It's Not Easy Being a White Democrat in Mississippi [View all]

Note: The title of the thread is what appeared with the article. I recognize that it's not easy to be any race, creed, color, or orientation of Democrat in Mississippi.


In a recent post-election post-mortem in the Jackson Free Press, editor Donna Ladd advances ideas about why Democrats lost almost all power in the Mississippi state government. One of her thoughts has to do with cowardice in the Mississippi Democratic Party, in the way that white men who control the party have been too timid to advance progressive values, or even uphold a plank in the national party platform for the bodily autonomy of women.

Ladd's story resonates with me because of the many times I've contemplated courage and cowardice in Mississippi and its politics.

I moved from Iowa to Mississippi in 2010 to prepare for retirement in a warm climate close to a coastline. My Mississippi cousin, Mike, helped me accomplish the move to a remote rural location south of Hattiesburg, which is touted as a retirement destination. I had been a Democratic voter in Iowa, part of a small-town caucus that had stood for Barack Obama the first time, and I planned to vote for him again. What it meant to be a white Democrat in Mississippi was unknown to me, until I was invited to a holiday party at the camp of some friends of my cousin Mike.

Yvonne and Bob (not their real names), elderly and retired in a deep rural location in Lamar County, welcomed me to their home. Yvonne hugged my neck, called me darlin', and admired my hair and clothing. Darkness came early while the men gathered around the smoker outside, where huge slabs of barbecued meat fell to pieces in redolent splendor. Inside the tin-roofed barn, the air was thick with cigarette smoke and shouts of merriment. A rock band was plugging in and tuning up on a little stage where a Confederate flag was the backdrop.

Read more: https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/nov/12/opinion-its-not-easy-being-white-democrat-mississi/