Photo Courtesy CNN
In the summer of 1976, I first drove through the town of Smithfield, North Carolina. I was 19 and had just finished my sophomore year in college. The following day I planned to start a summer internship bringing health and legal services to the migrant farm workers — mostly African Americans — who traveled the East Coast each season to pick sweet potatoes, cucumbers and tobacco. As I approached the town, a giant and frightening billboard suddenly appeared roadside.
“This is Klan Country,” it said. ‘LOVE IT or LEAVE IT. Help fight communism and integration. Welcome to Smithfield”
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