Here's the funny thing about him, though. By most accounts, Wallace wasn't particularly racist. His history as a lawyer and judge show him to be very fair and non-racist, and even in the '60s there was a well-known story of Wallace (who'd been a good amateur boxer in his youth) defending a black kid who was being bullied by a white kid, bloodying the bully's nose. During his administration in the '60s, he did a lot of things that were helpful to Blacks. He seemed to shout racist and segregationist stuff in public, but act very differently behind the scenes and with many of his policies. One school of thought is that Wallace was not really a racist or a segregationist, but did what the money men and power brokers who put him in office demanded. Another is that was genuinely in favor of segregation, but he believed Blacks should be treated much better and more fairly, with equal opportunities, rights, etc..
In the '70s, he renounced his former ways and the black community appears to have accepted his apology. In '82 he was elected governor again, getting a large majority of the Black vote. Amazing stuff, given his public stances less than 20 years before. During this term, Bama elected its first black homecoming queen and it's traditional for the governor to crown her on the field during halftime. When Wallace placed the crown on her head, he pulled her down closer to him (he was in a wheelchair) and whispered something to her. She later said he'd complimented and congratulated her, and then told her that this was the best moment of his entire political career and thanked her for letting him be part of it. He was complicated.
My granddaughter asked me to respond to this, because I lived through it.
She sent along some of the factual stuff so here goes. first, facts, then, at the end, a conclusion, or observation.
Wallace was inaugurated in 1963.
His inauguration speech was unequivocal and included the following segment, which he shouted with spittle:
Here is a direct quote from that speech on January 10th, 1963:
"In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
Here is what the incisive, but dangerous
Were you black, you would understand the the phrase "greatest people that have ever trod this earth" was CODE for White Supremacy.
Here is what the incisive, effective but dangerous Lee Atwater said about "Code" and I don't know this board, and while I, ME feel entitled to say the word I am unclear of the board rules, so I will sanitize Atwater's quote
Atwater:
You start out in 1954 by saying, "N----r, n----r, n----r." By 1960 you can't say "n----r"—that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me—because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "N----r, n----r."
Atwater understood Wallace, and had, effectively translated
\segregation now
segregation tomorrow
segregation forever
Here is what John Lewis, who got his skull smashed in in Selma in '65 said about his reaction to Wallace's speech:
That day, my heart sank. I knew his defense of 'states' rights' was really a defense of the status quo in Alabama."
[17
Wallace was a virulent racist, using code.
Martin knew. And if MLK offends you, too bad he is a hero in our family, and my grandkids have sat while I have told the stories.
It was August of 1963
:I have a dream that one day in Alabama with its VICIOUS RACISTS (emphasis added) and its governor with lips dripping with words of interpositilon and nullification.
But Martin's dreams did not come true for in September of '63 four little girls were slaughtered by hate, segregation and Wallacism and the remnants of confederate thought, in Birmingham. Or were'n't you going to mention that.
all this. ALL THIS
happened on Wallace's watch.
I was going to offer a conclusion, but you, YOU are not worth it.
My family knows, my grand children know and you can bet the current Notre Dame football coach knows the truth.
This revisionist Confederate lying will just not do.
I will probably not post again.
I know that John Lewis is better than that. I know that Theodore Martin Hesburgh was better than that and the Marcus Freeman is better than that. And Moose Krause and Ara Raoul Parseghian and Dan Devine. All better than that
Go, you don't belong here. Liars don't
That was good. I've heard the story before about Bear Bryant and bringing in the first black players to Alabama. Credit Bear, as racist as Alabama was at the time, he actually scheduled that game completely expecting to lose. It was a tactical move to get the community to open their eyes and green light the change. Supposedly Bear knew what he was doing, it wasn't like an "Oh shit" moment. Well, not for him, just the fan base. At least, that's what I remember.
