Would your parents who raised you in the 50's vote for Barak

[sorrybushisfromtexas]

I posted this in the thread about the tragic death of the civil right workers in Mississippi
I thought it might be an interesting thread in itself.

Civil Rights Movement and Barack Obama

As a young boy, I found out what racism was in the late 1950's,my mother and I were coming home to Texas by bus. When we got on, there was only two other passengers sitting about halfway back in the bus. It was another nine year old who was African American and his mother. My mom sat us down two rows ahead of them and we started playing. Our grandmothers had packed us both snacks which we shared. As people got on the bus, the other Mom and child started moving farther and farther back. I would go back with them and continued to play. After a while, they were on the back row and the African American mother told me that he couldn't play with me. She said that she didn't want trouble. I asked my mother why, and she said that was because that was the way it was. It was not an acceptable answer to me. My parents while being democrats were a product of the south. They used the n word but did not believe in the Jim Crow laws so they were more liberal than most Southern Democrats. I was proud to see them grow as the Civil Rights movement grew. They told me how wrong it was what was happening in Alabama and Mississippi and in Texas where we lived. I saw the start to use the word black or African American. I saw them go from being homophobes to accept and love a gay grandson. I really believe that if they were alive today, they would join me in supporting our first African American President, Barak Obama.

[peacebird]

1. my white 80 year old mom is actively supporting Obama!

[sorrybushisfromtexas]

9. your mom

go mom! Mine passed away 3 years ago, I still miss her. I am proud of the liberal upbringing that they gave me.

[orleans]

29. same here (my mom is a few years older) n/t

[havocmom]

2. My parents? Probably. The rest of the parents on the block?

Not bloody likely.

My folks were WAY progressive but the 'hood was pretty conservative.

Our house was where all the kids liked to hang out ;)

[Faygo Kid]

3. Mom would have been 90 this year. You bet she would have supported Barack.

Of course, she would have supported Hillary, too.

Mom was an FDR Dem. Period.

[helderheid]

4. mom 64 dad 72 both OBAMA FANS

[Bucky]

5. I do not support Barak Obama for first African American President.

I find this race-based thinking so tiresome. I'm supporting Obama for president, not "black president".

Race is an accident of nature. Becoming enlightened is the destiny democracies. I find your story about your GPs to parallel what my southern family has gone through too. We're all getting better at this pluralistic society thing. The kids today make me proud more often than they leave me worried. They leave me hopeful.

I'm supporting the candidate who does the same.

[sorrybushisfromtexas]

11. I understand. and actually agree

I was just trying to point out how many of the parents of us 50's kids grew and changed.

[still_one]

12. Everything you said is right on, but of course the MSM trys to push polarization /nt

[DesertFlower]

my mom has dementia and my

dad is dead, but i think they both would have supported him. my mom -- a lifetime democrat never liked hillary.

[Medusa]

6. My parents are both in their 70's. They both voted for Obama

and they grew up in the segregated South---Alabama.

[samdogmom]

7. Ummmh--I was born in 1955--

My parents have ALWAYS been staunch Republicans (gag--my opinion).!!!

Anyway, I reported this earlier--but my entire REPUBLICAN family voted for Barack--and they intend to do so in the general election too!

So, what is your point again?

Bottom line--Barack has converted A LOT OF LONG-TIME REPUBLICANS TO HIS CAUSE! Go Barack!

[paperbag_ princess]

8. my parents- no way

but they are Republicans.

My Fil is long time dem and he is voting for Obama, but he is also very racist. He says racist things all the time...He dislikes Hispanics more than Black people though...He's frankly just a crazy person.

[still_one]

10. Without a doubt, my parents would have. I was brought up with a sense

of treating people how I would want to be treated. Of course, perhaps that is because I experienced first hand anti-Jewish sentiments, and from that experience a sense of justice was instilled in me from my parents

This 40+ years later, and there is no excuse from anyone for racism

[Va Lefty]

13. My parents have come along way

My mom was raised in a house "that made Archie Bunker look like a socialist" and my Dad was raised in a very strict Southern Baptist house. Here are their voting records in Presidential Elections: Both voted for Goldwater in '64, both for Wallace in '68, Mom for McGovern-Dad for Nixon in '72, both for Carter in '76, both for Reagan in '80, Mom for Mondale-Dad for Reagan in '84, Since '88 they both voted Democratic. Quite a turnaround!

