I grew up amongst Southerners, both black and white, who had picked cotton before coming North to work in the factories--Like all farm work,it was hard work and the pay was bad.

Universally, they were proud of that they'd picked cotton--and regarded the strength that the work required, and its humbleness as important factors in building character and moral fortitude. They were skeptical of those who hadn't done the same kind of work.

They also would have shaken their heads at the above mentioned Mr. Montgomery, because(and this is a paraphrase of a comment that I heard many, many times) they felt that he was ashamed of them, and didn't want to be reminded of the the kind of work that they had done to educate him and give him opportunities that they never had--