CLARKSDALE, Mississippi (CNN) -- Pat Davis was just 10 years old when two black men came into his father's barbecue joint in the heart of the Mississippi Delta in 1947. A huge fuss ensued, with four racists shouting every name in the book. Pat Davis operates Abe's BBQ. His father was a Lebanese immigrant in Mississippi and defied segregation. "My daddy went over to their table and said, 'These are people who want to eat just like you want to eat. You don't bother them. You leave them alone,' " Davis says, the incident seared in his mind six decades later. "They told Daddy he could lose his business by letting black people come in."
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One of the oldest restaurants in Mississippi defied segregation
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Abe's BBQ in Clarksdale was founded by Lebanese immigrant Abraham Davis
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"We knew how the blacks must've felt," says son Pat Davis
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Long-time worker: Abe's is symbol of great barbecue and the civil rights struggle
If you're in Clarksdale but not in the mood for barbecue (something's wrong with you, if so), then you'll want to head just up the road to an even more authentic @placeholder restaurant.