James A. Young was sworn in as Mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi yesterday. That is a sign of tremendous change for this state, this town, this nation. If you remember the movie "Mississippi Burning," Philadelphia is the backdrop of that movie that focused on the Ku Klux Klan, civil rights battles in the South and the murder of three young men who symbolize the change this nation has overcome.
Forty-five years after the murder of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner gave their lives so that blacks in Mississippi would have the right to vote. When the murders occurred, I was very young but they are part of the reason why I value the right to vote so highly.
I remember the sacrifice endured during the civil rights era. I remember blacks and whites united in the fight for civil rights and the patience my parents and other adults employed to get through those difficult times.
That makes the victory of James A. Young all the sweeter as he was elected in a majority white town. Change has definitely come to America. God Bless Mayor Young and May God Bless the people of Philadelphia, Mississippi. Happy 4th of July!
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