Melissa Harris-Perry Gives Haley Barbour a History Lesson

Melissa Harris-Perry Gives Haley Barbour a History Lesson

Melissa Harris-Perry Gives Haley Barbour a History Lesson

Misremembering the Citizens Councils has dangerous implications for the present.

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

In a recent interview, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour defended the white segregationist Citizens Councils while looking back on the South of his youth, saying they opposed the KKK. Though he quickly apologized for his remarks, the whole thing smacks a little too much of historical revisionism. 

Nation columnist and Princeton Professor Melissa Harris-Perry appeared on MSNBC’s Hardball with Mississippi’s Rep. Bennie Thompson (D) to discuss Barbour’s comments and their deeper implications. Both argue that painting a rosier picture of the Citizens Councils in the present blocks America from learning anything productive from a dark time in its history. "The history of America tells you that when you start hearing people talk about this kind of separation, secession, nullification, states rights, you are aiding and abetting a history of the most ugly kind of violence," Harris-Perry says.

You can read Melissa Harris Perry’s Nation columns here.

Braden Goyette

Can we count on you?

In the coming election, the fate of our democracy and fundamental civil rights are on the ballot. The conservative architects of Project 2025 are scheming to institutionalize Donald Trump’s authoritarian vision across all levels of government if he should win.

We’ve already seen events that fill us with both dread and cautious optimism—throughout it all, The Nation has been a bulwark against misinformation and an advocate for bold, principled perspectives. Our dedicated writers have sat down with Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders for interviews, unpacked the shallow right-wing populist appeals of J.D. Vance, and debated the pathway for a Democratic victory in November.

Stories like these and the one you just read are vital at this critical juncture in our country’s history. Now more than ever, we need clear-eyed and deeply reported independent journalism to make sense of the headlines and sort fact from fiction. Donate today and join our 160-year legacy of speaking truth to power and uplifting the voices of grassroots advocates.

Throughout 2024 and what is likely the defining election of our lifetimes, we need your support to continue publishing the insightful journalism you rely on.

Thank you,
The Editors of The Nation

Ad Policy
x