Third World USA

It's been a month since I've posted a piece. Please accept my apologies for going so long without notice.

You may have noticed that the title of this piece is Third World USA. My husband and I moved to rural Mississippi this month which is why I've been out of touch. Being here has been an eye-opening experience. The country itself is beautiful. Plenty of hills and valleys and rivers and lakes. It's green everywhere and the sun shines brightly over it all. It's hot, almost unbearably so. The mosquitoes have made a meal of my arms and leg. It's so dark at night that folks drive the roads with their brights on so they can spot the deer peaking out through the trees. It so quiet that I can hear the beating of my heart. The people are warm and friendly. They get up early in the morning and go to bed early at night. They blow their horns in greeting as they drive by and wave as they pass you driving along the road. Mississippi is everything folks say it is and then some. As a born and bred Chicagoan who has only lived in cities, this is a real culture shock.

Before any of you begins thinking that I should have known, allow me to say that yes, I knew. I knew that moving from a major US city to anywhere rural would be extremely different. I knew there would be an adjustment and I'm fully prepared for it. What I wasn't prepared for was how much Mississippi seems to be like a third world country here in the USA.

The first inkling I had of this feeling about Mississippi was the reaction from friends when I told them we were moving here. Almost unanimously, they all talked about the south's history of racism, politics and the like. My answer was always the same. I like my racism upfront where I can see it. It's a hell of a lot better than the hidden racism I deal with in Chicago.

Banking has been a bigger issue for me. There is not one so-called national bank located in either Mississippi or Alabama. Not one. Not only are there no bank branches, none of the banks are part of any ATM networks. I can withdraw funds from an ATM (for a fee) but I can't deposit anything. Needless to say, I'm shocked that any bank calling itself a national entity has managed to ignore an entire area of the country. Actually I'm shocked that any supposed national entity ignores an area for whatever reason. It's a bit ridiculous to believe that people in south don't want any of the same things they do in New York or Chicago.

People who know me know that I love public transportation. Now I'm in a place where the notion of public transportation is unfathomable. I hate driving and now driving is necessary to visit the next door neighbor. We're 20 miles away from the nearest town (Hickory) and 35 miles away from the nearest city (Meridian). There is no commuter train, no bus, no cabs - absolutely nothing.

Nightlife is non-existent. Like many of you, I watched plenty of movies where juke joints were scattered throughout the southern landscape. Imagine my surprise when I found out those days and joints are gone. I'm not just talking about bars and clubs but restaurants and movies as well. When you look at the Meridian restaurant guide, published by the city's chamber of commerce, Subway is listed. Subway! Can you imagine that? I couldn't. Subway has never been nor will it ever be a dining destination but it's listed in the restaurant guide along with Domino's, Sonic and Hardee's. Until we go to Jackson, there will be no more gyros, pizza, sushi, taquitos or tapas. The closest thing to ethnic food I can find is Little Caesar's. On the other hand, bar-be-que is out of this world.

There may be two actual bars and there is one movie theatre which is located in the mall. On the other hand, ground has been broken on the Mississippi Arts Center which is to be located in downtown Meridian. Theater and concerts are held at the Riley Center which is part of Mississippi State University. Tony Bennett is scheduled to appear next Saturday and other artists are coming throughout the rest of the year. It may not be Chicago style concert offerings and theater goings but a Saturday evening with Tony Bennett ain't bad.

Shopping is not a high priority for me but I almost miss Chicago style shopping. There are gourmet grocery items that can't be found unless you make a sojourn to Jackson or New Orleans although a Whole Foods did open in Jackson this year. I mostly shop at bookstores which are almost non-existent everywhere in the US although most cities do have at least one or two indie stores. The only bookstore in the area is a Books-A-Million, located at the same mall as the movie theater.

Southern folks and church. These folks love their church and I applaud them for that. However I don't believe in church. I do, however, believe in God. Folks are having a difficult time distinguishing between the two. When I mention that I have no intention of joining a church here, you can hear a pin drop. The looks I get run the gamut from distaste to disgust. Doesn't matter to me. I wasn't a hypocrite about church in Chicago and I don't plan on being a hypocrite here.

Right about now, you're probably wondering exactly what we're doing here. You see my observations and wonder why in the hell would we move here? There are several ways to answer that question but the most direct answer is that I see what is and then I see what could be. I'm not the savior of Mississippi. The state doesn't need saving. Mississippi needs to be recognized as the birthplace of what the south could be if only given a chance. The national news stated this week that Mississippi had the largest unemployment of any state. That tells me there is a huge workforce just waiting to get to work. I see numbers of local Black elected officials. That tells me there is progress. Schools are getting more and more segregated and education is poor. That tells me there is room for visionary people to create programs that will educate and enlighten the youth. The nearest town to where we are has a downtown filled with vacant buildings. That tells me the town is ripe for small businesses like bookstores, ethnic restaurants, beauty shops and others to create a local economy.

For years, the US has treated the south as if it were a third world country, it's dirty little secret. Not a part of the laid back west coast or the hip east coast or the homey midwest. Big cities can only expand so much. Eventually money runs out and people leave cities for the suburbs. Big companies begin to lay off once they reach the point of saturation. It's hard to get something going in Chicago or New York or Los Angeles because the cities fee small businesses to death. But the south is waiting for its time to shine. It's waiting for its moment in the sun when people flock to the Carolinas or Tennessee or Alabama. The time is coming for the south to rise. I want more than a front row seat. I want to be a part of something that is bigger - my dream, my goal, my legacy. That's why I moved to Mississippi. I see not only what the south is but what it can be. And it is awesome!