I have never felt a more racist energy anywhere like I did when I went to Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 2004. Nevermind the fact that it was an Election year. The social climate there was rather cold and distant. The Whites there did not seem eager or interested in having a conversation with a person of color. It was very clannish up there. Very clique like. So when I heard about how racist it was up North I saw it with my own eyes. It's different down South. Are there towns down here that seem stuck in the past ? Well of course. But it is way different now than it was when I was a kid. The Whites greet me. Come up to me and start talking about all kinds of stuff. Politics ,sports, religion, and relationships. They don't seem standoffish. Or rude. But they do have their ways and beliefs. And are very talkative. But the level of tolerance is higher and accepting. Even in the police departments. Interracial dating is everywhere down South. Even in old hick towns you see Black and White couple quites often. So it's different now. Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina along with Florida are the most tolerant. But Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana seem to have that old Jim Crow type energy that exists even today. But it is what it is. 🙂
