Something astonishing is happening right now, Sen. John McSame and Sen. Barack Obama, the two major candidate for President of the United States (POTUS), are engaged in a debate. That's normal before an election; in fact, it has become a tradition. What is astounding, at least to me, is the location.
University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi. Hardly anyone seems to remember what happened there in 1962, 46 years ago. Along time? I suppose that depends on your perspective. I was ten years old at the time, just at the dawn of my political awareness.
Does anyone remember James Meredith?
He was the first Negro/Coloured/Black/African American to try to become a student at Ole Miss, as the University was - and still is - known. Bob Dylan wrote a song about this, Oxford Town. The paragraph under the song is from a website about the integration of Ol' Miss. It's worth looking at.
Oxford Town
Oxford Town, Oxford Town
Ev'rybody's got their heads bowed down
The sun don't shine above the ground
Ain't a-goin' down to Oxford TownHe went down to Oxford Town
Guns and clubs followed him down
All because his face was brown
Better get away from Oxford TownOxford Town around the bend
He come in to the door, he couldn't get in
All because of the color of his skin
What do you think about that, my frien'?Me and my gal, my gal's son
We got met with a tear gas bomb
I don't even know why we come
Goin' back where we come fromOxford Town in the afternoon
Ev'rybody singin' a sorrowful tune
Two men died 'neath the Mississippi moon
Somebody better investigate soonOxford Town, Oxford Town
Ev'rybody's got their heads bowed down
The sun don't shine above the ground
Ain't a-goin' down to Oxford TownCopyright ©1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music
In the fall of 1962 the college town of Oxford, Mississippi, erupted in violence. At the center of the controversy stood James Meredith, an African American who was attempting to register at the all-white University of Mississippi, known as "Ole Miss." Meredith had the support of the federal government, which insisted that Mississippi honor the rights of all its citizens, regardless of race. Mississippi's refusal led to a showdown between state and federal authorities and the storming of the campus by a segregationist mob. Two people died and dozens were injured. In the end, Ole Miss, the state of Mississippi, and the nation were forever changed.
How much has Mississppi actually changed? I remember another song from this era, one that is very instructive. (If you're tired of my old songs, you have my permission to skip this one, but it really is a good song.) Here's To The State Of Mississippi by the great Phil Ochs.
Here's to the state of Mississippi,
For Underheath her borders, the devil draws no lines,
If you drag her muddy river, nameless bodies you will find.
Whoa the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,
The calender is lyin' when it reads the present time.
Whoa here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
Here's to the people of Mississippi
Who say the folks up north, they just don't understand
And they tremble in their shadows at the thunder of the Klan
The sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from off their hands
They smile and shrug their shoulders at the murder of a man
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
Here's to the schools of Mississippi
Where they're teaching all the children that they don't have to care
All of rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
There's nobody learning such a foreign word as fair
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
Here's to the cops of Mississippi
They're chewing their tobacco as they lock the prison door
Their bellies bounce inside them as they knock you to the floor
No they don't like taking prisoners in their private little war
Behind their broken badges there are murderers and more
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And, here's to the judges of Mississippi
Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court
They're guarding all the bastions with their phony legal fort
Oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report
When the black man stands accused the trial is always short
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the government of Mississippi
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging down
And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns
They're hoping that no one sees the sights and hears the sounds
And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the laws of Mississippi
Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay
While the Constitution is drowning in an ocean of decay
Unwed mothers should be sterilized, I've even heard them say
Yes, corruption can be classic in the Mississippi way
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the churches of Mississippi
Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust
The fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust
Heaven only knows in which God they can trust
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
God knows we still have a long way to go, but at least a step or two has been taken. "We ain't what we could be; we ain't what we should be; we ain't what we would be; but, Praise God! We ain't what we were!"
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WHY TRY TO FIT IN? YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!
