Jimmy C. And Me

While touring William Faulkner’s Home, a student from California in my creative writing class asked, “Does the fact that Mississippi is a much-maligned state disadvantage its youth when they compete in the job market with peers from other states? Is there a stigma attached to being a native Mississippian?” Considering the moral and cultural woes her home state wallows in perpetually, I bit my tongue to avoid a vituperative riposte. Instead, I dismissed her insult to the deep affection I have for the state I thank God is my home, and answered, “Mississippi’s contributions to society are far more numerous than her past mistakes. Historically, Mississippians — women and men, black and white — have represented their home state in virtually every field of human endeavor, and continue doing so.