Guest
Commentaries:
Culture
and Heritage equals growth
By Luther Brown
Nobody in the Mississippi Delta will question that agriculture
is business. Agriculture contributes greatly to the economies
of both the Delta and the Nation. Delta agriculture is only
the most obvious contribution to America, though, and there
are a great many others that we should be proud of. Delta
Heritage can be good business too.
In many ways, the Delta tells the American story. It was
swamp wilderness only a hundred years ago. It was rapidly
cleared for cotton and plantation life, and peopled by Black
and White sharecroppers and land owners, including immigrants
from Italy, China, Lebanon, Russia, and the Baltic States.
It became the source of “The Great Migration”
north, and thus the family home of many living today in
northern cities, like Chicago and Detroit. It is the home
of the Blues, and Gospel and fried catfish and hushpuppies.
It was home to Tennessee Williams, Eudora Welty, Richard
Wright , Clifton Taulbert, Shelby Foote, and Hodding Carter,
and stomping grounds of William and John Faulkner, James
Cobb and John Barry, to name just a few. It is where Teddy
Roosevelt saved the original “Teddy Bear,” and
where Elvis Presley learned to dance and sing and drive
a Cadillac. It is the land where Muddy Waters and Howlin’
Wolf and Robert Johnson wrote the lyrics that stimulated
the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and everyone from the
Grateful Dead and Led Zepplin to The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Delta is a major source of American popular culture.
The Blues and Gospel were born in the Delta, but spread
along with our migrating population to Chicago, New York,
and Los Angeles, and over the airwaves to London and Tokyo.
Jazz, Soul, Bluegrass, Rock ‘n Roll, Rap, and Hip
Hop all incorporated the sounds of the Delta. The great
flood of 1927 changed American politics and attitudes about
the proper role of government. More recently, the region
was the scene of the struggles and triumphs of the civil
right movement, leading the way to our modern integrated
society and giving America the moral high ground in World
human rights.
Americans want to know these stories of the Mississippi
Delta. They want to understand the significance of the Delta
to America’s history and popular culture. One way
we can help people learn about our stories is by becoming
a National Heritage Area within the National Park Service.
Heritage Areas gain important recognition and access to
federal funding, while incurring no costs or restrictions
on land owners or businesses. National Heritage Areas are
assured wide publicity, and have access to planning and
development professionals. The tourism that results from
Heritage Area status promotes economic development, and
the learning that accompanies heritage tourism will go a
long way towards building a good image of the Delta in the
minds of visitors.
Heritage Areas are created by act of Congress. To receive
this recognition, the people of the Delta must make it clear
to our political leaders that we actually want to be recognized.
And we must truly want recognition, since it will mean an
increase in visitors to the Delta who learn about our agriculture,
our music, our history and our culture. The consequences
of these visits, in terms of our economy and the image we
project to the rest of the nation will be great, and the
rest of the country will come to appreciate the Delta’s
role in the American story.
Last month, the Senate began consideration of bill S1137
creating The Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area.
It’s time that they began consideration of The Mississippi
Delta National Heritage Area too. Delta Heritage can be
good business.
If you are interested in helping establish a Delta National
Heritage Area, contact The Delta Center for Culture and
Learning at Delta State University at 846-4311 or 4312.
DBJ
(Luther
Brown directs The Delta Center for Culture and Learning
at DSU. The Center’s mission is: Promoting the understanding
of the history and culture of the Mississippi Delta and
its significance to the rest of the world. Dr. Brown came
to the Delta from George Mason University. Among other things,
he teaches classes on Delta history and conducts field trips
for visiting universities and tourists. He helped found
the DSU Blues Band, and is involved in historic preservation
efforts in Mound Bayou and Drew. He chairs The Blues Highway
Association, which promotes heritage tourism and The Blues
in the Delta.)
