Ethnic Heritage in Mississippi: The Twentieth Century Ed. by Shana Walton (review)

Many too easily think of Mississippi’s population in terms of black and white, and the challenges that have resulted between these groups, both before and since the Civil War. In a sequel to an earlier volume that follows a more historical approach, Shana Walton’s edited volume provides a more nuanced perspective on ethnicity in Mississippi, a state that has one of the nation’s smallest immigrant populations. Walton represents a wider view of ethnicity in Mississippi through this collection of essays. Each essay identifies a specific ethnic group and explores the ways in which its group fits into—or fails to fit into—Mississippi culture. The history of each group is examined, often including its early years in Mississippi and its incorporation into the population. All of the chapters take different approaches to the subject, and Walton identifies and discusses the cultural expressions of a wide variety of groups. In collecting and editing these essays, Walton helps to expand a portrait of a state often studied in more simplistic terms.

A project of the Mississippi Humanities Council, Walton’s book is organized into three sections, the first providing an overview of immigration to the state. The second section looks at immigrant groups that, at least in part, sought to define their identity within a society largely divided into black and white, with neither group providing a place of total acceptance and integration for the immigrants who sought to establish a “middle place” between black and white societies. The third section discusses post-World War II immigration.

A number of ethnic groups are identified and discussed, including European, African American, Chinese, Filipino, Lebanese, Jewish, Vietnamese, and Hindu immigrant groups. An aspect of this book that is especially helpful is that often the immigrant groups are permitted to tell their own story, at least in part, by the inclusion of interviews and the examination of community-based projects. A prime example of this is Amy Young and Milburn Crowe’s chapter on Mound Bayou, considered by many the “racial capital of Mississippi,” in which a public dig is discussed and which emphasizes the importance of involving the community in the discovery and preservation of its own cultural heritage.

While contributors attempt to overcome the simplistic black-and-white dichotomy, the volume also shows that many immigrant groups, including Jews, Lebanese, Chinese, and others have had to negotiate the boundaries established by society as part of their assimilation process. The second section offers some interesting insights into this process, including the Chinese immigrants’ problems with regard to public education, often resorting to church schools and home schools before a lawsuit established their right to send their children to white schools. Others, such as the Lebanese who were often involved in trade, sought to maintain good relations with the black community while still attempting to be accepted into white society. These situations are interestingly described, showing how the negotiation for a place in Mississippi took place over years and generations.

The generational aspect of ethnic immigration is also an important theme as writers emphasize the importance of the passing on of tradition and the challenges that this presents. One group that might be a surprising addition when examining this issue is the Choctaw Indians. The chapter on this group includes some gems of interviews and creation myths passed on orally and recorded and transcribed. However, also included is information on the importance of language and its place both in the passing on of stories and in maintaining cultural traditions. Another challenge facing this group, according to the chapter’s author, Tom Mould, is the issue of intermarriage to those outside of the Choctaw community since this not only affects the culture but it also has legal implications since rights as members of a tribe are determined by bloodline. There is much food for thought in this chapter about a group not always included in discussions...