If he invited him to a public hanging I would be in the front row. Mississippi Today is the place where I am writing a series. The series focuses on three photographs from the southern 20th century. For this essay, I would love to include another quote by Senator Cindy Hyde Smith. I would love to hear a refrain that focuses on Cindy Hyde Smith’s unrelenting approach to poverty, her innovative ideas in equitable education, and her commitment to ending state-sanctioned premature deaths in Mississippi. But those quotes do not exist. I would be in the front row if he invited me to a public hanging. In spite of all this, Cindy Hyde Smith’s inept home-training and her callous commitment not to honor Mississippi’s promise to our children is what does exist. Cindy Hyde Smith hopes that Mike Espy will be punished by Mississippi for his daring attempt to become the first Black senator from the Blackest state of the union in 150-years. Mike Espy is not political with me. Mike Espy is far more politically courageous than me. It’s what I do. It is my teaching method. It is what I write. I create Mississippi art. Although I love Mississippi, I don’t have the courage or desire to be the first Black senator of Mississippi for over 150 years. This cowardice can be explained by many factors. The main reason I cowardice is because I want to live beyond my grandma and mama. It is much more difficult than it should be, especially when we live in a state in which nearly eight out of ten of the ten white voters voted for a senatorial candidate in 2018. He said, in front cameras, “If [he] invited me to a publicly hanging, I’d go.” We know the abundance of Mississippi, despite what the rest believe about Mississippi. Cindy Hyde Smith could have wished to be in the front row of The Sonic Boom of the South. She could also have wanted to be in the front row of a reading of our Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners. Or, she could have longed for a seat at the top of one of our illustrious museums. Cindy Hyde Smith chose the Mississippi public hanging as her site of fandom, without any prompting. As quiet as it may be, Cindy Hyde Smith won because she chose a Mississippi public hanging as her site of fandom. If he invited him to a public hanging in Mississippi, I would be there. I had the opportunity to interview Professor Eddie Glaude, a native of Moss Point, Mississippi about his fascinating exploration of James Baldwin’s life, and work, Begin again, a few weeks back. In preparation for the interview, I read the May 17, 1963 issue of Time Magazine with Baldwin as the cover. To the left of the words “Birmingham & Beyond: The Negro’s Push for Equality”, are the oddly spaced words, “THIRTY CENTS.” I would be in the first row if he invited me to a public hang. A photograph shows two white officers standing next to three black officers as they assault a Black woman. It is located on page 24, just above a caption that says, “Birmingham Cops Handling Negro Woman.” One officer grabs the arm of the woman. One officer is restrainting the legs of the woman. One officer is putting his knee into the woman’s neck. A Coca Cola sign is visible above the door. The woman is fighting back from behind. The officer is attempting to stop her from kicking her. She holds her arms high to resist the officer. She is resisting the officer who restrains her legs. She is fighting the officers who are watching. She is fighting for all those who want to be part of this orchestrated cruelty. She fights all those who are afraid to take action. Five white men. There are many politicians. There are millions of potential onlookers. One woman from the South, fighting for her dignity and life. This was in Alabama. This was also true in Mississippi. This happened in America fifty-seven years later. I would be in the front row if he invited me to a public hanging. Eddie invited me to a public hanging. I was astonished that James Baldwin, a well-known Harlemite, who had not yet stepped foot in Mississippi or its deep south, could answer the question. I then asked Eddie if Mississippi has any specific needs in order to fulfill its promise. Eddie seemed to take my question seriously or he behaved as if I was asking him a question that he takes seriously like all Mississippians with good home-training. Eddie replied with a mixture of shrewdness and informed sincerity. That’s it. It’s all there. From the poverty and the beauty of our culture to the depths of our poverty, if we respond, it all unlocks.” I would be in the front row if he invited me to a public hanging. Ida B. has unlocked Mississippi’s prisoner system, despite the fact that it was locked down by the brutal politics of Bilbo and Barnett, Stennis and Reeves, and Cindy Hyde Smith. Fannie Lou Hamer and Medgar Evers, SNCC and Mamie Till, Emmett till, and this current group are just a few of the young Mississippians who will continue fighting for Mississippi’s promise. These locksmiths, like Eddie, know that we can unlock everything here in Mississippi. They are able to be truthful about what they’re unlocking. They are aware that we have to tell the truth about who is benefiting from Mississippi being, or being perceived as, an impenetrable, island of injustice. Who is a victim of this? Who blushes when they eat the bruised? What, who, and why should Mississippi be grateful? If he invited him to a public hanging I would be in the front row. Margaret Walker Alexander, my mother’s mentor asked me the question “How long have you been living in hell for Heaven?” Margaret Walker Alexander taught us that art without deep introspection, radical empathy, and rigorous introspection is hollow. I’m trying to be Cindy Hyde Smith. It is difficult because, while Black men and women were the majority of those publicly hanginged in Mississippi for their crimes, Black women were also publicly executed. Publicly hanging white men was a common practice. Indigenous men were publicly hanged. However, there are no records of white women being publicly hanged here in Mississippi. What would you do if he invited you to a Mississippi public hanging? I am certain I wouldn’t be in the front row. I would be hanginged along with other Black Mississippians, either for writing something that should not have been written or for walking where it shouldn’t be. Mike Espy would also be executed for his bravery in trying to political unlock Mississippi in the face a concerted act of brutality. Piss would run down our front thighs, below our knees, and onto our tips of our toes in abundant Choctaw land or Chickasaw land, which is the worst part of Mississippi. I believe that Cindy Hyde Smith and all the loving Mississippians who long to be in the front row at a public hanging could have seen us before the platform we were standing on was removed. If slack faced terrorist had not taken our tongues — or even if it had — I would love to believe Mike Espy would say, “You won’t win.” This is not the way you have to act. Mississippi is the key. “We.” I would be in the front row if he invited me for a public hanging. I hope that we will continue to do the courageous work of unlocking Mississippi’s abundance today, tomorrow and forever, whether we are standing, marching or floating from trees or fighting from behind our backs. I hope that we can stop unlocking Mississippi’s abundance. If we do, I hope we have enough home training to admit our unrivalled commitment to the destruction, death, and dishonoring of our children. How long have you been living in hell to get to heaven? We will prevail. It’s true. We will prevail. Eddie is right. Mississippi is the key. Margaret Walker is correct. It is important to never stop thinking. Never forget. Accept that Mississippi can always choose to be the most brave, equitable, graceful and gracious. When Mississippi confronts us, we can no longer choose death, torture, or anguish. We have the option to choose. We’ve had a choice. We can’t love Mississippi and allow Cindy Hyde Smith to be a senator from the Blackest, Most Abundant State in this country. This is not the right way to live. He could have invited me to a public hanging. I would be in the front row.
If he invited him to a public hanging I would be in the front row.
If he invited him to a public hanging I would be in the front row. I hate italics. Editor’s note: Mississippians can use our platform to create essays on race. This is the first essay in the series. Click here to see our extended editor’s comment about this decision. About the Author: Kiese Lamon is a Black Southern writer who was born in Jackson and holds the Hubert McAlexander Chair of English for the University of Mississippi. Three books have been written by Laymon, including How to Slowly Kill Yourself & Others in America (reissued in November).