Joan Walsh wrote an excellent piece about the inauguration scene on the ground, including a conversation with an African American man who was born in 1928. And Digby recalls the status of Jim Crow laws in 1928 -- for example:
In Alabama that year:
1928: Miscegenation [State Code]
Miscegenation declared a felony.1928: Race classification [State Code]
Classified all persons with any Negro blood as colored.1928: Public accommodations [State Code]
Forbid the use by members of either race of toilet facilities in hotels and restaurants which were furnished to accommodate persons of the other race.
There are still tens of thousands of white people who would welcome a return to this version of America. Racism isn't abolished -- hell, the Republicans still exploit it for political gain. That's a fact. But yesterday was proof that those factions of America have been marginalized and left behind. And we can only hope that their numbers will continue to dwindle.