Segregationists resisted the racist label by invoking God, nature, science, or common sense.

Evidence

And segregationists, too, have always resisted the label of “racist.” They have claimed instead that they were merely articulating God’s word, nature’s design, science’s plan, or plain old common sense. — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 17

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Evangelicals’ turn against Carter was rooted in racial segregation defense, not abortion — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the…, 138; White Southerners explained away church segregation as benign natural worship-style preference. — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 147; One segregation-era judge framed resistance as justifying policy through race-neutral socioeconomic language. — Matthew D. Lassiter, The Suburban Origins of “Color-Blind”…, 102 (+1 more)