Hey Indie. Thank you very much for this blog. Mississippi is a beautiful state. This blog helps tell the world that just cause the address is southern doesn't mean it's racist. There are alot folks who are just tired of the assumption. Groups that promote racial harmony are alive and kickin. And folks who just live their lives of kindness never get the press that one bigot would get.

Canadian Gal. I'm so sorry for your experiences in New Orleans of all places. I've lived in the South all my life. That would be a long time. I'm not blind and have seen just how mean spirited SOME folks can be. But I've never seen overt racism like you mention here. Never. Who was saying these things? People on the street? Tourist on the ship? Folks in the hotels? How terrible. But If you didn't socialize that much I can see why you would have missed the good folks. New Orleans is a very interesting and diverse city. They depend on tourism for much of the economy. You should have complained and I guarantee that would have ended it. I hope that you'll come back South and give us another chance much like Sen. Russ Feingold did for Alabama. The citizens of Greenville,Alabama, who are just the nicest folks, heard that Sen. Feingold had an assumption of the South and Alabama. They invited him to come and visit, just like I'm doing to you, and he did. Needless to say, his opinion changed. The world likes to hold on to the image of the racist South. It makes dramatic movies and gets folks all riled up. But come back and really see us. Not everyone is like that.
We're pretty nice and pretty regular folks.
Heck, I'll put a plug in for my state. We have cruise ships leaving Mobile too. Why don't you take your next cruise out of Mobile,Alabama. You should find the experience quite nice I hope. Let me know when you do. And if you don't have a good time or see this blatant racism? You let me know.

Indie, thank you very much for this diary. From the looks of it, maybe the best 50 state strategy is for us all post diaries like this. To get past the preconcieved notions from the media and see the real US.

Hugs from an exPat Mississippian and a Southern neighbor.
12 dogs.

Racism is still present in this country. That's such an obvious statement that I feel kind of silly for saying it. However, it seems to be dying a little more every day.

I observe whites and blacks interacting on a daily basis. I have yet to observe an overt act of racism in word or deed when both races are present. From either group. However, that seems to be different among whites, and probably blacks, when there is only one race present. I still hear racist comments when I'm only with other whites. I have hope that it is changing, though.

Most of the comments I hear seem almost like knee-jerk responses. I don't think they are so much really true feelings as things that have been ingrained and come out as involuntary responses. If questioned about some overtly racist comment most people down here will reply that they don't really mean it. I call people out on it all the time. Their reaction to being called out on it is usually to act sheepish and admit that what they said was wrong.

You have to keep in mind that people have been hearing derogatory comments about people of a different color for their entire lives. This seems to be less common as each generation passes on. Time is what will change things. Each generation is less apt to parrot the previous generations views.

I witnessed several things yesterday that give me hope. There were groups of both races that came to the celebration together. I saw groups that were segregated not by race, but by normal societal groupings. Two women walked together, one white and the other black. Their husbands followed behind, carrying on a conversation as they walked.

Following the first two couples were more small groups of strollers that were grouped the same way. The women, of both races, walking together and the men following along behind. The children were mixed in among them. I could see absolutely no grouping based on race. Two young girls holding hands ran ahead, laughing and skipping as they went. One girl was white and the other was black.

There were family groups, sitting on chairs or blankets, scattered around the park. There was no sign of segregation. Black families sat among groups of white families. The opposite was just as common. No one seemed to be congregating with members of their own race. Conversations went on between everyone there, irregardless of color.

The days of whites only drinking fountains is in the past. Yes, racism is still with us and will be for a long time to come, but it isn't the huge divide it once was.