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You’re Not Supposed to Care About Mississippi
We’ve been told that the worst that happens to the state is just part of America’s natural order. It’s time that changes.
I used to be deathly afraid of tornadoes when I was a kid. And in Mississippi, tornadoes were abundant. I’d spend hours of my summer days glued to the Weather Channel any time gray clouds would form. If a storm was on the horizon, I’d watch the meteorologists explain the paths of the storm. To me, it seemed like they would say things along the lines of “this storm is going to cause major damage to New Orleans and pass on through to Birmingham.” If they ever mentioned my home, I knew that meant there was total devastation coming.
I’ve been thinking about those anxious summer days more and more as I’ve watched the news about the catastrophe in Mississippi. A few weeks ago, a winter storm tore through the South. I’m sure you’ve heard of it concerning what it did to Texas: An unknown number of people froze to death in their homes as the state experienced a massive power grid and leadership failure. Ted Cruz ditching the state was the top news story for days.
That same storm, however, ravaged Mississippi and incapacitated the state’s already-outdated drainage system. Thousands of people in the mostly Black capitol of…
