Growing up Mississippi: Stories and history I picked up

[Theolodius_Black]

So in another thread, I was discussing Parchman and said I'd make a thread about some of the things I learned or was taught growing up about Mississippi. I figured the best place to start would be with the biggest black eye on my hometown of Brookhaven, The murder of Lamar Smith.

Lamar Smith was a black civil rights activist from Brookhaven, MS. Man served his country in WW1 and was pivotal in getting black people voting rights in Mississippi. One day, he was outside the court house, helping black people vote and was murdered, in broad daylight, for this egregious crime. There were a plethora of witnesses and one man, Noah Smith, left the scene covered in blood. Remember that name. 3 men were arrested. A trial was had. They all got off thanks to an all white jury. Noah Smith? He's kin to the husband of Cyndi Hyde-Smith, US Senator from Brookhaven. Yall know her better as the lady who "joked" about bringing back public hangings and is beyond in love with the confederate traitors of america. She wanted to name a highway after Jefferson Davis. What's not discussed is that Brookhaven actually had a memorial for Jefferson Davis right off of Highway 51. Guess who was a huge supporter in getting that stupid shyt put up? The shyt look a lil different with this info don't it.

They've recently raised a memorial to Mr. Smith and it serves as a reminder of why our right to vote is so important man. I understand the frustration, the disillusionment, but please don't let lives like Lamar Smith have been taken in vain.

 

[Theolodius_Black]

My mom is from a small town just south of Brookhaven called Bogue Chitto. Right off of Highway 51, there's a road called Hog Chain road. My dad used to tell me that when he went to see my mom, he had to be quick trying to get back home because at night, Hog Chain was a danger zone for black men. It was a known klan hot spot, and any black men traveling the road at night, were often chased down, assaulted, or worse. The government did a fairly shytty job of keeping a census on black americans. Not just because post slavery, it was difficult to conduct a census on those who didn't own land, or had what little they did taken from them (another story for another time) but because quite often, they used to just kill us down here! Men used to disappear all the time, everyone would know what would happen, and nothing could be done. The police, shyt they were in it (see previous post about Lamar Smith) no officials cared. My father told me he had a friend that got taken down Hog Chain when they were teens. His dad found him alive luckily, beaten bloody, but alive. They burned a cross in those folks yard, and that was enough for them to take what little they had and move to Chicago. Most of us Mississippians have family up that way (Chi and Milwaukee mostly). It's why if any of yall from the midwest talk to folks that own soul food spots or stuff like that, that's where their( and most likely yours) family is from. But yea, eventually, time went on, more black men started getting together, protecting themselves and their families, and Hog Chain started to look different. After the 80s, black families were living out there in peace, and the klan had all but fukked off from the area. The great irony is they like to say black people are only tough in numbers as an insult, but when we actually do get together, shyt happens.

 

[cheek100]

In
went to college right up the way from Brookhaven. Any mississippi history is relevant in my book.

 

[Devilinurear]

@Pazzy

 

[Theolodius_Black]

I've told this story here before but the amount of land, stolen from black farmers, is absurd. Apart from intimidation into selling, or denying black people loans, a lot of the farm land they did get, was just plain bad. I had a great uncle, once owned a lake near McComb. He was falling on hard times because he had just gotten some additional land and was trying get his crops in. This was supposed to be prime soil yall. And he needed a way to harvest more of the land when his crop came in. So he reached out to a "friend" to purchase a mule. They drafted up a contract that stated, when his crop came in, he could pay for the mule. If they crop doesn't come in, he loses the lake. This was a man, uneducated because he wasn't allowed to be. Couldn't vote because he wasn't allowed to or would be killed if he tried. He didn't know what the fukk he was signing. He didn't understand the gravity of it. So, he signed the contract. He lost before the cards even hit the table bruhs. The crop was never coming in. He lost that lake. He lost all that land. And he had nothing to show for it. I always thought this was just a story my pops used to tell, until I saw the deed. Generational wealth gone. Just like that.

 

[Rollie Forbes]

My people are up the road from Brookhaven in Monticello. I approve of this thread.
, OP

 

[Kyle C. Barker]

Subs. Your story in that other thread caught my attention

 

[Theolodius_Black]

So the thread that inspired this was the lack of public defenders in Mississippi. I talked a little about Parchmen. For those who haven't seen the thread, it was basically a plantation turned into a prison. And they picked cotton out they’re not only at the prison, but on other people’s land. And they (the guards and the people borrowing the prisoners) had a whip they used while these folks picked cotton. Sound familiar right? Well the federal government stepped in in the 70s (1972 i think) and had to remind Mississippi that slavery ended already. When the profit stopped coming in the way that it was, they barely took care of prisoners out there, not that they ever did. The place was already a shyt hole, but they really let it go. They barely feed the men in there, the portions are ridiculous, and older prisoners, regardless of crime, basically died from the heat. They fed them expired food, uncooked food, contaminated food, shyt you wouldn't feed your worst enemy's dog. It floods, constantly, and the build up of black mold, yes BLACK MOLD, in there is just...it's gyat damn disgusting. Many lawsuits have been filed on behalf on inmates, very little reform has taken place. Supposedly things have been improving but man I'm telling yall, Parchman the worst of the worst.

