Clerking in the South Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am a URM and I'll be clerking for a judge in Mississippi and I am slightly worried about any potential racism that might be there. Anyone have insight?

[arklaw13]

Is this for real? Probably depends on what city you're in.

[timmyd]

uhhh...what? I mean there are racist people in the south sure. There are racist people everywhere. Mississippi gets a probably somewhat justified bad rep for it because of its history, but I truly doubt you will see any of it. I am from Louisiana and know that the URM lawyers here are treated just like all other laywers...alot of people don't like lawyers so take that as you will.

[BVest]

No more a concern than anywhere else.

[Nomo]

Do a google search for studies on perceptions of race, interracial marriage, etc. across regions and states. I think you will quickly find that the deep south doesn't poll to well. That doesn't mean you'll be subjected to constant overt racist statements - I don't think you will. But to say the deep south is just like any other place in this regard just isn't true.

[jd20132013]

racists everywhere, bro. if you've experienced it at all before you know the drill and how to push through it.
depending on "what kind" of URM you are, there's likely a good community in Missisippi, so just reach out to them as a support system. if you're religious (i'm not), finding a good church is a good start

[Cicero76]

No more a concern than anywhere else.

I love the South, but that's just not true bro. Have you ever been to Mississippi or Alabama? Random daily interactions can be pretty rough race-wise.

[BVest]

No more a concern than anywhere else.

I love the South, but that's just not true bro. Have you ever been to Mississippi or Alabama?

Extensively.

Random daily interactions can be pretty rough race-wise.

No more so than anywhere else.

And let's not forget, it's not like the OP's going to clerk in a town of 1500 on the side of Lookout Mountain. More like a small to medium city.

[Cicero76]

And let's not forget, it's not like the OP's going to clerk in a town of 1500 on the side of Lookout Mountain. More like a small to medium city.

My best friend went to college in Mobile, and his experience there with racism was much worse than in our home state. And he's white.

EDIT: Obviously this was anecdotal, but Mobile still seems like a 'medium city' to me.

[seb304]

It is really no worse than anywhere else. I'm black and from the South, and I think it's really overblown. There are certainly pockets of it here and there, but you will absolutely be fine.

[90LawSchool]

As other posters have said, are you serious? The South is no different from anywhere else.

[Louis1127]

no one works in MS who is not from there or at least the surrounding states and would thus know that this is a ridculuous question, op is a troll

[runinthefront]

.

[arklaw13]

Any person who tells you that the South is no different than anywhere else in the country, URM or otherwise, is just wrong. The statement is just....so wrong...on so many levels.

I've lived in the south my entire life. The people here are no more or less racist than anywhere else I've been.

[runinthefront]

.

[arklaw13]

Any person who tells you that the South is no different than anywhere else in the country, URM or otherwise, is just wrong. The statement is just....so wrong...on so many levels.

I've lived in the south my entire life. The people here are no more or less racist than anywhere else I've been.

Where in the "South" have you lived? I should have edited my post to say explicitly "Deep South." I can only speak to Georgia and Florida, but ATL/Miami/Palm Beach (minus Loxahatchee)/most of Tampa/Orlando/other large cities are fine...but to say the race relations in smaller cities is on par with cities outside of the Deep South?

small town in south arkansas.

[runinthefront]

.

[arklaw13]

Arkansas is not considered part of the Deep South.

After living in a few large southern cities, I can tell you it's deep enough.

[seb304]

Any person who tells you that the South is no different than anywhere else in the country, URM or otherwise, is just wrong. The statement is just....so wrong...on so many levels.

I've lived in the south my entire life. The people here are no more or less racist than anywhere else I've been.

Where in the "South" have you lived? I should have edited my post to say explicitly "Deep South." I can only speak to Georgia and Florida, but ATL/Miami/Palm Beach (minus Loxahatchee)/most of Tampa/Orlando/other large cities are fine...but to say the race relations in smaller cities is on par with cities outside of the Deep South?

From Mississippi.

[deadpanic]

I've lived in MS for awhile and have plenty of friends clerking in MS--URM included. Shoot me a PM if you want some insight.

[lawhopeful10]

Went to the University of Alabama for undergrad and was from the north east. It is fucking laughable that people here actually claim the south is similar in terms of tolerance compared to other parts of the country. Our Greek system is segregated. The campus basically still has institutionalized racism. The OP might never see any of it, and I imagine people involved in the legal world are probably more tolerant than most but acting like racism is not worse in the south is outrageous.

[BVest]

The northeast. The well-known bastion of racial integration and harmony.

[A. Nony Mouse]

The northeast. The well-known bastion of racial integration and harmony.

Ha. Obviously it's not, but that doesn't mean there aren't any differences between the north and the south.

[lawhopeful10]

The northeast. The well-known bastion of racial integration and harmony.

Lol what the fuck is this. I'm claiming Alabama, and the South generally, is more intolerant to people based on their skin color than where I am from in the north east. I also don't think it is even close. My undergrad was so much more segregated than any of my buddies schools in north. That's just a fact.

[Louis1127]

Went to the University of Alabama for undergrad and was from the north east. It is fucking laughable that people here actually claim the south is similar in terms of tolerance compared to other parts of the country. Our Greek system is segregated. The campus basically still has institutionalized racism. The OP might never see any of it, and I imagine people involved in the legal world are probably more tolerant than most but acting like racism is not worse in the south is outrageous.

Dear God please never venture out of our wonderful college town into real Alabama. You will hate it to the utmost extent.