Once in the 1990s my brother was a waiter in a small Mississippi town. Wearing a Star of David around his neck, he was often told to hide it unless he wanted trouble. He recalled to me once being asked by a patron "Are you a Jew, boy?"
My brother quickly and confidently responded "Nope!" & headed to the kitchen to hide his necklace. The restaurant was a Jim Crow era relic with a painted KKK long faded and chipped away on the building's back exterior. He distinctly recalled that. He knew better than to backtalk.
He quit a day later for fear of the man (or men) returning to the restaurant to beat him or worse. Small town. He played classical guitar and therefore was pretty well known by locals who enjoyed his playing. He had a big mop of curly black hair. He was 6'3. Hard to miss.
Years and years later as I moved from Texas back to D.C., I plotted a map and sought out my brother for advice. He told me, don't drive through Mississippi at all if you dont have to and dont do it at night. And if you must, dont stop. Just drive right through. Obey all laws.
Overly cautious or no, his time in that state left a lasting impression.
There is no big moral to this specific story honestly. It is just a shame that we are here in the 21st century and not a whole lot is different for a lot of people because of angry, racist whites.
There is no big moral to this specific story honestly. It is just a shame that we are here in the 21st century and not a whole lot is different for a lot of people because of angry, racist whites.
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