My first day back this fall, I could hear the controversy surrounding me concerning the administration’s decision to remove ‘Dixie’ from the marching band’s repertoire. It immediately brought me back to last October, when I received an email from the university about the removal of the state flag from campus grounds. It was the most complex feeling of hope that I ever encountered.
The atmosphere on campus that day was one that was harsh, angry and resentful; however, in the midst of the tension, hope remained still. Hope that your cries of oppression will be heard although your opposition has more power and prospect than you.
Hope that we are not a stagnant state; that we too can move out of the dated ways and traditions of those that came before us, into an environment that has the potential to work for everyone – not exclusively for those with the most privilege.
That feeling will forever outweigh any negative narrative those in opposition make about the work being done at this university to institutionalize inclusion. Hope will always be the narrative of the positive change fostered at this university.
These changes have been imperative to the survival of the University of Mississippi. This university contributes greatly to the rich history of the state.
We largely define the culture, principles and ideas of the state. Historically, few perceptions were taken into consideration in defining what it means to be “a part of the Ole Miss family.” In order to be accepted here, you needed to wave your Confederate flags proudly, sing ‘Dixie’ loudly and have an abundance of “Southern pride.”
However, I see students around me who are eager to grow, diversify and liberate Ole Miss. The changes being made here at the University of Mississippi are not working at the demise of our university’s history or stripping people of the love they have for the old South.
History will remain preserved, and individuals are allowed to love Mississippi as freely as they’d like. But as an academic institution, this university must continue doing everything in its power to wake up and catch up with the rest of society.
We should not live in a nation where you have to fit into a limited criteria in order to be accepted as American. Just like we do not go to a school where the only way for me to be a part of the family is to suppress myself or become something I am not.
As a university, our symbols, songs and customs tell the rest of the world who we are as a people. Preserving the symbols, songs and customs we praised during the times that blacks and whites could not sit at the same table does not make us ‘the great state of Mississippi.’ Removing these symbols, songs and icons of oppression does.
Furthermore, following the removal of these icons of divisiveness, we have seen an increase in student participation on a multitude of levels. As a leading participant for the removal of the state flag from campus grounds, I can attest that the greatest win of that campaign was the wave of student participation. To see my peers get passionate and involved will forever outweigh any victories or losses we experienced.
So while some may be hurt that some symbols and songs are no longer here with us, we may all rejoice in knowing our campus is on the rise. There is still work to be done. And that is the true beauty and power of this ever-changing institution.
Tysianna Marino is a senior public policy leadership major from Pascagoula.
Here is the opposing guest column we published on the same issue:
