Samuel Blaine

Professor Carey
History 330
Ever is a Long Time and Dixie: Glimpses into Mississippis Past

Ralph Eubanks and Curtis Wilkie both wrote inspiring books describing their lives in
Mississippi and things that happened during their time in the state. Both of these men grew up in
Mississippi during the intensely violent years of the Civil Rights movement. From these two
books we gather a precious glimpse into what was mid-twentieth century Mississippi. These
books are interesting to compare and contrast because Ralph Eubanks was a black male growing
up in the state while Curtis Wilkie was his white counterpart. Eubanks and Wilkie both
eventually felt the need to leave the racially tarnished state of Mississippi behind. Both men,
during their adulthood, did find reasons to return to the state they once called home.
A book important to Mississippis prejudiced background is Dixie by Curtis Wilkie.
Wilkie called Summit, Mississippi home for a good portion of his adolescence in the 1940s and
50s. His family consisted of two parents, John Stuart and Lydia, and himself. Slightly older than
Eubanks, Wilkie was an adult during the intensely racist decade of the 1960s. Wilkies book
covers his life and many events that took place in Mississippi during the mid-twentieth century.
Wilkie is brought up in a society that is dominated by whites who promote racism, but his family
raised him to treat people with respect and equality. Wilkie went to public school in Mississippi.
When he graduated high school he went to Ole Miss where he got his degree in journalism and
graduated in 1963. After he graduated Ole Miss, Wilkie eventually moved down to Clarksdale,

where he began his career in writing and journalism. Wilkie is a unique character because he,
unlike most typical white males in Mississippi, was raised to respect black people.
In Clarksdale, Wilkie writes and reports for the Clarksdale Press Register. He promoted
positive race relations in that area of Mississippi by his journalism and reporting. Wilkie was
vital to the end of segregation and racism in Clarksdale. It was common knowledge that Wilkie
associated himself with blacks in the area, even considered them friends. He shares with us one
conversation he had with his black friend Aaron Henry. In this conversation, Wilkie and Henry
discussed the terms colored vs. negro and Wilkies pronunciation is incorrect. Wilkie
pronounces the term Negra, and Henry considers it derogatory. He says, Hell Curtis, you can
pronounce hero cant you? (Wilkie, 120).
Corruption was prevalent among city officials in Clarksdale as well as much of the
South. The corruption that took place in Clarksdales officials was brought to light thanks to
Wilkies efforts. Wilkie would eventually, at age 29, tire of his ongoing racial fight in Mississippi
and move to D.C. to start over. He got a job on Capitol Hill for the Boston Globe. When he got to
Boston, he saw tension wasnt just in the South. One of his jobs during this time was to follow
the presidential candidacy around. One could say he was part of the political train that followed
around Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. Wilkie would not stay away from Mississippi
forever. He would return when he realizes that things are starting to change in Mississippi. Upon
the election of William Winter as Governor, Wilkie realized, Finally, I thought to myself, it
seems safe to go back (Wilkie, 251).
In Eubanks book, Ever is a Long Time, he wrote back and forth between his present life
and his childhood/adolescence where he was raised in Mississippi. The book begins with Ralph

as a child, growing up in the plain little Mississippi town of Mount Olive, or Mont Ollie as they
referred to it. Eubanks refers to Mount Olive as the town where nothing happens (Eubanks, 4).
Ralph Eubanks grew up on an eighty acre farm that his parents, Warren and Lucille Eubanks,
purchased. Eubanks tells us how his family was labeled as uppity negroes due to the fact that
his parents both had college degrees and both even more unbelievably had professional jobs.
Eubanks describes how even educated blacks with college degrees suffered while living in the
South.
Eubanks describes in his book how he was sheltered from the reality of racism and the
Civil Rights Movements events that were taking place around him. Mount Olive was what one
could call relatively segregated, but not harshly racist. Ralphs father Warren was the Covington
County Agricultural Extension Agent for Negroes. Warren brought Ralph along on his
agricultural runs around the county so his son could learn the proper way to interact with others.
It is clear from Eubanks book that his father was a stand-up man who did not allow whites to
claim superiority over him. The Eubanks farm is described as an idyllic place where and
intolerance had no place (Eubanks, 19). Their family farm was Warrens way of protecting his
family and providing for them at the same time. Ralph is indeed sheltered from racism, until he
starts school. During his elementary years, Ralph wondered why only black children went to his
school. He had seen white children on his visits to farms with his father, so he wondered where
they went to school. Ralph went to a black only school, Lincoln, until 8th grade. Then in 1970, he
was a part of the first grade to integrate Mount Olive School, which was formerly only white. We
learn a lot of things from Ralphs time during high school. He was forced to deal with Mrs.
Knight, a racist white science teacher, who is clearly angry about the integration. Eubanks tells
us Even though many of the answers on our test were correct textbook answers, I always got a

C, and more often than not so did Marvin (Eubanks, 122). Eubanks dealt with issues like
these and remarks on feeling like an experiment. This history that Eubanks has in Mount
Olive, Mississippi is important to his life, but possibly more important are some discoveries he
made upon the release of the Sovereignty Commission files in 1998.
Ralph went on to graduate from Mount Olive School and decided to further his education
at Ole Miss. We learn from his book that he received his degree there and had many learning
experiences. Eubanks book is tapered with his discovery of the Mississippi State Sovereignty
Commission and its newly released files. He learned through these files that his life in
Mississippi on the Eubanks farm might not have been as safe as he originally believed. His
parents names were listed on a file that was a watch list. The Sovereignty Commission was an
organization created in the State of Mississippi to monitor the activity of integration supporters.
The discovery of his parents names and the Commissions intent enraged and disappointed
Eubanks. Ralph made repeat visits to Mississippi to investigate the files, conduct interviews, and
try and discover the true Mississippi that he was so well sheltered from.
It is easy to see that these authors are very significant to Mississippis history. It is a
history that is both conflicted and diverse. Racial issues make up a part of Mississippi that is
crucial to understanding our states history.

Works Cited
Wilkie, Curtis. Dixie: A Personal Odyssey through Events That Shaped the Modern South. New
York: Scribner, 2001. Print.
Eubanks, Ralph. Ever is a Long Time: A Journey into Mississippis Dark Past. New York: Basic
Books. 2003. Print.