Racism in Mississippi of '94 Still a Thorny, Unresolved, Divisive Issue
by William “Brother” Rogers
With the 30th anniversary of Freedom Summer and passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Mississippians are reflecting on the status of race relations. In Starkville, a dedicated group of citizens has been discussing race relations as part of the Quality Community Initiative, a pilot project of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce.
We have found that the issue of race relations continues to permeate our lives and is a timely as today’s headlines. The conviction of Byron De La Beckwith and the ongoing Ayers case have commanded great media attention, and justly so; they symbolize our past, present, and future efforts to right racial wrongs.
The issue of race is important in Mississippi because it is related to those things we care about most: attracting economic development, improving educational opportunities, reducing crime, and reforming government. Progress in these areas depends directly on good race relations.
What is the status of race relations in Mississippi today? Our group believes we have come a long way in 30 years. Racist attitudes are not what they once were. Blacks in Mississippi have enjoyed greater electoral success in city, county and state government than anywhere else in America. Overt racism is not only against the law, but it is unfashionable in Mississippi today. This is a great change from the past.
On the other hand, troubling symptoms of racial and economic inequality persist. Racism lies just beneath the surface of our lives. It is not talked about openly by many. Most of us are uncomfortable talking about racial issues, particularly blacks and whites together, unless we are in the confines of our own homes or with close friends.
In the 1960s, the civil rights movement had great moral clarity. The good guys were easy to separate from the bad guys. Today, the debate over racial justice is unfocused and diffuse. It is more difficult to arrive at consensus about appropriate courses of action to achieve racial justice. For example, blacks and whites disagree with each other and among themselves about the efficacy of affirmative action.
One of the most interesting things our group has learned is that blacks and whites see things differently. Understanding this is one of the keys to better race relations. In general, whites see a world where discrimination has been outlawed for 30 years. Whites see a world where blacks can move up as high as their ability allows, and they cite examples such as Colin Powell and Michael Jordan to prove their point. Whites see a world where blacks are not only doing well, but have special advantages to help them get accepted to college or advance in the workplace.
Blacks, on the other hand, see a different reality. In general, blacks see a world where laws have changed but not hearts and attitudes. They recognize significant gains have been made, but they know barriers still exist. Blacks see a world where poverty, crime and poor educational opportunities still define reality for too many of them, and most whites are indifferent to their plight.
Racism in 1994 is still a thorny, unresolved, divisive issue. There is legitimate mistrust on both sides. Whites don’t trust blacks and fear that they will be wrongfully accused of discrimination. Blacks don’t trust whites and feel that racist attitudes continue to hurt them and their children.
Far from improving, our group in Starkville believes race relations have deteriorated in the past several years. Young blacks are growing up with hostile feelings toward whites. Whites are viewed as the enemy. At the same time, there is a white backlash to affirmative action despite the fact that many prominent institutions have few blacks in leadership positions.
If this is the world we live in, what are we to do? First we must realize that easy solutions do not exist. We will not solve our racial problems overnight, but we can make significant progress. We can be intentional in our efforts to bring about positive change.
Second, blacks and whites must stop competing for the status of victim. Blacks and whites both want to see themselves as innocent and the other as guilty. Blacks see themselves as innocent victims of white racism. Whites see blacks as guilty of destructive behavior and view themselves as victims of reverse discrimination and innocent of the charge of racism.
The search for innocence is misplaced because it obscures faults we must all recognize in ourselves. The search for innocence is distracting because it diverts our attention from racial healing, a very necessary step we try to skip, but an essential one for moving ahead. Finally, our preoccupation with innocence is unproductive because it focuses on fixing the blame, not fixing the problem.
We Mississippians have come a long way since 1964, and we should be proud of our progress. But we still have a long way to go. Our challenge is to focus on what unites us—the desire for high paying jobs, quality education, safe neighborhoods, and an improved image for Mississippi—and to seize opportunities to work together and understand each other. Improving race relations is critical; our future depends on it.
