The South has many stereotypes — some good, many bad, most inaccurate. While it is easy to throw the entire region under the bus for its complicated and often-problematic history, there is a stereotype I believe rings true. Southern hospitality, for one, seems to point to something tangible that exists almost ubiquitously below the Mason-Dixon line.
It describes a set of virtues, namely politeness, charity, charm and delicious home-cooked meals — a standard of how to interact with lifelong friends and strangers.
Despite the region’s tumultuous history, I see Southern hospitality as more than surface-level pleasantries. It is the actions that transcend transaction and social constructs, driven by a simple belief that the world is better when we are kinder to those in it.
Make no mistake, however — being hospitable in the Southern way is distinct from simply showing kindness. I see it as more proactive in nature and a culturally ingrained etiquette that defines communities.
Perhaps no other time has Southern hospitality been exemplified to me than in the weeks since Winter Storm Fern swept through the state. Oxford has exhibited tremendous recovery thus far.
Less than two weeks after the onset of the cold front that spelled doom, our briefly silent town is no longer quiet.
Jackson Avenue traffic is once again extra-busy, supermarket shelves are (for the most part) restocked and Rebel Market is back to serving fried chicken on Thursdays.
This was only possible through the valiant efforts of Oxford’s legion of linemen, debris removal workers, electricians, first responders and selfless city residents. Individuals who, often guided by selflessness as their prerogative, chose to exhibit Southern hospitality even when it was most inconvenient to do so.
As unfortunate as it may be, it is disaster that brought Oxford together. Compelled by collaboration, our temporarily disrupted college town is bustling again.
While much of this was driven by necessity, I like to believe it draws from something deeper. Southern hospitality is not an inherent virtue. It is a conscious choice, made even in the most inconvenient of circumstances. It is the one Oxford made.
Oxford residents providing free meals to college students lacking hot food, linemen working overtime to restore power to the community and my own apartment complex extending rebates and providing gift cards to compensate residents, for example, are just a few of the many ways our city exhibited Southern hospitality.
Reflecting on the destruction inflicted by Fern, we have no choice but to look forward. However, we cannot simply move on. Restoration efforts will continue. As costs of the destruction are assessed, those of us with the ability and circumstance must continue to carry that Southern hospitality onward.
Sometimes, it takes the worst of times to show what we can do when we come together. I know that Oxford has the capacity to continue. The question, however, is will it choose to?
Lenora Collier is a sophomore international studies major from Hattiesburg, Miss.
