This foolishness all started in 1948, when our people were fighting for our civil rights. A group calling themselves the States Rights Democrats, or “Dixiecrats,” split from the Democratic party. They were hardcore segregationists! And they had a strange plan.
The Dixiecrats were desperate to show the benefits of white supremacy. They collaborated with the KKK, who stepped up their efforts to show goodwill toward Black people! Those images of the elderly Black couple – both formerly enslaved – were used to kickstart a national stunt. The stunt’s purpose?
Simple: If we’d simply give up on becoming equal with whites, these “very fine people” would take care of our needs, and radios were just the beginning! The Klan wanted to prove to the world their members had a heart. Did this ridiculous ploy work?
Actually, it did – to an extent. The KKK got national press coverage, and their point of view gained lots of attention and discussion in the media. But there’s a more important question. Did OUR PEOPLE fall for it?
Hell no! Proud to be Black, our soldiers had returned from World War II in 1945, and they began to stand up for our rights. When we have a positive self-image, we can refuse the chicanery of racists and their false promises and see them for what they are: attempted bribery and exploitation!