 Sisters Joyce McCain (left) and her sister Lillie McCain descended from slaves that belonged to Sen. John McCain’s great-great-grandfather. |
Flint Journal – October 17, 2008:
Lillie and Joyce McCain harbor no resentment for the presidential candidate who shares their name.
Growing up in Mississippi on what was once the plantation land of Sen. John McCain’s great-great-grandfather, the sisters always knew their family had descended from slaves belonging to the McCain family.
But in the modern-era South, the two families –Â the white McCains and the black McCains –Â have reached out to each other, united in their shared history and comfortable with their diversity.
“There’s no sense in looking back,” said Lillie McCain, 56, a long-time psychology professor at Mott Community College. “I’m not aware that we’ve ever had any animosity. We’ve always accepted each other.”
The tale of the two families is particularly meaningful on the eve of this historic election, in which Sen. Barack Obama is the first black presidential nominee of any major political party. Lillie McCain and her siblings are supporting Obama because they feel he’s better suited for the job, but they have nothing but respect for John McCain.
Lillie McCain jokes that her family once predicted that Teoc, the Mississippi plantation owned by John McCain’s family, would make national headlines if the Arizona senator ever became a serious presidential contender.
They were right.
Update: Just to be fair, Obama’s relatives owed slaves too. Thanks RSweeney!
According to the research, one of Obama’s great-great-great-great grandfathers, George Washington Overall, owned two slaves who were recorded in the 1850 census in Nelson County, Ky. The same records show that one of Obama’s great-great-great-great-great-grandmothers, Mary Duvall, also owned two slaves.
And the point of this post is to …. what? Your point is … exactly?
JOHN McCAIN OWNS NO SLAVES. This is a pathetic attempt to link him to it. Typical of the shameful behavior of this blog.
I’m done with this.
#36, Matt,
And the point of this post is to …. what? Your point is … exactly?
And your point is … ?
There should be no ill will against the McCain family, however, the McCain campaign should be ashamed. It is a travesty that the campaign is causing a divide between the races. We have come so far in regards to race relations and his campaign style is basically saying that it is okay to state their is a difference between black and white, or hispanic and white…I thought we were all Americans. The fact that McCain’s not to distant ancestors owned SLAVES should make him more inclined to corral his irrate supporters when they make racial comments. It makes me wonder if he feels the way his ancestors did.