Mississippi Native: Greta Kemp Martin
"Running for public office was always in the cards for me—I was always looking for a good opportunity where I felt like I could best serve my community."
As we approach Election Day on November 7, Rooted is bringing you into the minds of candidates and young voters across the state. What does “home” mean to Mississippians who are working to affect political change this election season? This week we hear from Greta Kemp Martin, Democratic candidate for Mississippi Attorney General.
Where are you from?
I am from Tishomingo County—the very northeast corner of the state—and was raised in a small town called Belmont.
How long have you lived in Mississippi?
I am a lifelong Mississippi kid! I started off in Tishomingo County, moved to God’s Country (aka Oxford) to attend Ole Miss for undergrad, came to Jackson to attend Mississippi College School of Law and stayed here after I passed the bar. I was considering moving back to Oxford or the Gulf Coast when I met my husband, Drew, and his three amazing children—so I stayed here in Jackson.
What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition?
To me, home is a feeling of belonging, safety, and comfort, but also a deep-rooted emotional connection that you can tap into and immediately be flooded with your greatest, saddest, most beautiful, sometimes tragic memories. My feelings of home are quite literally scattered in several nooks and crannies of this state. It’s the chicken and dumplin’s my mother would make on Sundays. It’s riding in my Dad’s cop car to eat lunch at the Dixie Queen in Belmont during hot summer days. It’s serving coffee and hamburgers to folks at Sparks’ Drive-In until I left for college. But it’s also the feeling I get when I visit Oxford on game day or see the home I’ve built with my husband in Jackson’s Heatherwood neighborhood.
Mississippi exudes home for me because I’ve had such an amazing opportunity to experience so much she has to offer. I certainly hope there’s more to come—I’ve yet to live on our beautiful Gulf Coast! Maybe that’s where I will retire-ha!
How have you cultivated a community in Mississippi? Who are the people who have made you feel rooted here?
It is almost impossible to avoid cultivating a community in Mississippi. I believe that Mississippians are genetically predisposed to nurture, mentor, and befriend others. I’ve been very fortunate to have woven together a beautiful tapestry of family, friends, mentors, and supporters who truly believe I can move mountains and change the world—so, I try to do just that because they tell me I can. My family is certainly my deepest root. I have a mother who told me I could do anything, filled my life with books and opportunities, and made sure I had everything I needed. I was raised by a father who taught me the beauty of public service, community engagement, and generosity of spirit. I was always surrounded by my siblings, cousins, grandparents—it was a humble, but rich childhood. The family I have with my husband provides that same deep-rooted feeling even though I am miles away from where I was raised. My family is certainly the most beautiful part of my life.
I believe that Mississippians are genetically predisposed to nurture, mentor, and befriend others.
What’s the weirdest question or assumption you’ve encountered about Mississippi (or about you as a Mississippian) by someone who’s never been here?
Anyone who’s met me knows I have a very distinct north Mississippi accent—and, yes, it’s a bit different from your everyday Mississippi accent. In high school, one of my favorite teachers, Donna Hester, took a group of us to California for a school trip. A group of us went for a walk down Rodeo Drive, chatting it up. Someone in the doorway of one of the stores (one that we wouldn’t DREAM of walking into for fear of damaging something none of us could afford to pay for) heard us talking and pulled us inside just to “talk.” They could not believe our accents and thought we were faking them. It took us a while to convince them that our accents were real, Mississippians wear shoes, and, yes, we do drink tea with sugar in it. But that was one of the first times I realized how special Mississippi truly is.
How has living in Mississippi affected your identity and your life’s path?
Mississippi has a very strong sense of community. Even living in our state’s capital, Jackson—community is one of the consistent elements that I have encountered living in different parts of this state. This along with being raised in a small town by a family that placed value on public service and community engagement gave me a strong foundation for my person-focused legal career and advocacy work. Running for public office was always in the cards for me—I was always looking for a good opportunity where I felt like I could best serve my community. I love representing people—I’m good at it. Running for Attorney General, representing all Mississippians, just felt like a natural next step.
Mississippi deserves leadership that understands the realities of what’s happening in this state. I could not sit on the sidelines any longer when I had the ability to try to make a difference. My goals and priorities for this job are simple: DO THE WORK.
What inspired you to run for Attorney General? What do you hope to accomplish?
