I. proudly state that my grandfathers, some years back, served in the confederate army and fought for the south. They were from some little community east of Brookhaven. My father was a segregationist and certainly didn’t believe blacks and whites were equal. As a kid growing up in the 50s& 60s in south Mississippi, it didn’t take a brain surgeon to see they indeed were not equal. Remembering back in this time frame in real-time, it isn’t hard to imagine the inconceivable idea of mixing children in school. One must remember Mississippi, in many areas, had more blacks than whites, and almost all communities had a large minority population. Most crimes at that time as today were committed by black men they being just 6.5 percent of the people of the nation but around 40 percent in Mississippi. Just the idea that mixing the kids in school was horrifying to most people that had nothing to do with hate of the black race of people. This was such a great concern by whites that many private schools opened up. I remember reading that introducing black children into white schools would bring the black kids up to equal with the white kids, and it did precisely the opposite the white kids lost half their intelligence.

Many young Mississippi men like myself had interaction with blacks daily. I hunted rabbits, coons, and anything editable. I would go to the black part of Picyuane and sell them to some black men but primarily black women. I never feared for my life at that time at all, I don’t know if it was a superiority factor or that I was heavily armed, but to my memory, I had no fear. Picayune was dry as a bone for most white folks, but beer and whiskey flowed like a river in the black part of town, anyone and everyone that wanted to buy a bottle. I believe the law enforcement left them to police themselves mostly, or at least that was my take on the situation. I never had a crossword with my dealings in the black community, selling what I hunted or buying what I drank.

My first fight with a black boy of approximately my age happened on Goodyear Blvd across from the Chruch one Friday night. A group of us were parked and talking when a carload of black teenage boys drove past us; someone said something that wasn’t nice, and they stopped. I can still remember a fool just standing there not understanding what would happen. I got slugged; it was on! It only lasted a few minutes, but both sides took some real hits; one black boy was bloody up good, and one white guy lost some teeth, and it was over. A few minutes later, the police drove up to our car, asking anything going on, no sir, nothing, just a boring night

During my time in the Army, I realized, and Vietnam taught me all blood is red, I caused a race riot at Fort Bragg and had some real problems that took a while to sort out, remember life is short; all people want freedom, and equality should be all that is given. GOD BLESS