The Beauty of Mississippi Gotdamn

 "In the beginning of the nineteenth century, Mississippi, a territory of the United States (acquired in the Louisiana Purchase), consisted of only a few thousand white settlers and captive Africans, as well as the indigenous population. In 1817, Mississippi was granted the status of a state in the U.S. federal union. Demand for land for white settlement and expansion of commercial farming meant the expulsion of the indigenous population and the increased demand for captive African labor. Particularly due to the expansion of 'King Cotton,' Mississippi had increased in population. The region east of the Mississippi River was overwhelmingly populated, with over 55 percent consisting of enslaved people of African descent. by 1860, the state had a population of 353,899 whites and 437,404 Blacks, with a very small 'free' population (773). The Mississippi economy was dependent on the system of racial slavery. The end of the Civil War and the corresponding policy of 'emancipation' potentially undermined the white planter class, who relied on a servile and oppressed Black labor force for their livelihood, privilege and power." Pages 11-12 (We Will Shoot Back by Akinyele Umoja)

MISSISSIPPI....feared, mocked, loathed, abandoned...is it merited, yes. But after moving here, I began learning more of the history and culture...so when I think of MS, I think of Fannie Lou Hamer, Ida B. Wells, Medgar Evers, James Meredith, B.B. King, Richard Wright, Anne Moody, Margaret Walker Alexander...these (and many others) are the shoulders on which I stand. I understand oppression is oppression, whether blatant or inconspicuous....and the blatant produced these diamonds. The more I learn, the more I understand. The more I learn, the more I grow. The more I learn, the more I want to educate others. The more I learn, the more I want to liberate. It is for that reason that this blog has been created. I was inspired by a fellow librarian. We must tell our stories, to our people, in our words, in our terms. This Blog is just the beginning, stay tuned for more, for I am intent on telling our stories, our purposely lost stories, so we can be proud of WHO we are, the resilience that allows us to still be here!!!

WE ARE OUR ANCESTORS!



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