Mississippi Delta Chinese

Earlier in the week, we drove through the Mississippi Delta region of western Mississippi. Blues aficionados may be familiar with the town of Clarksdale, the town that claims to be the birthplace of the Blues.

Further down Highway 61, which doubles as the Great River Road and the Blues Highway, is the town of Cleveland. It was there that we made an unexpected and fascinating discovery: The Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum at Delta State University.

Here’s an excerpt from their website:

Against the backdrop of a rapidly disappearing society and culture, this project will promote local heritage preservation by actively collecting oral histories, memorabilia, photographs and textile materials related to the history and story of the Mississippi Delta Chinese immigration and settlement.The resources developed from this preservation project will promote an environment of understanding and appreciation of our ethnic and cultural diversity.

Our primary goal is to collect objects, photographs and any other memorabilia which would help tell the story of Chinese legacy in the Mississippi Delta.

The story of immigration and assimilation of Chinese families into the rural, agrarian Mississippi Delta is an important one to preserve, respect and share with this and future generations. The history of Chinese people and culture in this area is intricately and inextricably intertwined in the fabric of the Delta’s heritage.

I have read a few things about this community, so I was thrilled to discover the museum. We had a wonderful visit. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to chat with the archivist, who patiently answered many of my questions. He told us that there were not too many Chinese left in the area. Young people tend to leave for school and work, while many of the older residents have moved to larger cities like Memphis and Jackson. Here are a few photos:

If you’d like to explore more about this community, here are some resources to check out:

Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton: Lives of Mississippi Delta Chinese Grocers by John Jung.

The Mississippi Chinese: Between Black and White, by James W. Loewen

Video: The Untold Story of America’s Southern Chinese (via YouTube)

Audio Program and article: The Legacy of The Mississippi Delta Chinese (NPR)

Movie: Far East Deep South (Amazon) Note: You can read an interview with the director of this movie here.

Other than the river itself, discovering this museum was the hightlight of the trip for me.

Bonus: The mascot of Delta State University is the Fighting Okra!! I kid you not!