Mississippi Native: Katrina Byrd

"It takes a lot of courage to live a life of devastation and demand the best from yourself, give more than you have to a cause you believe in and to see hope when despair is all that is visible. "

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 Jackson-based writer and playwright Katrina Byrd, who has dealt with the grief of losing her longtime partner Dora by launching herself into ALS advocacy.

Featured contributor Katrina Byrd, whose alter-ego is the positivity-spreading influencer, The Boa Flouncer.

Where are you from?

I am from Jackson, MS.

How long have you lived in Mississippi?

I have lived in Mississippi all of my life—50 years.

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

Home is a whistling tea kettle on the stove, a blue sky and a welcoming front porch. Blooming flowers, tall trees, and fresh cut grass. It’s a gentle rain on a summer day, unscheduled hugs and sweet, encouraging words. It’s purring cats, calm dogs and Black Beauty tomatoes ripening in the Mississippi July heat. It’s poverty, a long list of don’ts, can’ts, and nevers. It’s courage, rising up, standing with a special needs girl being denied the right to participate in her high school graduation, a man dying of cancer, a white dead kitty in the road.

[Home is] purring cats, calm dogs and Black Beauty tomatoes ripening in the Mississippi July heat. It’s poverty, a long list of don’ts, can’ts, and nevers.

It’s being called a nigger to my face, it’s writing about the incidents, then being told, “nobody would ever call you that to your face.” It’s being disabled, devalued and dismissed. It’s homemade ice cream, blackberry cobbler and fresh turnip greens. It’s a church and liquor store on every corner. It’s a welcoming Buddhist community, the search for love, meaning and purpose. It’s amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It’s taking an ass whoopin’—financially, verbally, physically and mentally. It’s high water bills, undrinkable water, and government betrayal. It’s two shots of bourbon and a fire in the fire pit as the speakers bump with Denise LaSalle’s “Give Me Yo Most Strongest Whiskey.” 

Scenes from Katrina's beautiful home garden in Jackson, including her over 20 foot tall banana tree.

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

Consider, If you will, a small chapel in Ridgeland, MS. People gathered to celebrate Dora’s life. I sat in the back at Dora’s family’s request. Where I sat was a reflection of her family guild, hate and narrow mindedness. Who sat with me on those back rows is a reflection of the community Dora and I cultivated. A beautiful mix of souls—Millsaps College, Mississippi University for Women, MissiHIPPY Belly Dance troop, Drake’s Designs, Aunt Mary, and Mama. Surrounding me spiritually on those back pews were writers, musicians, Whites, actors, Chinese, Blacks, maids, Democrats, Republicans, preachers, professors, Buddhists, teachers, booty shakers, Christians, men, women, Jews, gay, straight, pets, trees, Dora’s blooming daffodils, her magnolia tree and the red and pink camellias. 

Katrina and her late partner Dora.

How has living in Mississippi affected your identity and your life’s path?

Presently, I am a broken hearted writer advocating for a cure for a 100% fatal disease. As a visually impaired, bisexual, poor woman from Mississippi, I’m accustomed to not being heard, to having the whitest person in the room given credit for my work. I’m used to being overlooked for opportunities because of lack of money or because I lack the connections that others have. I identify as the twenty-five cent item on a Walmart shelf nobody wants to buy. 

Through my first three years of grieving, I realized my self-deprecating attitude must change and that I am a lot stronger than I ever knew. It takes a lot of courage to live a life of devastation and demand the best from yourself, give more than you have to a cause you believe in and to see hope when despair is all that is visible. 

If you had one billion dollars to invest in Mississippi, how would you spend your money?

I would spend my billion dollars on providing a K-12 liberal arts education for all students. An interdisciplinary education is crucial to navigating life’s varied and challenging paths. I would also allocate funds for health literacy, infrastructure and wealth-building literacy. I would establish ALS clinics of excellence and fund ALS care and research.

Left: Katrina engaged in advocacy efforts with I AM ALS on Capitol Hill. Center: Katrina at the annual I AM ALS flag event on the National Mall. Right: Katrina meeting with Senator Cindy Hyde Smith during advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill.

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.)

On February 2, 2020, I found Dora, my partner of 23 years, dead due to ALS. Her diagnosis seventy-six days earlier launched her body’s rapid decline. A few weeks after her death I joined I AM ALS, an organization revolutionizing ALS advocacy. In three years I’ve published several essays about caring for Dora, served on panels and participated in listening sessions. I serve on six of I AM ALS’s community-led teams and I work with six ALS organizations including R1, started by Sandy Morris before her death in August 2022.  R1’s main project right now is rating ALS Clinics. Please take and share the ALS Clinic Survey! I flounce my boa at you!

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Katrina Byrd, writer and playwright living in Jackson, MS, received her MFA in Creative Writing from Mississippi University for Women. An emerging writer published in several magazines, Byrd and Dora, her partner of 23 years, created the Boa Flouncer alter ego in 2010. The Boa Flouncer is a social media influencer who encourages followers to be themselves. “If who I am offends you, then, honey, prepare yo’self!” With attitude, flair, and feather boas, she delivers messages of hope. “Honey, keep struttin’ yo’ strut. Don’t give up.” After being diagnosed with ALS on November 18, 2019, Dora lived for seventy-six days. With no legal ties to each other, Dora and Katrina navigated the 100% fatal disease alone. Byrd cared for Dora alone with no money, no amity support, no real understanding of ALS, no understanding of how to navigate the healthcare system, and minimal equipment. Shortly after Dora’s death, Byrd began advocating with I AM ALS where she serves on several teams including the Veteran Affairs team, Thank You Squad, Legislative Affairs team, the Write Stuff team, and the Many Shades of ALS team which focuses on people of color living with and impacted by ALS.  Byrd also advocates with several ALS organizations including ALS Problem Solvers, ALS/TDI, NEALS, R1 Team, and Live Like Lou.  Byrd testified before the FDA in support of AMX0035, presented at the 2022 STAT Summit in Boston and she’s presented at I AM ALS’s Flag event held on the National Mall. Byrd serves as a Tim Lowrey Panelist, she’s received four Mississippi Arts Commission grants, and in 2023, she was selected as an ALS/MND Patient Fellow. Byrd also uses her alter ego to recognize community members who advocate, educate, and create awareness.