THINGS DO CHANGE

As one who grew up in Mississippi 1942-47, I like to keep in touch, and
look forward to THE SOUTHERN REGISTER, the newsletter of “Ole Miss,” the
University of Mississippi.

Comes the Summer 2012 issue which headlines: OPENING THE CLOSED SOCIETY:
University Commemorates the 50 years of integration.

Those of us old enough remember well the days of rioting and mayhem at Ole
Miss when James Meredith a (gasp!) black man became the first to
enroll–escorted by federal marshals. And guess what? The world didn’t
come to an end. The buildings didn’t crumble. The state of Mississippi
didn’t disappear from the face of the earth. The girl students didn’t all
marry or have sexual relationships with black men (the Great Fear: what
white men did or do with black women was a different case, of course.)

I was in California at the time, and cried bitter tears of anger and
frustration. And now comes the news of all sorts of programs and
commemorations, including appearances by then assistant attorney general
John Doar, current attorney general Eric Holder and honored guest Harry
Belafonte.

I hasten to add that I’m well aware that there is a long way to go to
achieve social justice in the USA.

But the civil rights movement was not nothing. At great cost, there HAS
been progress. We need to keep it up.

Joanne Forman

20 August 2012