I was listening to
Talk of the Nationtoday (a left-over habit from when Ray Suarez was the host) and hear some very moving testimony from some of the people who were on the front lines 40 years ago in the desegregation battles. The children (now adults) who braved the insults, rocks, and worse of racists to integrate the schools were inspiring.
But the story of Julian Prince a white, former school superintendent in Mississippi was awesome. He led his district through a voluntary desegregation during the times when other deep South communities were practicing massive resistance to Brown. Repeatedly, Neil Conan asked him if it was difficult ("yes"), if it was dangerous ("yes"), so why did you do it?
The answer: I'm an American and this is America, and it has to be fair--expressed in the most matter-of-fact tones.