In Deepest South, Iconic Town's First Black Mayor Dreams Of Obama's Reelection
PHILADELPHIA (Mississippi) - “I will never forget it,” says James Young, almost choking up as he speaks. “My father used to sleep on the couch of our living room, holding a rifle, ready to defend us.”
Young’s father was just a farmer, but his mother was a sympathizer of the civil rights movement, which meant the Ku Klux Klan repeatedly targeted their home. “Still,” he says, “here I am today, as mayor of Philadelphia. It is unbelievable even for me.”
The mayor himself is part of the town’s history. As a child, James was the first and only black student to attend the public school. “The white kids insulted me, but I never suffered acts of violence. As you can see, I am a big guy. I was the already the biggest at school, which helped to fix many things, at least from a physical point of view,” he says.
After high school graduation, Young mopped floors at Neshoba County General Hospital, until one of his bosses suggested he attend a nursing class. “I started working in the emergency room. There, I built the base which allowed me to win the elections,” he said. In 2009, Young became the first black mayor of the town . . .
James Young wants to write a book about the story of his life. But he’ll do it only if President Obama is reelected. “Now, many criticize him, but they forget that a single man cannot change the world. I am also a minister in the local Pentecostal church, and I leave to God the role of God. Obama has changed the rules of the game, and if he is reelected, his victory will not be an accident.”
read: http://www.worldcrunch.com/deepest-south-iconic-towns-first-black-mayor-dreams-obamas-reelection/4900
= new reply since forum marked as read