If you are looking at the real data coming out of this state—in healthcare, education, employment, etc.—not what you’ve heard, but what you have seen through research, you know that Mississippi is not living up to its potential. Mississippi deserves better—from the top down. Mississippi deserves leadership that understands the realities of what’s happening in this state. I could not sit on the sidelines any longer when I had the ability to try to make a difference. My goals and priorities for this job are simple: DO THE WORK. That is simply not happening right now. But, along with actually representing Mississippians, I want to help rebuild trust back into our leadership, and to do that we have to start investigating and holding accountable those that have stolen from and harmed the people of this state.
What is something that you’ve learned about Mississippi only by living here? In what ways has Mississippi lived up to your expectations?
Being a lifelong Mississippian, I think one of the most interesting things about living here is the slower pace of life. As someone who is extroverted, always on the go, I don’t always appreciate this slow pace, but when I travel out of state or am away from Mississippi for any length of time, it’s always so nice to come back to it.
Do you ever consider moving away someday? Does a sense of duty keep you rooted here? Do you have a “tipping point”?
I get frustrated just like everyone else. I’ve thought about moving and some days I throw my hands up in the air and tell my husband to put the house on the market. But more often than not, I’m in the fight for Mississippi and want to keep pushing because I KNOW we can do better—be better. It’s not a sense of duty that keeps me here—it’s definitely a form of stubborn pride. It’s like that piece of IKEA furniture that you’ve put together incorrectly 20 times, but keep trying because you know it will come together eventually and you’ll have a sense of satisfaction when it’s done. I want to be a part of the progress that Mississippi is heading towards, so I think my “tipping point” will be if I ever have reason to believe that progress isn’t possible.
I’ve thought about moving and some days I throw my hands up in the air and tell my husband to put the house on the market. But more often than not, I’m in the fight for Mississippi and want to keep pushing because I KNOW we can do better—be better. It’s not a sense of duty that keeps me here—it’s definitely a form of stubborn pride.
What do you wish the rest of the country understood about Mississippi?
That we truly live up to our moniker as the Hospitality State. Yeah, we have good food, great music, and some amazing places to visit. But, the people—you just can’t beat the folks who live in this state. It’s more than just being friendly—it’s a sense of community that you just don’t find anywhere else. It’s everything from pulling up a chair to their table to make sure you’re fed, to surrounding a family who have lost a loved one with love and support, to rebuilding an entire community after a tornado.
Do you have a favorite Mississippi writer, artist, or musician who you think everyone needs to know about?
I have two. First, I have to rave about Robin Martea, a Mississippi artist & illustrator, who also works with my communications team. One of my bonus kiddos, Turner, oversees the Municipal Art Gallery in Jackson and suggested we check out her work. It is amazing! Colorful, bright, and just makes you smile. Also, since music is definitely a salve to my soul, I think everyone should check out Eric Stracener. My husband and I both know him as a lawyer, but he’s an amazing musician. I added almost all of his Ocean Springs album to my “cooking” playlist—just good chill vibes on that album.
If you had one billion dollars to invest in Mississippi, how would you spend your money?
I would pull together a commission of medical experts in various healthcare specialties—reproductive health, pediatrics, mental health, etc.—and determine how to invest half of it in Mississippi’s healthcare. I would do the same thing with education experts to determine the best way to invest in Mississippi’s public school system. Those are the two areas that I would want the money to benefit, but I want the experts—those that understand these sectors—not politicians to decide how to use the investment.
Running for public office was always in the cards for me—I was always looking for a good opportunity where I felt like I could best serve my community. I love representing people—I’m good at it. Running for Attorney General, representing all Mississippians, just felt like a natural next step.
What or who do you want to shamelessly promote? (It can absolutely be a project you’re working on, or something you are involved in.)
I think my campaign team would kill me if I didn’t promote Greta Kemp Martin for Attorney General and remind everyone that they can support our race at gretaforag.com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, AND remind folks to get out to vote on November 7, 2023. But I have to always talk about the work we do at Disability Rights Mississippi protecting people with disabilities across this state. As the state’s protection and advocacy agency, we are able to provide advocacy services, legal representation, and resources to support the disability community while also tackling systemic issues to promote true change. I love, love, love the work we do and the people I get to work with. I would encourage anyone that needs it to reach out to DRMS for assistance.
Turner's a favorite of mine, so you must be pretty wonderful too! Thank you for being willing to take on public service as you have.