Jackson Will Rise
March 21st, 2024: Jackson, Mississippi – the city that will rise from the ashes of its painful past.
I wonder what the South would be like if there had never been a Civil War and if Civil Rights never had to be fought for. Much of my latest journey through the Deep South revolved around visiting plantations, Civil Rights museums, and historic sites. I can't imagine what my trip would have looked like had those events and places never existed. The city of Jackson, Mississippi, for one, would be unrecognizable.
My time in Jackson will stick with me forever. A few years ago, Detroit, Michigan, made my heart sing. Last month, Jackson, Mississippi, made my heart ache. It wasn't like a bad breakup that left us on bad terms. Instead, I left, wishing I could rescue Jackson somehow. That soulful city might not even need rescuing anymore, but when I looked deep into its eyes, I saw the pains of its not-so-distant past. The haunting memories that can't be erased color the character of this strong city. After taking a deep dive into Mississippi and the history that runs through it, I couldn't help but see traces of the traumas that took place.
I arrived in Jackson on a Wednesday night. Rolling into town late, I figured I'd grab something quick for dinner and bring it back to my hotel. I optimistically and perhaps naively searched "Panera near me." Panera is my quick-and-easy go-to on the road, but their nearest location was about 20 minutes outside the capital city. As I drove the desolate downtown strip, I lowered my dining expectations and rerouted to a McDonald's on the outskirts of town. I was greeted with the warmest smiles at the takeout windows. I wanted to hug them.
On my way in and out of downtown, I drove slowly, engrossed in this splintered city. I saw what I believe was a robbery in progress on E Fortification Street. Abandoned cars, boarded-up buildings, bars on windows—I’ve seen all of these elements in cities before, but somehow, it felt bigger, more alarming here. It felt like there was more suffering here.
Before my trip, I had read blogs detailing the heaviness that tends to be felt when touring plantations. Yet, for me, even while walking through former slave living quarters, I didn't feel the emotional weight I expected to feel. My mind was opened—I learned so much, but I felt no presence of ghosts gone by until I got to Jackson. I felt the gravity of the sorrows Jackson holds tenfold—perhaps because it wasn't so long ago that its wounds were inflicted.
The next morning, I set out on foot to get to know Jackson in the light of day. It was a Thursday morning, but the city seemed as sleepy by day as it did by night. For what that city's been through, being tired and resting seem like entitlements. But it's important not to confuse a slumbering, recovering city with a lazy one. Jackson fought too hard and endured too much to get a label like that. A fairer tag would be to call it the city that's yet to rise from the ashes of its painful past.
Like a person who hasn't fully healed from the traumas of their earlier years, Jackson has gone on living, carrying on as best its fractured foundation allows. New experiences have been had in old structures once reopened then shuttered.
I was taken aback by how many abandoned storefronts lined the heart of this capital city's famed downtown. More evidence of wounds that haven't had enough time to heal and equalizing medicines that haven't yet been applied or taken effect.
After touring several plantations days earlier in Louisiana and visiting Jackson's Civil Rights Museum, it all came together poignantly right before me.
This city is the result of centuries of oppression, abuse, enslavement, and inequality. It is evidence that the playing field is far from level. And Jackson is far from the only case south of the Mason-Dixon Line. But Jackson's silence screamed louder than any place I've ever been, it opened my eyes wider than any words I've ever read, and left me with an aching heart, a wide open mind, and a yearning to spread awareness.
Some might read my words and think Jackson sounds like a sad place they wouldn't want to visit. I can understand that reaction. Despite its scars and stories of horror and heroism, Jackson is a beautiful city. For what it stands for and all that its endured, I have enormous respect for Jackson.
For those who read what I write with curiosity and the realization that understanding history helps make tomorrow a more compassionate place, I hope your quest for growth and knowledge brings you to Jackson someday. There is so much to be learned and felt there.
