What is the importance of Mississippi in the book, Lead From the Outside?

Mississippi is Abrams’ homestate and comes to symbolize a lot of the obstacles in the way of a minority leader’s success. While competing for the Rhodes Scholarship, Abrams’ college dean tells her that if she can just get past Mississippi she has a she will be guaranteed to win. This piece of advice sparks hope and gives Abrams a path forward. For Abrams’ Mississippi symbolizes “soul-crushing poverty wrapped in gentility” (xx). For her and her parents it comes to represent all the obstacles that try “mightily to deny them futures” despite their best efforts (xx). Her success in getting past Mississippi in the Rhode competition is one of the most significant moments of her life.