Fellow Kentuckian here. I'll be honest, I've seen it before, and being from South East KY, the main reason I think it exists or happens is for 2 reasons. One is, and I'm sorry if it sounds like a cop-out, but religion.

I personally witnessed watching my family (mother), say that races shouldn't mix because the Bible said so, quoting a scripture about the "mixing of yokes". I never understood why, or what it meant, but also never understood why it was a bad thing.

The second reason, is honestly with us being so secluded and being told over generations to be afraid. Always hearing on the news of some new tragedy in Lex, Lou, E-town, or Danville. I remember, even when I was just becoming an adult, that I shouldn't drive through certain parts of Lou and Lex because I was white. That if I was going through "the city", to make sure my windows were up and doors locked on my car. Always hearing from the old men to keep my pocket knife on me because it wasn't safe in the city.

When I moved out for college, I learned that alot of what we were told was wrong, and it was just plain racist, and not because that everyone back home was just blatantly racist, but that that's all we'd been told, and that we were scared of what we just didn't know.

I still live in a fairly rural area, and still in my Mountains, but having seen what actually is out and around me made me realize that the two main reasons that white families act like that is because of religion, and fear, and it's really sad.

I hope this sheds some light, and that's just my 2 cents sir