Something special from the Editor
By Jacob Venuti
There is something special about growing up here in Leland. Our small town is tucked in the Mississippi Delta, next to the mighty Mississippi River. We aren’t known for our towering skyscrapers or crowded city streets; we are known for our people, traditions, and strong sense of community, and that can only be made possible when you live in a town where everyone knows your name. In small towns, people grow up together. Families know one another for generations, and neighbors become more than just the people living next door; they become friends, mentors and extended family.
When someone is celebrating a success, the entire community celebrates with them. When hardship comes, the town gathers around to lend a helping hand. That kind of support is difficult to find in larger places, where people often live beside each other without ever truly knowing one another.
There is comfort in walking through town and recognizing familiar faces. There is value in being able to stop and speak to people you have known your entire life. Knowing the people around you creates trust, accountability and a sense of belonging. Small communities remind us that relationships matter and that life is not only about individual success, but also about lifting others up.
As young people leave small towns to pursue education, careers and new opportunities, it is important that they never forget where they came from. Communities like Leland invest in their children from the very beginning. Teachers, coaches, church members and neighbors encourage and support them along the way. Because of that investment, there is a responsibility to come back and give back.
Places like Leland survive because of the people who love them enough to invest in them. The future of a small town depends on the next generation remembering its roots and understanding that progress does not mean leaving home behind. The strength of a community is found in the people who continue pouring into it, preserving its values and helping it grow for generations to come. Small towns may seem small on a map, but the impact they have on the people raised there is anything but small.
Leland has and always will be home for a lot of different people. My family, for example, came to Leland from Italy. They settled here and found their home. Generations later, we are still around and still feel that same sense of comfort and home surrounded by all of the people that we love. Sometimes small towns get a little backlash for things that happen; while no town is perfect, let me remind you that these same issues that are talked about happen everywhere, not just in our community. The reason that the issues may seem big is because we are a small town; but, while we are a small town, it is important to remember that we will always be bigger than any issue we may ever face.
