Mississippi Transplant & Native: Molly West & Cody Cox
"I don't stay in Mississippi out of duty. I stay because I see the good in it. I see the potential. I see the people."
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’re sharing our first couples edition of Rooted! We hear from Molly West and Cody Cox, the co-founders of Urban Foxes, a pie shop and after-hours concert venue in Jackson.
Where are you from?
Molly West: I was born in Kansas, but most of my childhood through high school years were spent moving around the southeast.
Cody Cox: Originally from Lexington, MS, but I've lived in Clinton and Jackson for years as well. I've actually lived in Jackson more years than my hometown at this point.
When did you move to Mississippi and why did you move here?
MW: I spent a couple of years in Mississippi when I transferred from a college in Florida. I left hastily for graduate school and then hastily left the States altogether to work in Scotland for several years.
I worked in international education and hopped flights to other parts of the world more than I could have ever imagined. The intercultural experiences smacked me around in the best way. I’d viewed the South as this terrible place to distance myself from. After a while, it seemed naïve to pretend there is anywhere in the world where humans aren’t making things terrible and beautiful all at the same time.
I’d viewed the South as this terrible place to distance myself from. After a while, it seemed naïve to pretend there is anywhere in the world where humans aren’t making things terrible and beautiful all at the same time.
Still, I was surprised to find myself pursuing a job that would take me back to Mississippi, but that’s exactly what happened. The job was a continuation of my career in international education, and now I was getting to bring people to Jackson from across the country and around the world. I could be smug and say I was good at it, but truthfully, Mississippi is a place that invites you in if you’re ready (and if you find the right humans who aren’t messing it all up for everybody else).
What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition?
MW: Home meant wherever I happened to be physically living at the time, usually for a year or so. My family dynamics changed while I was growing up. They moved a good bit too, so there was no shared place where we got together. This is a bit backwards, but as an adult living in Scotland for six years, I started to develop a sense of community while I was an expat missing the States. After living in Jackson for more than ten years, I would say I am home. I am watching my kiddo grow up here. My husband and I own a small business, and we’re celebrating being open for four years. Jackson is the feeling of home, and I am happy about that.
CC: Home will always be a spot where there is support. Support for creative ideas. Support for failings. Support for successes. Mississippi has some tremendous flaws, but in many ways it supports a DIY aesthetic in such an organic and sustainable way. I feel like if you want to make something happen, you can. Mississippi is fertile ground in more than just the soil.
After living in Jackson for more than ten years, I would say I am home. I am watching my kiddo grow up here. My husband and I own a small business, and we’re celebrating being open for four years. Jackson is the feeling of home, and I am happy about that.
How have you cultivated community in Mississippi? Who are the people who have made you feel rooted here?
MW: I threw a party in my early days of living in Jackson and purposely invited other transplants and people who didn’t know each other. I had this fascination with the different subcultures and interests in a place where people sometimes feel like they know everyone. I met a lot of people and found ways to be more involved in the place I was living, though I was still traveling. I had contemplated a move back to Scotland when a good friend over there said, “But why? You seem so happy in Jackson.”
I still think about that because a few months later, I met my husband Cody, and he is on a whole other level of being involved in Jackson. We threw a few more versions of that party and turned it into a welcome event for transplants called Newcomers and Natives. To help host, we invited a bunch of doers and creatives who call Jackson home. Those folks, in addition to my family, help me feel rooted here.
CC: Honestly, I think listening and being comfortable being wrong are two things I’ve learned over my life here. There are way too many people to list by name, but my wife and son are both my anchors and my copilots. There are so many local business owners and creatives of all sorts who keep an energy flowing which connects me to Jackson and Mississippi.
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?
MW: On international travels, I would say I was visiting from Mississippi and people would sometimes smile and excitedly start talking about the Mississippi River.
CC: It would be great if I had some story about someone being surprised I wore shoes or could read or something, but honestly I've never had an encounter like that. I've toured many states playing music, and a lot of times people notice the accent (especially with certain words) and move on. There’s probably some silent judgment that happens, but I'm sure most of it is unfounded, and I try to disarm if things feel tense.
