done to show that the Ole Miss players stand against hate groups. I know how much courage it must have taken to make a stand. I graduated from MS State. Anyone from Mississippi will understand how hard it is for me to acknowledge what someone from Ole Miss has done.
BUT I couldn't have been prouder!
It's a first step for Mississippi to be seen publicly going in the right direction.
Mississippi will get to where it needs to be. I have faith in the people. I know, also, the reason we haven't changed yet is because of how stubborn we are. We don't like to be told what to do from outsiders.
That's why Ole Miss Basketball players kneeling was so important.
It came from within.
But one thing I have grown tired of living away from my home is defending it, especially when you really can't.
I'm going to try to explain my reasoning. If you're not from Mississippi, you're probably not going to understand fully, but this is for the people of Mississippi to hear.
Mississippians are great people, warm and friendly. They are patriotic, brave and true. They are also stubborn...make that extremely stubborn.
They don't want to be told what to do. I understand that. When I first moved up North, I couldn't see why everyone had a problem with my home state. I saw more bigotry and racism in Boston in a week than I ever had in my little town in Mississippi.
To be honest, I cringed when the movie Mississippi Burning came out and refused to see it. Yet, try as I might, I couldn't escape it. The movie was shown to my kids at school. What do you tell your kids when they ask "Isn't that where you're from, Momma?" Wasn't something I could defend. Instead, I said that it was something bad that happened, but it happens all over the country. It's not just isolated to Mississippi.
Truthfully, I meant that. I mean I never saw anything remotely attached to racism going up...but I guess I was raised differently. My daddy always said to judge a man by his actions and not his appearance. I never heard a negative word to slander an African-Amercian just about race. Daddy would have whipped my butt if I ever used the N word.
But then, I began working with an African-American woman from the Mississippi Delta. I was so happy to met another person from Mississippi. (We Mississippians always feel a connection to our state.) Like most Mississippians I know, she was warm and kind. But I always found her to be a little reserved when I mentioned Mississippi. That's when I learned there was a difference between us.
The way I was treated growing up was totally different than the way she was. I don't mean how her parents raised her, but the way she was treated because she was poor and black. She told me a story that wrenched my heart. She was one of eleven children, being raised by a single mother. One day the sheriff came and arrested her mother for being two days late for a payment on a TV—only 2 days! They handcuffed her in front of all her children and took her away without a word. The officers left behind eleven children to fend for themelves for days without a word of communication from their mother or anyone... The children were scared and afraid. Their ages ranged from thirteen to one...a baby! Her mother did eventually come home. As soon as they were able, they moved up North.
Something struck me at that moment.
I stopped trying to defend my state. I don't know what its like to go up African-American, but I now understood, there is a difference.
We need to see the world through their eyes. We need to understand they have the right to feel things.
We need to stop trying to defend our ancestors' actions and begin to live in the present.
One of the things that bothers me greatly about my state is their flag, the symbol of Mississippi. They need to remove the Confederate flag from it. I know...I know the agrument that the Confederate flag is a legacy for the brave men that fought in the Civil War. I want to state for the record that may have been the intention, but the Confederate flag now stands for bigotry, hatred, and racism because of the KKK and its not only about the KKK.
African-Americans see the flag as a sign of oppression...the sign of slavery. The Civil War was fought to keep them in bondage (I know...I know we could debate that statement for the next ten years). But simply stated, it was. Can't you see what African-Americans might feel when they see the flag?
What you might see as a white Mississippian isn't what your brother sees.
White Mississippians need to understand that. White Mississippians need to stand with their brothers and design a new flag, one that stands for all Mississippians.
So, now I return to Ole Miss basketball players.
BUT I couldn't have been prouder!
It's a first step for Mississippi to be seen publicly going in the right direction.
Mississippi will get to where it needs to be. I have faith in the people. I know, also, the reason we haven't changed yet is because of how stubborn we are. We don't like to be told what to do from outsiders.
That's why Ole Miss Basketball players kneeling was so important.
It came from within.
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