Dr. King said, “Prejudice plus power equal racism.” You can be prejudiced all you want, but if you are in a position of power, and you use that power and prejudice to commit or support or fail to stop unjust acts, then you become a racist.

Jimmie Travis worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Mississippi registering black people to vote. In 1963, Jimmie and Bob Moses were shot at while driving in Mississippi. Jimmie was hit in the back of the head and in the shoulder. He almost died from his wounds. In a History Channel documentary about Freedom Summer, Jimmie said simply, “These were the things that were faced for the right to vote.”

In 2009, in Washington, D.C., Barack H. Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America.

David Campbell filed a lawsuit against the Jackson Fire Department claiming he had been denied chances for training and advancement while less qualified people were promoted. That claim was confirmed by a former district chief who testified that the Fire Chief had told him to take Campbell’s name off a list of those seeking promotions because he’s white. David’s lawsuit put his life and livelihood in jeopardy as he kept performing an already dangerous job.

In 2002, in Jackson, Mississippi, a jury of men and women, equal parts black and white, unanimously ruled in David’s favor. In an interview after winning his case David said, “Maybe from this day forward the process will work.”

Jimmie Travis stood up for black people when it was unpopular and dangerous. David Campbell stood up for white people when it was unpopular and dangerous. I am honored to know both of these men personally. I’ve watched them both be good husbands, good fathers, good citizens, and good friends.

I don’t have many heroes, but I have these two.

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