With the 30th anniversary of Freedom Summer and passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Mississippians are reflecting on the status of race relations. In Starkville, a dedicated group of citizens has been discussing race relations as part of the Quality Community Initiative, a pilot project of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce.
We have found that the issue of race relations continues to permeate our lives and is a timely as today’s headlines. The conviction of Byron De La Beckwith and the ongoing Ayers case have commanded great media attention, and justly so; they symbolize our past, present, and future efforts to right racial wrongs.
The issue of race is important in Mississippi because it is related to those things we care about most: attracting economic development, improving educational opportunities, reducing crime, and reforming government. Progress in these areas depends directly on good race relations.
What is the status of race relations in Mississippi today? Our group believes we have come a long way in 30 years. Racist attitudes are not what they once were. Blacks in Mississippi have enjoyed greater electoral success in city, county and state government than anywhere else in America. Overt racism is not only against the law, but it is unfashionable in Mississippi today. This is a great change from the past.
On the other hand, troubling symptoms of racial and economic inequality persist. Racism lies just beneath the surface of our lives. It is not talked about openly by many. Most of us are uncomfortable talking about racial issues, particularly blacks and whites together, unless we are in the confines of our own homes or with close friends.
In the 1960s, the civil rights movement had great moral clarity. The good guys were easy to separate from the bad guys. Today, the debate over racial justice is unfocused and diffuse. It is more difficult to arrive at consensus about appropriate courses of action to achieve racial justice. For example, blacks and whites disagree with each other and among themselves about the efficacy of affirmative action.
One of the most interesting things our group has learned is that blacks and whites see things differently. Understanding this is one of the keys to better race relations. In general, whites see a world where discrimination has been outlawed for 30 years. Whites see a world where blacks can move up as high as their ability allows, and they cite examples such as Colin Powell and Michael Jordan to prove their point. Whites see a world where blacks are not only doing well, but have special advantages to help them get accepted to college or advance in the workplace.
Blacks, on the other hand, see a different reality. In general, blacks see a world where laws have changed but not hearts and attitudes. They recognize significant gains have been made, but they know barriers still exist. Blacks see a world where poverty, crime and poor educational opportunities still define reality for too many of them, and most whites are indifferent to their plight.
Racism in 1994 is still a thorny, unresolved, divisive issue. There is legitimate mistrust on both sides. Whites don’t trust blacks and fear that they will be wrongfully accused of discrimination. Blacks don’t trust whites and feel that racist attitudes continue to hurt them and their children.
Far from improving, our group in Starkville believes race relations have deteriorated in the past several years. Young blacks are growing up with hostile feelings toward whites. Whites are viewed as the enemy. At the same time, there is a white backlash to affirmative action despite the fact that many prominent institutions have few blacks in leadership positions.
If this is the world we live in, what are we to do? First we must realize that easy solutions do not exist. We will not solve our racial problems overnight, but we can make significant progress. We can be intentional in our efforts to bring about positive change.
Second, blacks and whites must stop competing for the status of victim. Blacks and whites both want to see themselves as innocent and the other as guilty. Blacks see themselves as innocent victims of white racism. Whites see blacks as guilty of destructive behavior and view themselves as victims of reverse discrimination and innocent of the charge of racism.
The search for innocence is misplaced because it obscures faults we must all recognize in ourselves. The search for innocence is distracting because it diverts our attention from racial healing, a very necessary step we try to skip, but an essential one for moving ahead. Finally, our preoccupation with innocence is unproductive because it focuses on fixing the blame, not fixing the problem.
We Mississippians have come a long way since 1964, and we should be proud of our progress. But we still have a long way to go. Our challenge is to focus on what unites us—the desire for high paying jobs, quality education, safe neighborhoods, and an improved image for Mississippi—and to seize opportunities to work together and understand each other. Improving race relations is critical; our future depends on it.
