by Daney

Recently while home with a bug I reread a manuscript fragment of the second book in my series about desegregation in the south. I was very pleased with parts of it. The rest indicated LOTS of work to be done.

Several days later I woke up thinkingt about the Mississippi State Soverignty Commission. Yes, dear reader, there was such a thing and it was quite as nasty as the name implies. It comprised the top officers of the state, from the governor on down, and was wholly dedicated to preserving the “soverignty” of the state–in other words, preventing the federal government from enforcing Brown vs. Board of Education.

Anyone who knows anything about the history of the Magnolia State is probably not surprised to hear this. What surprised me was its emergence from my subconscious. I was totally unaware of it during the period when it existed (1956-1977) and somewhere between disconcerted and outraged when I learned about it via NPR in 2001 when the records were finally open to the public. I remember thinking, “I’ll have to look into that someday.”

I suppose that day has come. It strikes me that the research for this book may be quite a journey. I’m looking forward to it!