You Don’t Sound Like You’re from Mississippi

Throughout my adult life, I’ve been told two very distinct things about my particular way of speaking. More often than not, I’m told that I don’t “sound black.” I have also frequently been told I don’t sound like I’m from Mississippi. I assure you, dear reader, I’m both.

I was born and grew up in a small town in northeast Mississippi, a town that is equidistant between Memphis, TN, and Birmingham, AL, with a population of about 7,500 at the time. It’s a racially divided town where most white residents lived on one side of the railroad tracks and most black residents lived on the other. The town remains roughly about 65% white and 35% black. My mother taught high school English and French for many years before becoming a librarian.

I grew up with the expectation that I would speak “proper” English and that I would also code-switch as necessary. I became a dialect chameleon. Some of you know what I’m talking about. You have your corporate voice and your home voice. More often than not, if you speak to me on the phone, you would never guess I’m a black man. It has come as a surprise to a great many people over the years when our initial interaction was through email and phone conversations before they had the opportunity to meet me in person. Some have been visibly shocked, others have been visibly delighted. I can understand my corporate voice…