I recently moved to California. Before i moved, people asked me "why are you moving there, its so bad?". Now that I'm here, i understand it less. The state is beautiful. There is so much to do.
I know the cost of living is high, and people think the gun control laws are ridiculous (I actually think they are reasonable, for the most part). There is a guy I work with here that says "the policies are dumb" but can't give me a solid answer on what is so bad about it.
So, what is it that California does (policy-wise) that people hate so much?
I haven't been to California, but I can tell you I'd rather pee my pants than stop for a bathroom break in the rural southern US. I can't think California would be that way.
I'm a brown guy with long hair and a beard and I'd do the same. When I do my quarterly drive on I-10 through Alabama and Mississippi I make sure to refuel and take a bathroom break in Pensacola Florida or the eastern-most rest area in Louisiana to avoid stopping in those states.
There are so many more non-whites in the South than you realize, people that live happy lives without bother. Lots of those gas stations you passed probably didn't have one single white person in them lol I can't count how many times I've seen this in rural/suburban areas.
And if there are white people there, they're likely not what you imagine them to be. It's wild how such a prejudice usually comes from the people that claim to be so open and accepting.
In other words, nobody cares that you're brown. Just get some gas, grab a snickers, piss, and move on. This isn't the 1940s.