To many outsiders, the South is racist, uneducated, country, and uninformed about events outside Mississippi. At first, these were my opinions too, but living here and experiencing it, the outside world has their views wrong.
I came here with a certain perception of Mississippi, and I didn’t think that would change over my four years as a student. However, now as I’m about to leave Mississippi forever, I have such a fond view of this state. Even though there may be some aspects of the state’s past and present political views that I may not agree with, Mississippi has changed my life forever.
Meet Mary Morgan Shipp Bryan, a yoga studio owner and instructor from Oxford, Mississippi. Mary Morgan shares her love of yoga with her students daily. She sat down with Oxford Stories reporter Gray Houser to discuss how yoga can transform lives, lead to mental wellness, increased spirituality, and more.
Clarksdale native Bradley Gordon has always been captivated by the beauty of his surroundings. His fascination with nature inspired him to pursue an art career, one that has allowed him to showcase his work from Oxford to Tiawan.
Filmmaker and IT expert Pablo Correa is using his own upcoming multimodal project on Mississippi civil rights’ activist Fannie Lou Hamer to educate others about how they can create their own meaningful projects.
Children aged 10 to 17 in Mississippi are leading the nation in obesity. Adults follow close behind, as Mississippi has the second highest obesity rate in the nation, according to the State of Obesity Website.
Diabetes is a serious disease that impacts people all over the world, and experts say it’s a growing problem in Mississippi.
Susanna Cassisa, an Oxford resident and University of Mississippi student, has found it difficult to access recycling services in Oxford. Residents who live in apartment complexes or rural areas may find it more challenging to recycle than others.
The year is 1812, and in the mountains of Green County in East Tennessee someone is about to born. The store he creates will go on to become an institution and the oldest department store still operating in the Southern United States.
Rebel Radio, the University of Mississippi-run radio station that airs live from the Student Media Center at Ole Miss, offers students an opportunity to become radio DJs and host their own shows. They recently created a weekly program that will shine a spotlight on Mississippi musicians.
Water Boswell, 24, makes music with two bands. You’ll often see him playing with the band Curlers at local venues like Proud Larry’s, and sometimes he makes music at home with GarageBand, an iPhone app that enables Boswell to record music independently in the comfort of his Oxford home.
Upon entering Oxford-University United Methodist Church on a Tuesday afternoon, you might think you have entered a madhouse full of first-, second- and third-graders. But don’t worry. That’s just snacktime. Wait about half an hour, and you will see what really happens at the LeapFrog program.
Mary Kelleher has always been creative. Thanks to Instagram, her uniquely painted jean jackets may soon result in profit.
Emory Ryals has always had an appreciation for art, but it wasn’t until her sophomore year at Ole Miss that she decided to pick up a paintbrush and pursue her passion to paint. She has since moved from Oxford to Marks, Mississippi to teach special education inclusion and biology, but her art continues to shine in all that she does.
When you look at a painting or mural by Florida artist Spence Townsend, your senses will be taken on a journey. Oxford residents can experience Townsend’s art through the month of March when it is exhibited at Southside Gallery on the Square.
Madelyn Birkelbach, 21, has been a dancer most of her life. As a member of her high school drill team, she knew she wanted to keep dancing when she came to Oxford for college because she finds it “therapeutic and an opportunity to freely express (herself).”
Everyone has a creative side and an artistic vision that sometimes needs guidance. Square Arts in downtown Batesville is the place to get it.
In an ever-changing industry, one community newspaper is still shining a light on important Mississippi issues.
The owners of a clothing boutique that originally opened in Jackson before expanding to Oxford in 2017 have opened a new store in Nashville.
Take a road trip outside of Oxford, down curvy roads or fields, and the journey might lead you to a small, Mississippi town called Waynesboro in Wayne County, population 4,903.
The small Mississippi communities of Hickory Flat, Pontotoc, Ingomar, East Webster and the African country of Uganda all have one thing in common – Michael Seger.
More than one in three Mississippi children grow up in households under the federal poverty line, which is higher than any developed country in the world, according to rethinkms.org. With those statistics, organizations such as Doors of Hope Transition Ministries, at 924 Van Buren Ave. in Oxford, provides support and financial help to needy families.
According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation website, in 2016, drunk driving fatalities represented 18 percent of total traffic deaths in Mississippi. America has more drunk drivers than most countries have people. And each year, more than 10,000 people die on our roadways due to drunk driving. The site says that is the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing each year.
