I’m reading Michael McGerr’s interpretation of the Progressive Movement, “A Fierce Discontent.” This passage is worth sharing:
No thoughtful, conservative, and upright Southerner has for your race aught but the kindest feelings, and we are willing and anxious to see you grow into the highest citizenship of which you are capable.
North Carolina Governor Charles Brantley Aycock, speaking toward his Progressive supporters, 1901
There was a time in this country when even the most progressive activists considered segregation to be best for all parties. The last century has been a painful maturation process for our society, much like the pain and awkwardness of individual maturation. There is nothing to romanticize. So when we’re told that those were the good ol’ days, let’s remember how far we’ve come and how good we have it. Our best days are ahead, and a century from now we will have even more to be proud of.
