Thread by @DonnerKay

I'll be honest. A lot of the vibe I and many students from rural southern places have long gotten in higher-education circles outside of Mississippi is condescension. I've spoken publicly before about how I was shocked by belittling responses to things I didn't know in north.

https://twitter.com/SeriFeliciano/status/1468402621245497344

I've long looked at those as lessons about how-not-to-teach. And some of it challenged my mental health and sent me into therapy. Here's the thing: I knew things they didn't, and still do. In j-school, I was stunned at lack of intellecual curiosity about what I knew about South.

Growing up here in Mississippi, it was a toxic stew of miseducation (lies) about our history and low expectations about what was possible for Mississippi kids, and too little prep about what to expect outside bubble here. Plus, belittlement for wanting more than a husband, kids.

No doubt, a small handful of teachers saved me and changed my trajectory, challenging me to be better, work hard and learn daily, but others were toxic, sexist, racist and abusive and joined in with the chiding of kids with big ideas. Not enough of this has changed.

I mean: Adults constantly making fun of you (in Mississippi) for wanting a real, substantive, probing education, and then going north to being looked down on it can mess a kid up. Especially without enough prep. One of goals of @msyouthmedia is give kids a way to shoot for stars

Little not-so-secret: I started @jxnfreepress and now @msfreepress in no small part as middle finger to everyone in and outside the state who don't believe native Mississippians should be smart, loud, even brilliant truth-tellers who believe we can take a moonshot every damn day.

@JxnFreePress @MSFreePress There are other reasons, too, but they're all intertwined for those of who are from Mississippi. We give each other permission to believe in our own abilities, talents and potential to change this damn state for the better. We don't need permission from inside or outside state.

@JxnFreePress @MSFreePress P.S. That still irks many people—that we don't ask permission or bow down before tradition and codes of silence. It's hard to explain how driven Mississippi natives I work with are and the various reasons why, but Lukas hit a nerve for me with this column. I get the push-pull.

Since my comments about higher ed and condescension are drawing some attention, I talked pretty openly about my experiences (including in j-school) with @gregolear in this podcast should you like to listen in. It was some straight talk. Greg just drew it out of me, ha. Big fun.

https://twitter.com/gregolear/status/1441351857067151360