DEI Collab: Incorporating DEI into Ideas about the South

All too often, when people hear of troublesome issues in the American South, some amount of conscious or unconscious justification occurs. We look for reasons as to why something happened, or we brush off events as products of certain ways of life. In many ways, it is easier for people to cope with the idea of harmful practices if we can somehow rationalize them to ourselves; however, in reality, this process enables very real patterns of harm. By justifying these patters, we both disconnect from them and accept their presence, falling into the mindset that “that’s just how things are,” even if we should not allow them to be that way.  

When people hear of issues in other geographical areas, whether they are fleeting concerns or large, structural concerns, they can slip into a damaging habit: rationalizing whatever is going on and separating themselves from it. In some ways, it’s easier for us to deal with challenging things in this way. It can be easier for those who are disconnected to dismiss whatever the matter is, especially if the issue at hand is one of structural systemic failings. All too often, this happens with the American South. Whether it be someone from a northern state scoffing at their southerly neighbor, someone from abroad joking about Texas, or even someone from the South brushing things off because “that’s just how things work,” this habit perpetuates a damaging cycle in which harmful practices are accepted and ignored.

It must be acknowledged that the South has an abhorrent history. Centuries of racial oppression, violence, and subjugation created institutions on foundations of white supremacy that persist to this day in both overt and concealed forms.

It is worth noting that the south undoubtedly has a bad history, though ‘bad’ doesn’t begin to encapsulate the oppression and violence in the region. Given how broad this history is, and the familiarity most of us already hold with it, I’m not going to delve into a history lecture here. It is worth noting, however, that many aspects of this troubled, often violent history, crafted institutions on the foundations of white supremacy that persist in both apparent and concealed forms. These legacies have manifested in regressive policies, practices, and ideologies, and while these problems exist elsewhere,are not unique to the South, their association with this region is justified. There remain people in the South who embrace these legacies, including a so-called heritage that is built on hate, but the populace does not end there. For as much as the South has a terrible history of discrimination, it also has a history of people rebelling against it; for every person who would accept practices of hate, there are more who  they have long been associated with the South. Additionally, there are still folks in the South who would embrace those hateful legacies. The populace does not end there, however. The South is also full of people who want to create change, make It a better place, welcome others, and create a better region.

People have been fighting for change in the South for longer than the United States has existed. The region is and have been actively fighting for these principles. It is essential that we remember both sides of this coin, as not to leave those who work for positive change to fight alone.

We must also note that the American South is full of people who are members of the minority groups and that are the main targets of the regressive policies.  that are lambasted by outsiders. They are the ones who bear the brunt of this burden, who must suffer bear the very real consequences of years of damaging policies, and the harmful ideologies those policiesey help to maintain. These are also the people who so often lead the charges to change such policies, working tirelessly to raise awareness, introduce legislation, mobilize voting populations, and more to improve their lives, experiences, and the place they call home. When others, inside or outside of the South, dismiss regressive policies as ‘normal’ or ‘expected’ for the South, they effectively abandon these folks fighting for change to do so on their own.

When folks dismiss policies in this way, condemning them but not addressing them, they do nothing to actually fix those policies. Further, they normalize those policies, in their own minds and in the minds of others, helping to perpetuate regressive practices even if they oppose them. If people were to instead examine those policies critically, research their impact, and go as far as to support efforts to fight against those policies, things could actually change in meaningful ways. This approach demands energy and attention, but ultimately, is crucial to enacting widespread, meaningful change.

Further reading and resources:  

“About Us.” Southern Poverty Law Center, www.splcenter.org/about. 

Building a Better South, www.bettersouth.org/. 

“History.” The Institute for Southern Studies, 27 Nov. 2019, www.southernstudies.org/history. 

Paschal, Olivia, et al. “A Voice for a Changing South.” Facing South, 2 Apr. 2021, www.facingsouth.org/. 

“We Are Bitter.” THE BITTER SOUTHERNER, bittersoutherner.com/we-are-bitter.