Meanwhile in Jackson, Mississippi of all places. . .

[pat_k]

4. Don't write off Mississippi!

My best friend in the late 70's early 80's, was April. She spent her early years in Little Rock, MS (Yes, MS, not AK). It's a tiny place about 40 miles from Meridian, MS. Her mother left MS long before I met April. April grew up in Topanga Canyon (and if you know the culture in So. Cal in the 70's, Topanga was unique).

Anyway, April was my roommate in West Los Angeles when her mother inherited the family home in Little Rock. April went back to help out. I spent a few weeks down there on a couple of occasions.

It was an immersion in a different world for me. A rich, nuanced, frustrating, and very strange world that was completely at odds with any stereotype. The family had history in the community. A woman who I think was a child of a former slave of the family was a friend.
Nobody had any problem with April's gay older sister.

April ended up re-locating "back home." I lost touch for lengthy periods of time, but my partner and I visited and stayed for a couple weeks in 2005, so I got another glimpse into life there. April died way too young in 2010.

I'm not sure that I have a point, but the thing that was most notable to me was that there was a general "politics isn't for the likes of us" attitude -- until something pissed them off or got their attention. And then they could be a formidable bunch of people.

I suspect that the current insanity has engaged people the Republicans don't even realize exist.