Link to the public defender thread and shout out @Voice of Reason

https://www.thecoli.com/threads/there-are-only-42-public-defenders-in-the-state-of-mississippi-in-total-another-strategy-used-to-enforce-anti-black-racism.993630/#post-50345375

 

[staticshock]

I love hearing black stories from Mississippi. Subbed

 

[Theolodius_Black]

I see it stated on here quite often that black folks should take over Mississippi. I'll be honest man. The potential for growth is there. It always has been. There's good folks down there. But the amount of good folks pales in comparison to the wicked. The evil who are absolutely resolved to keeping Mississippi as is. A place with very little enterprise for tech or any evolving industries. A place where the good ole boy network still reigns supreme. A lot of us who attend college and graduate, have to leave immediately. I graduated from Jackson State with a marketing degree. My choices were work at C-Spire, rent cars, sell cars, or leave. I rented cars, then left. If you don't come from a family of doctors, it's hard to open a practice there. Same with law and accounting. Most black accountants are just people that do taxes for friends and family or work for someone else. And the poor are beyond stupid. They satisfied shaking Dr Bakers hand that they agree with his politics, despite that fact that he will never invite you to his golf course, his neighborhood, his nothing, and your daughter is addicted to Meth and on welfare, Dale. You vote against yourself every election. It was the most common thing I saw with white people growing up. The poorest kids wanted to associate with the popular kids so bad because their parents were suckers. But hey, anything that make you feel like you're outpacing black folks at least. That's why we remain the topic of the discussion with the so called anti woke. Mississippi runs that play into the ground.

In order for Mississippi to truly became a place of growth for black folks, we would have to uproot the evil that is decades, near centuries long of generational wickedness in the state. People with the last name Smith, holding on to power. Convincing people to move into that, that's a tall order. My family is involved in politics back home. I've helped with poll drives, but that shyt tough man. We'll keep trying, and maybe one day, we can get some reform, we can get more industries to call Mississippi their home, and attract more young black professionals. Maybe one day. But shyt, I left my damn self so I don't know bruhs.

 

[Theolodius_Black]

Let's make this a little more lighthearted bruhs. My Pops, I love that man. God bless him. He done told me a lot of real shyt that helped shape me into the man I am today. But sometimes, his stories be a little, eccentric.

So, we sitting outside on the back porch one day, me, Pop, and one of my older brothers. Pop went to telling us about the time his uncle took him and his cousin hunting out in the woods over near Natchez. It was getting late, they was about to call it a night, and Pop said he heard a terrible sound. "A-hoooo geh geh geh geh" He gone look at me and my brother and say "Yall, I'm telling you, it was a skunk ape"

For those who don't know, up north, they have big foot. In Asia, Yeti. Mississippi/Louisiana? Skunk ape. Called so because apparently this scound stank so damn bad, the stench alone could kill a man, allegedly.

He said "It was dark, but we saw the trees, parting like the Red Sea! I ain't never ran that fast in my life!"

To this day, that man swear it's a skunk ape out there

 

[Chrishaune]

Sounds depressing

 

[Theolodius_Black]

So, back to the real shyt. Parchman wasn't the only time Mississippi kept slavery going after abolishment. The great flood in 1927 was another time. Efforts to rebuild were divided up amongst the men of the segregated refugee camps. It will not surprise you to know, that black men got the worst of that labor. They were not paid and worked near to death against their will. Those who refused, were jailed or worse, killed. We also were given little, if any, relief aid. Post flood, efforts continued on the railroad. It's what my grandfather did before WW2. He was paid next to nothing, especially compared to white men. And the abuse he suffered. But he had a large, growing family at home. He did what he had to do. And in those days, black men either worked the railroad, or picked cotton, the later was also labor for women and children. A majority of our grandmothers, however, were cooks. They basically kept white homes in order and cooked their meals. Before they left, white women would learn these recipes and pass them down as their own. So basically, cotton fields, and keeping homes. When did slavery end again?

 

[Scientific Playa]

Great thread! I recently posted pics of my granddad's farm in Virginia.


I'm very happy and proud to have made online friends with Kayla Thompson over on twitter when I was on hiatus here. She almost won an Emmy. I used to encourage her to stay strong with the b.s. until she got the morning news anchor job at her TV station.

https://www.wjtv.com/author/kayla-thompson/

Kayla Thompson joined the WJTV news team in June of 2020. She was born in Brandon, Ms and is a 2018 graduate of Jacksonville State University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

While at Jacksonville State, Kayla was a member of both the soccer and track teams all four years. She also received the JSU’s highest athletic honor, “The Eagle Owl Award”, for her work on and off the field as well as in the community.

Along with Jacksonville State, she credits Jackson State TV for helping her learn the ropes, and find her unique style of storytelling.

Kayla also hosted one of Jacksonville State’s most popular radio shows.

In her spare time, she likes to read, watch old school TV shows, listen to music, and laugh at corny jokes.

If you have a story idea or corny joke that you think she’d love, you can reach her at Kthompson@wjtv.com

1-ON-1 With Coach Prime​