[opus86]

My father grew up in rural, pre-civil-rights South Carolina and has a similar story. His family was dirt poor, and my dad worked in the fields and in the mill alongside poor blacks. Economically they were in similar circumstances - everybody working their butts off to put food on the table. Not a lot of time to think about - much less discuss - race relations. No one is saying that makes racism or segregation OK, it just describes the times in much of the rural south.

[cripplecreek]

I think its a rural thing pretty much everywhere. I know there were a lot of rural blacks where I lived in northern Michigan back in the early 90s.

They were a whole different breed than urban blacks. Hunters, fishermen, farmers, welders, loggers etc.

[Impala64ssa]

No one is saying that makes racism or segregation OK, it just describes the times in much of the rural south.
The ugly spectacle of racism was just as prevalent up North. While there was klan activity in the rural areas in the NE I remember my parents telling me nodody burned crosses in daBronx, only real estate offices in Riverdale, Pelham Parkway, Williamsbridge and other "Good" neighborhoods that dared to show co-ops or town houses to those "g**damn n*****s" or "filthy sp*cs". That's what the phoney progressive types call them when no one's around. "There goes the neighborhood" is the battle cry of hypocritical limousine (now Lear Jet) liberals.