[El Supremo]

14. It would be interesting if I could convince my Democratic father to vote for Obama.

He admitted that he was a "bigot". But he had sense. Even when he died 6 years ago.

My 89 year old mother, on the other hand who has advanced Alzheimer's, always voted Republican.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

15. My parents were a split vote

My mom, born in 1941, grew up in the city, and voted for Hillary. My dad, born in 1935, grew up on a farm, and voted for Obama. I think it's an interesting dichotomy.

[OutNow]

16. yes if he was endorsed by the union

I grew up in Pennsylvania in the 50s. My parents were very influenced by the labor movement. My dad was an officer in his union for most of his working life. He 1960 he had a knock down argument with his brother (my uncle) about voting for a Catholic. Bottom line - JFK was endorsed by his union, he was voting for him even if he was a Catholic. It's a long time since 1960, and both my folks have passed, but I can imagine the exact same argument taking place right now re: Obama. That's one reason why the union endorsements Obama has achieved are so necessary.

BTW - My dad's attitude about JFK changed when his Justice Department went after Jimmy Hoffa. After John L. Lewis, Jimmy Hoffa was like God in my house.

[Straight Shooter]

17. No, because they think of him as a "rock star" candidate.

They did support the idea of a Colin Powell presidency, though, before his fall from grace. My parents are Democrats but will vote cross-ticket now and then.

[PurityOfEssence]

18. My dad, who raised me in the 60s and 70s voted for him

Interesting, freethinking guy from the south, still working at 77.

[SeattleGirl]

19. I think my mom would have.

My dad? No way. Hate to say it, but he was a racist. But I also think he wouldn't have voted for Hilary either.

[jwirr]

20. My parents would. They were both from families that fought in the

Civil War and they understood why. My father's father played with black children when he was little and was not a bigot. My mother's father answered a knock on the door one night during the 30s when the KKK was strong in our area and a black man asked if he could spend the night in their orchard because it was not safe for him to travel at night. My grandfather went one better - he was invited in to eat and sleep over. That history made our experience in the 50s unique. We have passed it on to the younger generations.

[sorrybushisfromtexas]

24. my parents

Mom and Dad were farmers when they first married in the 30's. Even though they used the wrong language to refer to blacks, they always had the people eat with them at the supper table if they were working on the farm. Many of the people would tell them that it was the first time they ate at a white persons table. By the early 70's they quit using racist language and had much more liberal outlooks at race. By the time they died in the early 2000's they had a much more progressive outlook toward racial equality than most people their age from the South. My father in law and mother in law will probably vote McCain when Barak is the nominee. They can't or will not give me a reason. My father in law said, an Archie Bunker type if I ever saw one, said it was because he was Buddhist. I never laughed so hard in my life. I keep leaving Barak literature at their house, I hope I can convince them before the G.E.

[cali]

21. My 87 year old mother, long time dem activist, delegate to

several conventions, is supporting Obama.

[tenderdog]

22. In the 50's atmosphere, he would not have been a senator

It's a very complicated hypothetical question.

[Not the Only One]

23. Born '74, Dad: yes, Mom: no

I can't do anything about her.

[TML]

25. No

And my father channeled Steve King when he told me. :banghead:

[Monty__]

26. Yes

since my white grandfather helped to run a chapter of the NAACP in Liberty City (inner-city Miami) in the 1950's

[Johnny__Motown]

27. I'm not sure, they both have passed on. But I would like to think so

[mrreowwr_kittty]

28. I was raised in the '70s.

But I'm pretty sure my Republican dad would have supported Obama. He was an attorney and would have liked Barack's grasp of the Constitution.