In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Segregated schools didn't react right away, but segregationists did. Within months, the Citizens' Councils began to form in counties across Mississippi. And Byron de la Beckwith was one of the group's earliest and most enthusiastic members.

Sources & Further Reading:

Massengill, Reed (2024). Portrait of a racist: Byron De La Beckwith and the Assassination of Medgar Evers. Univ. of Tennessee Press.

Rolph, Stephanie (2018). Resisting Equality: The Citizens' Council, 1954-1989. Louisiana State University Press

Silver, James W (1963). Mississippi: The Closed Society. Harcourt Brace & World Inc.

Vollers, Maryanne (1995). Ghosts of Mississippi. Little Brown & Company.

Williams, Michael Vinson (2011). Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr. The University of Arkansas Press

Cook, James Graham (1962). The Segregationists. Appleton Century Crofts

McMillen, Neil (1971). The Citizens’ Council: Organized Resistance to the Second Reconstruction, 1954-1964. University of Illinois Press

Mendelsohn, Jack (1966). The Martyrs. Harper & Row

https://www.mississippifreepress.org/buried-truth-unresolved-disregarded-lamar-smith-murder-haunts-lincoln-county/

Cashion, S. A. (2013). "And So We Moved Quietly": Southern Methodist University and Desegregation, 1950-1970. Graduate Theses and Dissertations 

Delao, Frank Delao, "Containing Communism in Texas: How the Right Interpreted the Cold War, 1945-1965" (2016).Open Access
Theses & Dissertations. 633

Rich, Evelyn (1988). "Ku Klux Klan Ideology, 1954-1988" Graduate Theses and Dissertations 

https://supremecourthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Volume-37-Number-3-2012.pdf

https://usm.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/SO_eea548ac-a609-4b6f-be15-7ae300c2206b

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/7/27/al-aqsa-one-encroachment-too-many 

In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Segregated schools didn't react right away, but segregationists did. Within months, the Citizens' Councils began to form in counties across Mississippi. And Byron de la Beckwith was one of the group's earliest and most enthusiastic members. Sources &amp; Further Reading: Massengill, Reed (2024). Portrait of a racist: Byron De La Beckwith and the Assassination of Medgar Evers. Univ. of Tennessee Press. Rolph, Stephanie (2018). Resisting Equality: The Citizens' Council, 1954-1989. Louisiana State University Press Silver, James W (1963). Mississippi: The Closed Society. Harcourt Brace &amp; World Inc. Vollers, Maryanne (1995). Ghosts of Mississippi. Little Brown &amp; Company. Williams, Michael Vinson (2011). Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr. The University of Arkansas Press Cook, James Graham (1962). The Segregationists. Appleton Century Crofts McMillen, Neil (1971). The Citizens&rsquo; Council: Organized Resistance to the Second Reconstruction, 1954-1964. University of Illinois Press Mendelsohn, Jack (1966). The Martyrs. Harper &amp; Row <a href="https://www.mississippifreepress.org/buried-truth-unresolved-disregarded-lamar-smith-murder-haunts-lincoln-county/">https://www.mississippifreepress.org/buried-truth-unresolved-disregarded-lamar-smith-murder-haunts-lincoln-county/</a> Cashion, S. A. (2013). "And So We Moved Quietly": Southern Methodist University and Desegregation, 1950-1970. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Delao, Frank Delao, "Containing Communism in Texas: How the Right Interpreted the Cold War, 1945-1965" (2016).Open Access Theses &amp; Dissertations. 633 Rich, Evelyn (1988). "Ku Klux Klan Ideology, 1954-1988" Graduate Theses and Dissertations <a href="https://supremecourthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Volume-37-Number-3-2012.pdf">https://supremecourthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Volume-37-Number-3-2012.pdf</a>
<a href="https://usm.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/SO_eea548ac-a609-4b6f-be15-7ae300c2206b">https://usm.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/SO_eea548ac-a609-4b6f-be15-7ae300c2206b</a>
<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/7/27/al-aqsa-one-encroachment-too-many">https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/7/27/al-aqsa-one-encroachment-too-many&nbsp;</a>

Weird Little Guys is a weekly show about the worst people you’ve never heard of, taking you beyond the headlines to get to know the race warriors and aspiring terrorists trying to unravel the fabric of our society. Weaving together the origin stories of modern American white supremacist groups and the crimes that land their members in court, independent journalist Molly Conger exposes the monsters for what they really are - some weird guy. Whether they’re conspiring to build bombs or serving swastika shaped cookies at a dinner party, the weird little guys trying to destroy America are a little less scary with their masks off. 

Weird Little Guys is a weekly show about the worst people you’ve never heard of, taking you beyond the headlines to get to know the race warriors and aspiring terrorists trying to unravel the fabric of our society. Weaving together the origin stories of modern American white supremacist groups and the crimes that land their members in court, independent journalist Molly Conger exposes the monsters for what they really are - some weird guy. Whether they’re conspiring to build bombs or serving swastika shaped cookies at a dinner party, the weird little guys trying to destroy America are a little less scary with their masks off.

Investigative journalist Molly Conger takes you beyond the headlines to examine some of the worst people on the planet, most of whom you’ve never heard of. These are the weird little guys trying to ruin life as we know it.

Weird Little Guys

Black Monday: Byron de la Beckwith, Pt. 3

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d7bc2d92-80bf-4274-b326-b48f016c42e1/transcript