I recently visited Jackson, Miss., for a meeting of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. I had never been to Jackson and normally try to limit my time in the South. There’s something about the abundance of confederate flags, the Ku Klux Klan, a history of state sanctioned violence and the deep history of lynchings and blatant brutality that make me want to limit my time in the U.S. South. However, I am reminded of Malcom X’s famous quote when he so eloquently reminded us to “stop talking about the South. As long as you are south of the Canadian border, you are South.” Recent killings of innocent men, women and children by police departments all over this country have made Malcolm X’s words ring true today.
While in Mississippi, I enjoyed 21st century Southern hospitality. I witnessed whites and Blacks mingling in restaurants and shops and embracing a city where the past is never too far from the shadows of the present. As I ate, shopped and explored, I thoroughly enjoyed the nature, architecture and people who genuinely welcomed me to their state. However, as I settled in and discovered Jackson, the state flag, which still honors its confederate roots, flew high above state buildings, residences and public buildings throughout the city.
One of the highlights of the trip (in addition to spending time with more than 100 Black political scientists who are at the forefront of Black politics in America and abroad) was a presentation by Jerry Mitchell, an investigative reporter from the Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi. Mitchell convinced authorities to reopen seemingly cold murder cases from the Civil Rights Era, leading to the convictions of four Klansmen thus far. Mitchell’s tireless efforts to uncover seemingly cold cases has contributed to the convictions of Byron De La Beckwith for the 1963 assassination of NAACP leader Medgar Evers, KKK Imperial Wizard Sam Bowers for ordering the fatal firebombing of NAACP leader Vernon Dahmer in 1966, Bobby Cherry for the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church that killed four girls (Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Carol Denise McNair) at the 16th Street Baptist Church and Edgar Ray Killen, who helped orchestrate the June 21, 1964, killings of Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman.
In all honesty, the history of Mississippi and the current Trump climate made me quite skeptical about my visit to the Magnolia state. I realize a brief trip to the 20th state does not give me a clear portrait of the depth and complexities of the state or the region, and for me to truly understand the American experience, I may need to spend more time in the region where so many stories of the Black experience must be told, embraced, respected and passed down for future generations.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University and the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration and the Pursuit of the American Dream.” You can find her on Twitter @Dr_CMGreer.