Desegregation produced rapid racial change, but the hospitable attiudes of Virginians remained
Despite the objections to integration, Dabney contends that whites and blacks maintained an amicable relationship. He predicts little change to racial relationships.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Virginius Dabney, July 31, 1975. Interview A-0311-2. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- DANIEL JORDAN:
-
Well, we would like to close by talking about present day Virginia and
getting your assessment of the latest developments, say, and we might
start with race relations. What is your assessment of the
present state of Virginia race relations, and the
future?
- VIRGINIUS DABNEY:
-
I have a largely optimistic feeling about the race situation. I think
that some of the things in the development of integration are going too
rapidly. There have been some excesses that I deplore. I do not feel
happy about busing as it has evolved. I don't think it has achieved the
results that were hoped for. But I think the relations between the races
are reasonably good. We have never had any serious riots in Richmond or
Virginia. We are moving ahead amicably, I believe, and I think Virginia
is in about as good a shape as any state in the Union, insofar as its
race relations are concerned.
- WILLIAM H. TURPIN:
-
Mr. Dabney, you said that there were several excesses, and you mentioned
specifically busing. Is there any other area that you think race
relations have been less than desirable from your viewpoint?
- VIRGINIUS DABNEY:
-
Well, I thought that the whole thing went too rapidly to get the best
results. Maybe I am wrong about that. I know that if you say that, you
are always subject to the argument, "Well, isn't that always
said when some great reform is suggested and pushed through?"
So, I just have to say that when it happened, I wasn't quite ready for
it, but now I think that on the whole it has evolved fairly well.
- WILLIAM H. TURPIN:
-
Why do you think there have been no riots in Virginia and there have been
in other states?
- VIRGINIUS DABNEY:
-
I think the fact that Virginia's people know how to get along with each
other, no matter what their race, has been a factor. Also, I think
Virginians are more friendly and understand one another better than some
others do, and are less prone to violent methods when they disagree.
Although, if you think back to the dueling era, that doesn't make much
sense, does it? Since that time, I think we have become more gentlemanly
in our disagreements, and are less apt to come to
blows and have violent upheavals.