I was born and raised in Lincoln County, Mississippi near a rural community with 2 general stores called Caseyville. My mother was a single parent. My family was sharecroppers who lived in a house on the owners farm.
The Lamar Smith family was neighbors. The Smiths own their land as most blacks did in the area. What happened to the Carter family land?
Lamar Smith was a Black voters rights advocate. August 13,1955, Lamar was shot to death on a crowded Lincoln County courthouse lawn in Brookhaven, Mississippi. I was thirteen years old. There were great feelings of despair, fear and intimidation among the black population. I can imagine that there were also a type of fear and intimidation among the white population. No one was ever prosecuted. In 1955, the population in Mississippi was approximately 45% black and 55% white. Only 2% of blacks were registered to vote.
Besides dignity and self worth, racism causes despair, fear and intimidation.
Overcomer by “Hope.” the confident expectation of good.
I grew up in Jim Crow South and though there was racial inequality all around me, my parents protected us from much of it by keeping us real close and giving us little to desire outside of our tight circle. I wasn’t a dreamer though I loved to read everything from the Bible to men’s magazines and academic stuff in between. We helped out with our elderly grandparents, traveled to visit relatives out of town. During the summers we enjoyed Fernandina Beach near Jacksonville. We traveled to Detroit, MI unable to go to restaurants except to the back door of some or to black- owned establishments. When I heard there was a moment led by Dr Martin Luther King to allow us rights and privileges the same as whites, I jumped at the opportunity to participate. It didn’t take long for my family to begin to feel the hatred in the air. My dad was fired because of our family’s activity and involvement with the Freedom Movement,NAACP, and peaceful protests. I began to look around and dissatisfaction with separate and UN-equal everything grew– outdated school books with missing pages, dirty public restrooms for colored, water fountains that didn’t work, separate entrance to doctor’s office, movie theater, restaurants, & beaches! Our leaders’ lives were threatened. Black business owners stood up in solidarity against economic intimidation by white establishment and vowed to die trying to defend our right to fight for equality. We prayed a lot and cried out to God a lot during this time. I took lots of chances moving about alone and I didn’t understand my mother’s anxiety! Stories of lynchings and bombings made me more determined to take a stand unafraid against the hateful people around me. I can only say now at 69 that God’s Grace kept me & my family during those very dark years! Now The Holy Spirit has brought me to understand who the REAL Enemy is and has always been. The weapons are Spiritual– Almighty Gods Faith, Love, Obedience, Unity & Spoken Word! Jesus Christ died for Our REAL FREEDOM that NO MAN can deny me or take from me! Now I have the capacity to love my natural enemy in the flesh! I’m sad that they’re deceived and being lied to by the same devil that’s against me too! All it takes for them is to believe on The Lord Jesus Christ or be subject to the irreversible consequences of Eternal Separation from God! Good News–Jesus Christ gave His Blood for all mankind because He loves us all so we should not be forever damned bound in deepest darkness! I will go and evangelize the world with this GOOD NEWS MESSAGE!
Thank you Cheryl. What you have said, everybody needs to read and digest. I hope you will reserve this and speak it out again as God gives you the opportunites.
I believe this blog has the potential to empty our souls of any residue of hurt, bitterness, and hatred for those who represent racial prejudice and hatred! When we empty ourselves through confession to each other, those wounds are exposed and made ready for divine healing! We’ve suppressed so much emotion because we wanted to just get past it all without ever dealing with it! The dark events of late have stirred our memories carved deeply into our souls! Why would anyone take the time to hate me for something I had no more say in than they did– ancestry, skin color, and natural hair texture??? It makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever! Africans were brought to this country against our will and hunted down and brought back when we tried desperately to leave! How sinister and godless is that??? My dark-skinned people were NEVER the problem! Now we’re here by European domination and insistence to be accepted and allowed to live in peace. Our social ills were created! Together with The Creator’s help we can overcome for good what our common enemy satan meant for evil!
Very insightful. With all the unrest in the world today it sometimes feels like there is NO solution. However, what you have presented is the answer. We must truly understand who the enemy is and to faith in God and all that He has done and is willing to do for us as His children. I just pray that this country and the world come to understand the need for love–love of God, which will ultimately bring love of one another.
Thank you Judge Griffin for your reply. It means a lot because you are responding form many, many experiences.
Yes. The world needs to realize who the enemy really is. Thank you for opening up the dialogue, Uncle Carter. I’ve never heard your story and yet, unfortunately, I have (all my life). God is doing something, though, revealing what is in our hearts so we can get it right and love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves.