"End of an era" is an overused trope, but in this case it’s appropriate: The last of the old Southern Democrats is gone. 

Sen. Robert Byrd had long since repented, of course. The West Virginian, who died Monday at 92, deeply regretted
his segregationist past, which included a year as a member of the Ku Klux Klan and at least several more years as
a Klan sympathizer. He eventually became a passionate advocate for civil rights, and he was one of the most vocal
supporters of legislation making the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday.

But that was after Byrd’s personal enlightenment. Amid what is sure to be a flood of heartfelt encomiums to his
lifetime of public service, it is important to note that his is a story of change and redemption - and that Byrd and
his party had a shameful past to overcome...

Byrd’s trajectory - from bitter segregationist to beloved dean of the Senate - is actually a hopeful, quintessentially
American story. He was a man of his age, and his views on race closely tracked the views of the constituents he so
loyally represented. There was a time when separate-but-unequal was a mainstream position among whites in the South,
and the fact that Byrd’s early words and deeds are so shocking today is a testament to how far the nation has come.