We get letters

Earlier this week, Pandagon had a post about a good day/bad day in Alabama. At about the same moment I was reading that, long-time p3 reader and kibitzer Gary dropped me a note from the Yellowhammer State about a trove of archive photos from the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham between 1956 and 1965, discovered by the Birmingham News. He writes:

History is always popular in the South, particularly the white South. It's usually a noble history of pre-Civil War days and the glorious fight for Southern Independence. That history isn't as powerful for me as the history of the black South of 50 years ago. This is a history that makes me proud that we (black and white) who live in the Deep South remember. Check out these.

Look at the photos.

Some people will tell you that we in the South haven't made any progress about race--usually these are self-contented people from other places who Randy Newman best characterized in "Rednecks". The most cynical (and you know I'm usually among that group) will point out that racism is still with us. It is. It probably always will be. But look at the photos and tell me that there has been no change.