GREENWOOD (AP) — As the first black member of the Mississippi House of Representatives since Reconstruction, Robert Clark had a responsibility to prove to his colleagues that an African-American could have the same sophistication as a white man.

‘‘They could get a chance to see that a black man not only could look intelligent but actually be intelligent,’’ the Holmes County native said. ‘‘I always made sure I knew what I was talking about and did my homework.’’

Clark served nine consecutive terms from 1968-2003 and eventually won the respect of his fellow representatives, rising to the No. 2 position, speaker pro tempore.

It was much different when he first ran in 1967. That was the first time he had ever cast a ballot, and the same held true for 99 percent of the people who voted for him.

‘‘There was some opposition, and there was a heck of a lot of support,’’ Clark said.

He believes those voters had more courage than African-Americans today. Many individuals who lived on plantations were told by their bosses that if they voted to ‘‘just keep on going, don’t come back.’’

‘‘They had made their mind up that they were going to be first-class citizens, or they were going to their grave,’’ Clark said.

During his campaign, the teacher and coach was followed by mysterious cars and was forced to crawl past windows in his house on his stomach. His opponent tried to smear him by claiming Clark didn’t believe in God and that he wasn’t actually from Holmes County.

His platform of equality and education won anyway, and Clark awaited his reception at the Capitol.

‘‘I didn’t know if I would be seated until 15 minutes before the swearing in,’’ he said.

In those days, the senior delegation could choose where legislators sat, and he was given a seat by himself, next to the speaker of the House’s vacant chair.

‘‘I set by myself alone in the House for the next eight years before I got my first desk mate,’’ he said.

That person was Jack Gordon of Okolona, who still serves in the state Senate today.

When Clark attended functions in Jackson, no one else would sit with him at the table. If eight steaks and eight desserts were laid out, he had them all to himself, which resulted in his weight rising from 160 pounds to 240.

Mississippi had multiple districts then, and Clark represented all African-Americans from the Tennessee line to the Gulf Coast, from the Tombigbee River to the Mississippi.

After eight years, civil rights lawyers cut a deal with the powers that be to allow single Legislative districts in Jackson, where sizable black populations were. The strategic move added three more black representatives to the House.

Still, Clark had trouble finding out what was going on in the chamber. A white law firm from Lexington had to call him and tell him what was happening on the floor. He knew he needed to get on the inside to get good assignments and get things done.

An opportunity came when the late C.B. ‘‘Buddie’’ Newman, who later served as speaker of the House, was running for speaker pro tempore. He needed one more vote and approached Clark. After examining Newman’s petition, he signed off.

‘‘I cast my one vote for him,’’ Clark said. ‘‘That’s how I got on the inside to know what was going on.’’

Later, as speaker, Newman appointed Clark as chairman of the House Education Committee. In that role, he was able to help push through many bills to improve Mississippi schools, including the 1982 Education Reform Act. The law made school attendance compulsory, a requirement the Legislature had revoked in 1954 after integration in Little Rock, Ark.

Today at 80, Clark still maintains a passionate interest in education. He’s convinced of the need for more early childhood schooling.

‘‘Our children in Mississippi are starting off behind, and they’ll never catch up,’’ he said.

After retiring from the House in 2003, his son, Bryant Clark, was elected to take his place and continues to represent District 47

Robert Clark works as a distinguished scholar at the Mississippi Valley State University Delta Research & Cultural Institute.

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Information from: The Greenwood Commonwealth, http://www.gwcommonwealth.com