Maati Jone Primm: Black people share Mississippi's story and Mississippi's story is America's narrative operating in Mississippi. One must recognize and respect the ghost of Mississippi because history here is prolific. I have never been to a place that had more history in this country, and so when people visit from all around the world and they want to grasp the history of Mississippi, they come here to Marshall's music and bookstore.
We've always been 100% black owned. We are the oldest black owned bookstore in America. If we're going to learn about the African experience in America, we have to recognize what we have gone through and what we have survived. African people were stolen from Africa, shamed at the neck and the ankles, and then to the bottom of ships of horror to get here. And then we had to pick 300 pounds of cotton in a day on these master plantations in the delta. That African, who survived all of that, gave birth to us. We've been pushed down, overworked, underpaid, undereducated, abused, sometimes murdered, but yet we rise.
Marshall's music and bookstore has been here for a very long time. We're actually 82 years old. It began with Reverend Welcher. Then my grandmother purchased the bookstore. And fast forward now to me. We teach children. We teach adults about African culture and black history.
It means a great deal to me to be able to carry on the legacy of my family and educate and serve our people. So it's very important that we stay black focused and we stay united to our community. When I look into the eyes of the children of Mississippi, our children, I see great possibilities. I see the ability for our people to make great progress. They are our soldiers, they're our future, and I love them.
