Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Dietdrperky t1_jdl6jki wrote

Everyone in this photo probably had a better voice that Dylan haha! But a pretty cool photo nonetheless.

9

Vitiligogoinggone t1_jdlbe9v wrote

Kid in front’s face is like - “THIS fucking guy. I bet he’ll do a Victoria’s Secret commercial 30 years from now”.

5

Rambonics t1_jdlplvm wrote

He’s never had a bigger smile since that fateful day.

11

bobalou2you t1_jdmf9jy wrote

White folks didn’t do this often in that part of the world in 1963. Pleased we have put much of that attitude behind us. Not all, we still have a ways to go, but not as far as we have come.

6

Few-Woodpecker-737 t1_jdmvff6 wrote

Replying to bobalou2you (#2,352,832)

Great point, I came here to say that as much as I adore this sub, it is so evident in all the pictorial documentation posted that segregation was the norm. You either get pics of black folks or white folks apart…I’m 50 so I wasn’t around but I can feel it, see it, it is always there, in the backdrop of American photography… I still love all of the pics!

3

bobalou2you t1_jdmxgh5 wrote

Replying to MalibuHulaDuck (#2,354,826)

I spent time there in the eighties and found that to be mostly the case but there was a significant change from the sixties. For example, it was no longer unusual for there to be management or foreman positions held by minorities that in the sixties would not have been the case. I haven’t been back to the Delta but my assumption would be it has continued to make progress but not as much as would be preferred!

2

DavoTB t1_jdmzneq wrote

Attributed to photographer Danny Lyon, this photo was taken after a concert Dylan performed with Pete Seeger and Theo Bikel. According to the SNCC press release, it was the first integrated event in the area.

The song Dylan is playing here was called, “Only A Pawn In Their Game,” about the death of Medgar Evers. It was written in June of 1963, recorded in August and released in January of 1964.

Behind Dylan are activist Mendel “Mendy” Samstein, speaking to Wiilie Blue, who served as field secretary for SNCC. With her back turned and listening is Bernice Reagon, a member of The Freedom Singers, and later member of the group Sweet Honey In The Rock. She has had an extensive career which included work for the Smithsonian and a long tenure as History professor at American University in Washington, DC.

Willie Blue, a Navy Veteran, later became an ordained Reverend. He passed away December 28, 2022, at his home in Hernando, MS., aged 83.

5

DavoTB t1_jdn0i6z wrote

Replying to MalibuHulaDuck (#2,349,147)

As noted above, Dylan is singing, “Only A Pawn In Their Game,” written June 12, 1963, about the death of Medgar Evers. He recorded the song in August, and it would be released the following January, on his third album, “The Times They Are A-Changin’”.

3

MalibuHulaDuck OP t1_jdpl3ri wrote

Replying to bobalou2you (#2,354,938)

I had the misfortune of living 14 years in one such place and then 5 months in another such place (MUCH too long). Idk what you’re talking about because it really is the same. Even though segregation has long been out of the law books, they still function in the exact same way. The neighborhoods are 100% segregated by skin color. I witnessed whites yelling at POC and openly treating them all like crap, rednecks criticizing minority race groups including racial slurs without a second thought on a daily basis, racial altercations on the bus, POC acting completely submissively towards whites, races never intermingling as friends. You’d swear you stepped into 1950 Alabama. It really is the same and anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t want to admit it. Swastika tattoos on hands and on bald heads, confederate flag T-shirts, kkk bumperstickers. MAGA hats & flags. Perceived gay or perceived feminine men always in danger just for existing. Being verbally accosted called “f—“ threatened to be beat up (yeah that was me victimized). It’s living hell and the stereotypes are 100% true.

2

bobalou2you t1_jdrdauz wrote

Replying to MalibuHulaDuck (#2,365,061)

You obviously know more about the workings of the Delta than I. What I can say, I actually had men of color as bosses in the trades and that could not have or probably would not have happened during Jim Crow. Additionally, I know for a fact that at least two neighborhoods have a pretty significant number of different races living on the same and adjacent streets. The little I’ll say is my grandparents (now deceased) were folks that interacted as neighbors often do with respect and friendship and they were poor, ignorant, sharecropper rednecks born in the 1910’s. A blanket “100%” statement is simply not correct, at least not in the town I lived in. Is it still bad, I am sure. Are their racist assholes there, of course. They are everywhere and I believe on all sides of the race issue. But it is significantly better than Jim Crow. I will say, things are probably deteriorating in the Delta, but more specifically all over America especially in small rural towns, and other than poor employment due to factories leaving for China I am not interested in expressing my opinions on why fiscal and monetary policy are screwing up our country. 1950’s Alabama could not have been much worse than Mississippi, and Mississippi may have been worse than Alabama certainly in the Delta, though as I was either very young or not yet born I am not really speaking from experience. I am sorry for your pain and anger. You should try to let go of that. It sounds like it was quite a while ago and holding on to the anger doesn’t help you. Our society has obviously made changes along the way. Unfortunately not all folks change at the same pace. But given time, the US seems to get it right. At least eventually; and often quite painfully. I hope you’ve found your peace/place in the world.

2

MalibuHulaDuck OP t1_jdrohuz wrote

Replying to bobalou2you (#2,372,585)

I appreciate that very much, and I apologize I was rude to you. It’s interesting we had 2 very different experiences, which makes me think it’s very possible some parts were/are more open to progress whereas others cling to the opposite. Could very well be the case. But on the other hand you can relate to, as you said, there being plenty of racist assholes, and racially integrated neighborhoods not being the default norm. Your grandparents sound like genuinely good people, and a person that is a genuinely good soul is never a bigoted jerk.

2