Racism and segregation in the South still?

[PortlandOregonblk]

I just watched a show on HBO called Prom Night In Mississippi.... about a town called Charleston whose HighSchool still has segregated proms for whites and blacks until last year when Morgan Freeman came town and proposed the first ever integrated Prom for the highschool at his expense.....it was interesting to see how the entire town reacted to this.....many parents mostly white were outraged at the fact that this wld happen....hearing the comments from some these parents mouths was really eye opening.....i liked hearing the students they interviewed and hearing what they thought about the two races mixing at prom eventhough they see eachother everyday at school.....hearing both students and parents talking about interracial dating in the town and how each side both black and white felt about it was great insight......i thought the south.... especially Mississppi... had made some progress over that last few decades but I guess I was sadly misinformed....i mean its 2008 people and we still have segregation going on in areas of the south?? can anyone who lives in the south or in or around the Charleston Mississippi area provide some insight or thoughts on this matter? I grew up in and went to school in the midwest...Columbus and Toledo Ohio to be exact....now i live on the West Coast in Portland Oregon and its like two different worlds....much more accepting on the west coast when it comes to interracial dating....and just races mixing and mingling in general on a social level!

 

[Elizabeth T]

Blacks & whites have been together for some time in the south. It was probably based on events in the 70's.

 

[lil_miss_buttslut]

It's a 2008 documentary...very interesting to watch, I had no idea that still happened on that kinda level in the USA

 

[Zagg]

I saw plenty of IR couples in the Mississippi Delta in the 1990s.

 

[MichaelWills]

Stereotypes

As amazing as it may sound there are McDonalds, good colleges, professional black people (and white) living in affluent neighborhoods in the South. We even have Wal-marts and none of them have separate drinking fountains. Mississippi has no more poverty (or racism) than any other state--and in many instances much less.

I would suggest there is less racism in the South that most other regions.

I always enjoy how the ones that make such outlandish statements are from people who have never been here.

I admit there is some prejudice here. For instance my wife prefers Southern black men over Northern black men.

I talked to one friend about non-Southerners ignorance of how the South really is--and he said to not correct anyone, because as long as they believed it they would not want to move here!

 

[lewis]

Blacks & whites have been together for some time in the south. It was probably based on events in the 70's.

............I wanted to believe it too Liz, but its true, its sort of a time-worn-hole of a town thats trapped in the past......its a jungle out there, that why a guy like me and a woman like you have to keep doing what we're doing.:love:

 

[DE_BBC]

As amazing as it may sound there are McDonalds, good colleges, professional black people (and white) living in affluent neighborhoods in the South. We even have Wal-marts and none of them have separate drinking fountains. Mississippi has no more poverty (or racism) than any other state--and in many instances much less.

I would suggest there is less racism in the South that most other regions.

I always enjoy how the ones that make such outlandish statements are from people who have never been here.

I admit there is some prejudice here. For instance my wife prefers Southern black men over Northern black men.

I talked to one friend about non-Southerners ignorance of how the South really is--and he said to not correct anyone, because as long as they believed it they would not want to move here!

Who suggested anything about separate drinking fountains?
And what does McDonald's or WallMart have to do with anything?

LESS racism in the South? Oh, come on, sorry, but that's just silly talk.
As far as poverty and Miss. is concerned ...
Percent of People in Poverty, by State, 2002–2007 — Infoplease.com

 

[Angela]

Morgan Freeman didn't just "come to town". He has lived in Charleston for many, many years.

 

[PortlandOregonblk]

Morgan Freeman didn't just "come to town". He has lived in Charleston for many, many years.

sorry didnt know that....i turned the show on about halfway through so i didnt catch that!

 

[vtjames742]

Yes there are places here and there like that but it isnt widespread. Also you have to note that in most cases it isn't that whites are in power and are telling blacks they aren't good enough to be in the same place. On the contrary many blacks choose to have seperate functions and in fact that is a growing trend- pulling back from mixed schools and so forth in favor of all black schools--- etc etc etc

I don't have a stake in it either way but if people WANT to be seperate I think it is up to them

 

[Zagg]

As amazing as it may sound there are McDonalds, good colleges, professional black people (and white) living in affluent neighborhoods in the South. We even have Wal-marts and none of them have separate drinking fountains. Mississippi has no more poverty (or racism) than any other state--and in many instances much less.
I would suggest there is less racism in the South that most other regions.
I always enjoy how the ones that make such outlandish statements are from people who have never been here.
I admit there is some prejudice here. For instance my wife prefers Southern black men over Northern black men.
I talked to one friend about non-Southerners ignorance of how the South really is--and he said to not correct anyone, because as long as they believed it they would not want to move here!

I wonder whether the old truism is still true: In the South, they hate the black race but love the individuals; in the North, they love the black race, but hate the individuals.