When I take a step back and remember the mad world we live in, I feel like it’s opportunity rather than duty that keeps me here.
How has living in Mississippi affected your identity and your life’s path?
MW: I’m more sturdy, more stable, and at the same time, more creatively adventurous because of experiences in Mississippi. There is a humbling amount of support given so readily here, and I would have never imagined having the confidence to open a business anywhere else.
CC: Growing up near the Mississippi Delta, attending a segregationist academy, and being a white man, I had a lot of learning to do. A LOT. Mississippi gave me a sense of humility and the capacity to grow. I grew up in a rural area, so I learned to work and enjoy sustainable motion toward a large picture goal. It also taught me to accept failures and be able to learn from them and move forward.
What is something that you’ve learned about Mississippi only by living here? In what ways has Mississippi lived up to your expectations?
MW: While the racial dynamics lived up to my expectations in the sense that you can find white dudes who shout racist slurs from their big old trucks, it’s more than waving Confederate flags. I have been a well-meaning white progressive who has said dumb stuff and perpetuated harm. I think I have learned more about myself by learning about Mississippi.
CC: The most dependable thing about Mississippi is its volatility. The weather can change at a moment's notice. The landscape, while pastoral in a lot of ways, can be drastic at times. People can move at a slower pace, but we have a history of dramatic unrest unlike no other—both of a horrendous sort and one that speaks loudly in a civil justice arena.
I don't stay in Mississippi out of duty. I stay because I see the good in it. I see the potential. I see the people.
Have you ever thought about moving away? Does a sense of duty keep you rooted here? Do you have a “tipping point”?
MW: *shrugs* Maybe I will move again one day. I was recently talking with a friend about how we’re more civically aware living here than we would be in bigger cities we’ve lived in. The social and environmental challenges are ugly, and it’s human to want to escape—or escape any culpability. When I take a step back and remember the mad world we live in, I feel like it’s opportunity rather than duty that keeps me here.
CC: I think everyone thinks of moving away from where they are from. Mississippi would do well for natives to leave, learn, and come back to help change. After years of traveling, I don't see an idyllic place anywhere, so why leave a place where community exists? You can visit anywhere. I don't stay in Mississippi out of duty. I stay because I see the good in it. I see the potential. I see the people. My tipping point would be when the potential has been stripped away and the good razed to the ground.
What do you wish the rest of the country understood about Mississippi?
CC: We are part of this nation as much as they are. Mississippi is a mirror for the rest of the country. One they avoid looking in most times.
After years of traveling, I don't see an idyllic place anywhere, so why leave a place where community exists?
Do you have a favorite Mississippi writer, artist, or musician who you think everyone needs to know about?
MW: I think everyone knows Kiese Laymon and Angie Thomas, or at least I hope they do.
CC: Oh, this is a tough one. I would say Jesmyn Ward, but I think everyone already knows about her. If they don't, they are worse off than I thought. Behind that would be Barry Hannah or Kiese Laymon. Artists Adrienne Domnick or Justin Hardiman. I’m not even going to start listing musicians or bands. That’ll have to be a questionnaire all to itself, but I will say I've really enjoyed the latest 5th Child album as well as KICKING and Andrew Bryant.
If you had one billion dollars to invest in Mississippi, how would you spend your money?
MW: Oh no! Why do I have this money? Let’s figure out how to shift the system and move money to empower social justice. I’m going to need to get together with a lot of people already working in these spaces and let them know I’ve got a few dollars to donate.
CC: Either settling the wealth disparity in a sustainable way or fixing infrastructure issues that have been multiplied by systemic racism and poor state leadership.
What or who do you want to shamelessly promote?
MW: Urban Foxes, our small batch bakery, has recently expanded, and I’m so jazzed we have a new venue for small batch gatherings. The Heights by Urban Foxes is a dedicated event space for celebrations and collaborations.
CC: Come eat pie and catch a show at Urban Foxes in Jackson. We renovated an old house, and opened this bakery and cafe in 2019 as a place for community and good eats. We would love to have ya.
Maybe Lauren can bring me over to meet you next time I visit.