[Mr. Silverback]

Hey Mulerider, I'm taking a big risk here posting to you, because I've put my foot in my mouth every other time...;-)

I have to say you're both right. Race relations were bad here in Illinois for a long time. Part of it was that many whites whose ancestors had fought to free the slaves were not down with it when the descendents of the slaves started showing up in Chicago.

That said, the entire time I was in school in Maine I met three students who were non-white...and that wasn't until I went to a high school with almost 1,600 kids in it. Most Illinoisans have very integrated lives.

[smug]

Race relations were bad here in Illinois for a long time.

Not really all that bad. I remember from the History Channels show on the Tri-State Tornado of 1925, a sign in southern Illinois that read "KKK meeting tonight, everybody welcome". 8^)