Mississippi. Attorney-Generals Office - Joe T. Patterson and the White Souths dilemma: evolving resistance to black advancement

JOE T. PATTERSON AND THE WHITE SOUTHS DILEMMA

Joe T. Patterson

AND THE

White Souths Dilemma

Evolving Resistance to Black Advancement

Robert E. Luckett Jr.

UNIVERSITY PRESS OF MISSISSIPPI

JACKSON

www.upress.state.ms.us

Designed by Peter D. Halverson

The University Press of Mississippi is a member of the Association of American University Presses.

Copyright 2015 by University Press of Mississippi

All rights reserved

Manufactured in the United States of America

First printing 2015

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Luckett, Robert E., Jr.

Joe T. Patterson and the white souths dilemma : evolving resistance to black advancement / Robert E. Luckett Jr.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4968-0269-9 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4968-0270-5 (ebook) 1. Patterson, Joe T., 19071969. 2. African AmericansCivil rightsMississippiHistory20th century. 3. Civil rights movementsMississippiHistory20th century. 4. MississippiRace relationsHistory20th century. 5. MississippiPolitics and government1951 6. RacismMississippiHistory20th century. 7. Mississippi. Attorney-Generals OfficeBiography. I. Title.

E185.93.M6L83 2015

323.11960730762--dc23

2015005900

British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY FATHER, WHO BELIEVED IN THE POWER of education and the ability of all people to achieve their dreams, and to my wife and children, who inspire me to be more like my father.

Contents

Acknowledgments

LEAVING MISSISSIPPI FOR YALE IN 1995, I EMBARKED ON A JOURNEY filled with the tragedies and the triumphs of life, and I have been blessed along the way with unforeseeable opportunities and with lifelong friends at all my stops. I stand on the shoulders of so many more people than those listed on these pages. To all of you, please accept my deepest gratitude. For those named here, know that your impact has led directly to this book.

At Yale, I learned to think critically and analytically and began to write adequately, but most of all I encountered a community of students and scholars who loved learning and who proved to be fantastic friends. My college roommate and brother for the past twenty years, Danny Sims, provided an example of how to maximize hard work and play that I try to emulate to this day. And he wasnt alone. My six years in New Haven were marked by incredible folks: Freddy Sheahan, Ryan Joelson, Katy Grubbs, Hugh Flick, Kelly Brownell, Robyn Harris Stout, Mike May, Nathan Gault, Roger Schonfeld, Jennifer McTiernan, Anita Kishore, and the list could go on. I love you all.

Yale also enabled me to live in places like Nebraska, where I found a home away from home and another family. Jill Runge Gable, Jason Cumberland, Tom Furman, Tyler Furman, Bob Furman, Doogie Niemiec, Zy Pajnigar, and the entire Camp Kitaki community have made me a better person. Thanks to a semester abroad in Paris, I met a friend, Ilya Khaykin, whose loyalty and friendship are unmatched. While at Yale, friends from home like Anthony Moore, Quincy Moore, Scott Higdon, Johnnie Johnson, Kathryn Prybylski, and Jenni Valentine Clemons helped keep me grounded as much as possible. And Yale introduced me to Glenda Gilmore. If it had not been for her, I would have never ended up at the University of Georgia. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Many others led me down the path to write this book. Id particularly like to thank my high school history teacher and basketball coach, Richard Wilkinson, who first inspired my love of history and had as big an impact on my life as anyone outside my own parents. Bill Patterson and the entire Patterson family made my research a possibility. Joe Crespinos scholarship and encouragement were extremely influential. His insight into this manuscript made it immensely better. The same could be said for Jason Ward. His own fabulous work affected how I thought about the topic, and his careful reading vastly improved this book. In Jackson, Ive had the good fortune to get to know another fabulous historian, Stuart Rockoff, whom Im grateful to call a friend. His scholarship, perspective, good humor, and leadership are all traits I admire. And then, there was John Dittmer. His book Local People made me want to become a civil rights historian.

In the archives, where projects like this one either live or die, so many people provided essential assistance. The entire staff at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History helped me at one point or another, and Mattie Sink in the Mitchell Library at Mississippi State as well as Jennifer Ford and Leigh McWhite at Ole Miss were indispensable in their knowledge and support. Various staff members at the National Archives in College Park and the Library of Congress were supremely helpful, as were the people at the Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, where a research grant made it possible for me to spend time in its incredible collections. And I should add my deepest thanks to the University Press of Mississippi and Craig Gill. They have stood behind this project for nearly a decade.

As for the University of Georgia, I could not have been luckier than to have spent eight years in the company of the friends I found in Athens, and I want to thank the faculty there for all that they did to make me realize what the study of history could contribute to the world around me. From the beginning, I was challenged to become the best scholar I could be, even when I wasnt so sure I wanted to grow up to be a historian. Jim Cobb, John Inscoe, Ed Larson, Kathleen Clark, Paul Sutter, Derrick Alridge, and Bryant Simon all had an indelible impact, but in particular Robert Pratt accepted me under his tutelage. His door was always open, and he provided anything and everything I ever needed or asked for. I learned more about scholarship and teaching from him than I could possibly recount. In all of my professional endeavors, I strive to meet his example.

With that said, a cohort of colleagues saw me safely through the best and worst times of my life. All the nights I spent at Foxz and on my front porch swing were highlighted by the company of great friends. In this case, the list is not a small one: Ivy Holliman, Bert Way, Judkin Browning, Bruce Stewart, Chris Manganiello, Chris and Allison Huff, Ichiro Miyata, John and Kim Turner, Sara Sylvester, Betty Thomas, Justin Nystrom, Anne Marshall, Jim Giesen, Cassie Sheldon Strawn, Daniel Seaton, Marija Bekafigo, Matt Stambaugh, and Alex Hayes all made for an incomparable amount of good times. But far and away, the boys of Local 578 made my days in Athens special. John Hayes and Frank Forts are two of the best people I know, and their friendship will forever be cherished. Not only are all these remarkable people my friends, they continue to set a high standard for professionalism and scholarship.

And then, Jackson State University and the Margaret Walker Center came into my life. I could not have been luckier than to have landed in my hometown working for a place and a cause that have become my passion. Never trained to be a public historian, I have learned how much I love the work that goes into a museum and archive. Plus, as a historian, its not a bad career move to have your office sit on top of a repository for historic collections that you can access any time youd like.

While Margaret Walker has been my professional focus since coming to Jackson State, the people Ive met and the colleagues Ive made are at the heart of my personal commitment to this place. Again, the list of people Ive grown to admire thanks to my connections at Jackson State is not a short one: Robert Smith, members of the Margaret Walker Center Board and National Council, Maryemma Graham, Bill Ferris, Randy Klein, Deborah Barnes, Otha Burton, Mario Azevedo, Rico Chapman, Noel Didla, Jean Chamberlain, Preselfanie McDaniels, C. Liegh McInnis, Daphne Chamberlain, Monica Flippin-Wynn, Robert Blaine, Garrad Lee, Theron Wilkerson, Kat Hughes, Kimberly Jacobs, Michael Morris, Tesia Nagorka, and so many others. Through Jackson State, Ive also been blessed with the chance to know and work with David Cunningham and his students at Brandeis University. Hes not only a world-class scholar but an all-around great guy and trusted friend.