I may qualify as a native Mississippian—I was born at South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel, Miss.—but as I grew up, I realized I did not have the same endearing feelings about my home state as my classmates. Those around me talked of how their families had lived in Mississippi for generations, but my roots didn’t run as deep as theirs.
My father is partly from Arkansas and partly from rural New York, while my mother is from Indiana. They independently moved to Mississippi and met when my mom brought the kids from the daycare she worked for to the Aladdin’s Castle arcade that my dad managed. Before long, I came into the picture, a first-generation Mississippian.
Furthermore, I have known since I was in middle school that I wanted to become an editor, and for a long time, I assumed I would have to leave the state to land an editing job. Because I had this expectation, I did not think of Mississippi as “home.” Luckily, an opening at the Free Press that I stumbled upon shortly after my college graduation allowed me to avoid being another brain-drain statistic.
Gradually, my coworkers’ pride in the positive aspects of our state influenced me into better appreciating Mississippi’s history, culture and its people. Since I shifted into working full-time for the statewide Mississippi Free Press, my outlook on the Magnolia State has continued to evolve.
As of July 2024, the Mississippi Free Press’ culture and features section has had stories covering 55 of Mississippi’s 82 counties in some way. Deputy Editor Nate Schumann writes that he plans to close that gap as much as possible before the end of the year. Graphic MFP ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content.jpg?fit=213%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content.jpg?fit=725%2C1024&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button” src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content.jpg?resize=725%2C1024&ssl=1″ alt=”A map that shows about two thirds of the counties of Mississippi filled in with purple” class=”wp-image-45315″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content.jpg?resize=725%2C1024&ssl=1 725w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content.jpg?resize=213%2C300&ssl=1 213w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content.jpg?resize=768%2C1084&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content.jpg?resize=400%2C565&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content.jpg?w=850&ssl=1 850w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/County-Map-of-MFP-Culture-and-Feature-Content-725×1024.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 725px) 100vw, 725px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>As of July 2024, the Mississippi Free Press’ culture and features section has had stories covering 55 of Mississippi’s 82 counties
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