Help me if you can
I'm still seeking anecdotes or opinions regarding race relations in Columbus, Ga.
Please share your experiences or memories with me at rhyatt@ledger-enquirer.com
My series begins in the newspaper on April 22. It will continue for 6-8 days.
4 comments:
I frequently work in the area of discrimination complaints, and I work with people of varied backgrounds. I have found that in one-on-one relationships/encounters, the races have few problems. I get along with all races, and they get along with me. It is when people deal with the amorphous concept of "them" that problems arise. For example, a person believes that he/she was not promoted because of his/her race ... yet when you pin the person down, he/she cannot identify an individual who he/she believes is a racist. I don't know if it's reluctance to make such a heinous allegation against another face-to-face, or if he/she really does not believe that "race" is the reason for the problem. I guess I just think that if people didn't concentrate so much on racial differences, there wouldn't be as many racial problems.
Compared to other locations, Columbus is actually a very tolerant place… racially speaking that is. I grew up in Savannah and I can tell you firsthand that race relations there were always simmering just an inch below the surface. I was surprised when I moved to Columbus in 1980 to find the city so racially tranquil.
If Columbus has a problem it is more down economic lines that racial ones. The rich/poor divide knows no skin color… only the size of one’s bank account.
Haves and have-nots are an issue everywhere. In many ways, this has replaced the old black-white issues. In Columbus, the dividing line is Macon Road.
Update: The race series does not begin in the Ledger-Enquirer until April 29th.
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