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67 year-old Ben White was a humble, hardworking man. The grandson of enslaved Black people, he was raised not to stir up trouble in Jim Crow Mississippi.
On June 10th, 1966, White was approached by 3 white men searching for a lost dog. White was hesitant at first but, priding himself on being a good neighbor, he agreed to help. But he should have listened to his gut.
The men drove White to the woods. It became clear they weren’t looking for a dog when they forced him out of the car and took a machine gun from the trunk!
"Lord, what have I done to deserve this?" He yelled – and then the men shot him 18 times before dumping him into a river. But White’s murder wasn’t even the worst part.
The men who murdered White were KKK members who used White as a pawn, hoping publicity from his murder would lure MLK to the area so the Klan could assassinate him!
Their plan failed, with White’s death going relatively unnoticed and unpunished.
Ben White prided himself in being a “good neighbor.” Like White, we should promote a positive Black self-image and prioritize kindness and generosity. But we also have to take care of ourselves and trust our gut when it’s warning us of danger!