Ellington

As the years pass, I find it hard to accurately remember each and every detail of my life. It's easy for stories to be skewed, embellished or just plain forgotten. My wife says I sometimes "adjust" the facts of stories to keep from getting fussed at, and I can't recall if I do or not. What I do know is that sometimes two people in the same place at the same time can have two totally different accounts of an incident. Nowadays, history is as much about "who" is remembering as it is about the facts.

Apparently, our governor—and possible Republican presidential candidate—Haley Barbour has an interesting take on Mississippi history. In an interview recently with the Weekly Standard, Barbour gave a flattering recollection of the Citizens Council. He described them as a "group of town leaders." Yes, that same Citizens Council that was founded to maintain segregation and white supremacy.

Funny thing: I—and many others—don't quite recall that docile, philanthropic group that Barbour talks about. I guess it depends on which side of the lunch counter you were sitting on, right? Now, the guv's story is that the Citizens Council made a decree that they weren't going to tolerate anyone being associated with the Ku Klux Klan in Yazoo City. They'd be run out of town on a rail, he says, and their businesses weren't going to be patronized. Noble actions I'm sure if the organization in question wasn't so adamantly opposed to integration. It would be righteous if the group in question didn't boycott pro-civil rights organizations fighting for equal rights in Mississippi. But then again, I guess it depends on which fountain you had to drink from, right?

Look, it's no secret that the violent Klan quickly started wearing out its welcome in the 1960s, even with other white supremacist groups. It's well documented that their aggressive style and penchant for violence brought way too much attention to the covert cause of white supremacy. Those who championed segregation thought it better to abandon the robes and hoods, and adopt a more corporate "suit and tie" approach. The word "Klan" became bad for business. So methinks the all-white Citizens Council's "intolerance" of the Klan had more to do with "business" than it did with treating black folks as equals.

You don't have to take my word for it, just look up the history. But I guess it depends on what side of the hose you were on, right?

What we should all be concerned with is the fact that a lot of our older elected officials have selective memories when it comes to the history of civil rights. Sure, it was a time when these groups held political stroke, and you had to play the role to get their votes. Nowadays, not so much; beware of those that still do. Be leery of those who continue to press you to forget about that turbulent past even as it shapes our futures. Question those who talk about a return to the "good old days" or who say that groups like the Citizens Council "weren't that bad." Those things should raise red flags instantly.

Governor Barbour could be on the next presidential ticket in 2012. Die-hard Mississippian that I am, I'd hope that a candidate from our state on a national stage does more to destroy stereotypes of Mississippi than enforce them. That starts by not trying to dismiss the atrocities that occurred in our state during the Civil Rights Era as trivial. But then again, I guess it depends on which section of the bus you had to sit in.

Funny how folks can see things differently.

And that's the truth ... sho-nuff.