I spoke at some length with a Black woman who had traveled the US for work. I was struck by something she said: The racism in the south is just open. You know where you stand with people, almost immediately. They have little shame in opening their mouths and saying things that reveal their character. To her, that felt safer and more comfortable than other "less racist" (supposedly) places, like the north - where it was more hidden, more "stab you in the back" racism.