A 2015 autobiography by Senator Lindsey Graham offers a revealing look at his evolving and often contradictory stance on racism in the American South.
In his book My Story, Graham recounts growing up in Pickens County, South Carolina, the site of the state's last documented lynching in 1947.
He describes convincing his parents to desegregate their Sanitary Cafe, which had previously served Black customers only through a take-out window.
Graham's high school admitted a handful of Black students following a landmark Supreme Court ruling, reflecting the slow pace of change.
After his parents died, he took custody of his teenage sister, Darline, who later served as interim senator at the recommendation of Donald Trump.
Political Career and Racial Tensions
Entering politics in 1994, Graham relied on an endorsement from Strom Thurmond, a segregationist who ran for president on a States' Rights platform.
Graham later succeeded Thurmond in the Senate in 2003, inheriting staff and striving to match his constituent service.
Throughout his career, Black voters questioned Graham's commitment to racial justice, especially during his 2020 reelection campaign against Jaime Harrison.
Graham denied systemic racism in the United States, pointing to Barack Obama's presidency as evidence.
In 2021, after Derek Chauvin's conviction, he told Fox News: "Our systems are not racist. America is not a racist country."
His views were tested again in 2022 when he supported Black judge J.
Michelle Childs for the Supreme Court, drawing criticism from Senator Roger Wicker, who called it "affirmative action."
Graham rejected that label, arguing it did not apply to highly qualified minority candidates.
Representative James Clyburn condemned Graham for calling federal Covid aid to Black farmers "reparations," saying Graham "ought to be ashamed."
Despite their differences, Clyburn later praised Graham's public service and mutual respect.
In his memoir, Graham acknowledged that integrating the cafe in the 1970s came "much later than it should have," but noted the deeply entrenched segregationist culture at the time.
"It is just the way it is," his father told him, reflecting the resistance from white patrons.
