Everyone hates something or someone sometimes in their lives. But ingrained hatred is something that ruins lives because it is often so fixed into their brain, as to be almost impossible to conquer.

The image above was taken at the “Brown vs Board of Education” National Historic Site in Topeka Kansas. The building is not a large one but contains many artifacts that will make you think about racial prejudice and particularly the Civil Rights era. Many of you probably recognize the picture as part of the Birmingham Alabama forced school integration. On September 10th, in 1963, twenty black students entered previously all-white public schools in Birmingham. They were protected by National Guard soldiers. As I was going through the rooms, I suddenly came upon on this large picture and the hate that filled the young white woman’s eyes literally shook me to my bones.  I have never seen hate personified as it was in that large photo. Every time I see the photo in my personal photo portfolio, I wonder if that young girl ever got over the hatred she had? If she didn’t, it probably consumed her as it did so many southern bigots of those times.

Now a story about my personal experiences with racial prejudice in the Southern States in the 1960s and 70s. I was a young engineer in 1972 when I was sent to a Shreveport, Louisiana factory to assist in solving a manufacturing problem.  It was there that I met Mel. He was a “good ole boy” that all the engineers there loved to hear his stories. When we went to the cafeteria for a coffee break, he proceeded to tell his dehumanizing story about “lazy black niggers.” I was totally embarrassed by his words and even more embarrassing was that he told in within hearing distance of scores of African-Americans sitting in the dining room. That fact didn’t bother him at all, in fact, it likely excited him. This was my first real exposure to racial prejudice, and it stuck with me throughout my life. Turning your enemy into something inhuman is an essential part of this ugly process.

For anyone who cares to read the inscription on the panel, click on the photo above to see a readable view: