Not only was it great to have been suddenly sidetracked with a 4-day detour in Biloxi, the Biloxi opportunity also ended up opening a free weekend window for the fun house of four in Ocean Springs.
Jennifer McKinney, friend of walk-across-America veteran Skip Potts (Skip had originally advised me before I began my Walk), had written to me months ago, after Skip showed her this video. She invited me to stay with her & her roommates in Ocean Springs. As the Ocean Springs quartet are all marine biologists, they spend the weekdays out at sea, in the lab, or doing other related things, so arriving Friday night opened up the perfect opportunity to spend a fun weekend with them all. Jennifer is originally from California; Jeremy, her boyfriend, is from Chicago via Kansas; Sara is from Sevilla, Spain; and Will, the dreadlocked twentysomething “youngster,” is actually a native of Mississippi.
Though I’ve walked over half of my Mississippi miles by now, with brief exceptions in Pearlington and Gulfport, I’ve still spent almost no time with people who are actually from Mississippi. This is in no way by design– I’m simply accepting whatever invitations I receive from many great people along my route.
Will explained to me that this small strip of coastline I’ve been walking is a very distinct part of Mississippi. “North of Interstate 10, it’s like a whole different state. The Mississippi coast has much more in common with New Orleans,” Will explains, “there’s a large Catholic population here; it’s a more relaxed atmosphere; there’s a constant flow of people from other parts of the country and world; and there isn’t the great reliance on agriculture as there is in most of the rest of Mississippi.”
Though there are only a handful of miles between I-10 and the coastline itself, the Air Force base in addition to shipping and other port-related industries on the Gulf Coast ensure a constant influx of people from all over. There are also people who came shortly after Hurricane Katrina to help with the rebuilding efforts, and ended up staying (Julie in Biloxi, for example). Many coastal residents who left after Katrina destroyed the area never returned. Given that I’ve been walking the coastline for most of my Mississippi miles, I’ve been fully immersed in this cultural melting pot.
Will is from central Mississippi, Madison, a “white flight” suburb of Jackson, as he describes it. He went to college in Hattiesburg and is just now completing his graduate studies here on the Gulf Coast. Will has endless stories about Mississippi culture and differences. Though there are still black churches and white churches throughout Mississippi, in addition to “voluntary” residential segregation in most cities, the most extreme racist attitudes that Mississippi was known for decades ago have slowly been evaporating over the generations, Will explained to me. Will’s generation would never dream of using separate bathrooms or drinking fountains for different races– whereas his mother was spanked as a child for once drinking from a fountain labeled “colored.” Born in the 1980’s, in the early years of integration, the concept of separate water fountains “blows my mind,” Will explains. Will tells me that even though many of the whites of his parents’ generation are no longer overtly racist, many also would not be able to see themselves working for a black man. Many people of his grandparents generation generally have (had) sweet and lovely personalities, but it seemed to simply be ingrained in them that whites were superior to blacks, and were to be separated and treated superiorly.
Sadly, it doesn’t surprise me to hear this, for throughout America, especially within older age groups, it’s not at all uncommon to find a very hardened, ingrained attitudes about political ideologies or about faith/religion. (I’ve found myself really having to remain “on guard” about this sort of thing as I continue to age!) So many of us have the only “correct” answer, and we’re commonly open to being heard, yet rarely open to being kindly debated– as we (sadly) often don’t ask the most critical questions ourselves before fully subscribing to specific religious and political ideologies– making them a core part of our personal identities– identities (ego) which may feel “in danger” if we suddenly decide to ponder the issues deeply after many years. The ego often feels safer by just following the fellow singing sheep. Collectively, we all have a long way to go…
The fun trio of nights in Ocean Springs draws to a close this morning, as the marine biologist quartet returns to work, and so do I. I’m to walk at least 17 miles today, to Pascagoula, where Michael L, a friend of Andrew Forsthoefel, has told Andrew he’d like to provide me with a room and meal at his motel and restaurant. I contacted Michael last night, and still haven’t heard back. I’ll try him again today, and if I don’t hear back in time, I simply need to arrive before sunset, which makes it far easier for me to make cold calls and knock on doors out of the blue, should I need to.
The rain clouds of this weekend have departed, welcoming a bright and shiny morning and new week. At this point, it’s completely unpredictable how today will end. That said, I’ve been on the road long enough by now to simply “feel” that from start to finish, challenges and all, today will be a great day!!
Jeremy & Jennifer of Ocean Springs
Sarah & Will of Ocean Springs
