Q-

That is a relief to learn.

The civil rights movement in Mississippi was a dangerous uphill struggle, and Phil Ochs was paying tribute to that struggle. He certainly was not composing a song to assuage anyone in Mississippi at the time but to make Mississippi an example of what should not be. In the process he probably hurt the feelings of many good people in Mississippi who were postively concerned about civil rights for Blacks. That is regrettable but fully understandable to anyone who has a sense of history.

If one were singing that song today, I would expect the singer to make some prefacing remarks. If someone from Mississippi were still offended, I would wonder why but not for long.

Charley Noble