Mississippi Native: Exodus Oktavia Brownlow

"I think we have it all—the best food, the best music, the best swagger."

What does it mean to call Mississippi home? Why do people choose to leave or live in this weird, wonderful, and sometimes infuriating place? Today we hear from writer, seamstress, and occasional fashion icon Exodus Oktavia Brownlow.

Featured contributor, Exodus Oktavia Brownlow.

Where are you from? 

I’m from Blackhawk, Mississippi. Also known as “The Hills.” 

How long have you lived in Mississippi?

My entire life. Thirty years. I’ve never lived anywhere else. 

What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition? 

Home for me is the place that brings you the most peace, the most excitement. When you step outside? And no matter the season, or the weather, or any occasion that’s going on? You feel happy to be where you are. That’s what Mississippi does for me. Specifically Blackhawk because of its lush forests, its rolling hills, and all the secret little places that sneak up on me when I think I’ve seen all that I could from the area. I’ve always been drawn to forests and hilly/mountainous places. The enclosure and solitude makes me feel safe, and there’s something magical to me about areas that have primarily been preserved from modernity. Places that are close enough to more urban areas if one chooses to venture off. 

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I think we have it all—the best food, the best music, the best swagger.

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How have you cultivated community in Mississippi? Who are the people who have made you feel rooted here?

I’m really big on family. They’re the people who have made loving Mississippi all the more strong because of the stories that they bring to me, the traditions. This state has shaped our histories here, and I’m blessed to have been left with the best parts—the parts that preserved us, healed us, and kept us in laughter and love. My mom, my dad, my siblings, all of my family, really. But also the relationships that I’ve cultivated between classmates (and the surprise of finding blood relationships there) and writer friends who also hold a special place in their hearts for Mississippi.