Republicans and Ole Miss Football

When I was growing up in Alabama during the 1960’s and 1970’s you had to be a Democrat to get elected to anything. The Democratic primary was the equivalent to election itself. I remember my mother telling me that most Black people had once favored the Republicans because Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and he had freed the slaves, but most had switched over to the Democrats because Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt had done so much to help Blacks during the Great Depression. Later, as I learned more about the Civil War, it became obvious why all of the southern states were one party (Democrat) states. They had literally left the union and fought the bloodiest war in American history in reaction to the election of the Republican, Abraham Lincoln.

Ironically, the former Confederate states are still, for all practical purposes, one party states. However, today it is the Republican Party that rules. What happened?

When Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, he knew what the political ramifications would be. He was a Democrat from Texas, and had grown up poor in Eastern Texas. He said that signing that bill would hand the South to the Republicans for generations to come, and when it came to politics, LBJ was usually right. Race has always been the third rail of Southern politics. The Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act of 1965 cemented the allegiance of African Americans to the Democratic Party, and served as a catalyst for the exodus of Southern whites to the ranks of the Republicans.

This past weekend I watched an incredible college football game between the 3^rd ranked Auburn Tigers, and the 4^th ranked Ole Miss Rebels. I have been an Auburn fan my entire life, and graduated from the school in 1976. I love Auburn, and watch every game they play with an intensity that most people simply can’t comprehend. I have seen Auburn play Ole Miss countless times, but this game was unique. It has been a very long time since Ole Miss was this good. For many years they were simply unable to compete in the highly competitive Southeastern Conference.

Ole Miss had a very difficult time hiring the best coaches because the best coaches knew they would have a very difficult time recruiting the better players that happened to be Black. For many years, Ole Miss fans were known for waving confederate battle flags at their games. Their mascot was “Colonel Reb”, a caricature of an old confederate soldier. Since 1983 the University has distanced itself from Confederate symbols. They banned their faculty from having the stuff in their offices. In 2003 they even got rid of their “Colonel Reb” mascot. 

While watching Auburn play on the Ole Miss campus this weekend I did not see a single Confederate flag. No “Colonel Reb” either. What I did see were Blacks and Whites sitting together in the stands bonded by a common desire to see their boys beat Auburn. I saw an excellent Ole Miss football coach, with an integrated staff, directing a predominantly African American team of world class athletes considered to be one of the best college football teams in the nation.

I don’t know why the people that run the University of Mississippi decided to rid themselves of their divisive, insulting, and racist symbols and activities. Perhaps they realized that the state’s flagship university was responsible for educating ALL of Mississippi’s people. Perhaps they were moved by a word or a song on a random Sunday morning. Perhaps they were just tired of losing, but for some reason, they decided to do the right thing, and on this past Saturday night, it was a beautiful thing to see.

All Republicans are not racists, and everybody at Ole Miss are not racists either. But today, a racist would be more comfortable at a Republican Tea Party rally than an Ole Miss football game.

If the Republicans are smart, they will do what Ole Miss did.