In Albany, GA, there are a few topics that are just dangerous to delve into. Politics and religion are hardly new to us. Race, however, is probably the touchiest topic there is in these parts. A wise man once advised me to steer clear of race in this town, and I see his point completely. But, no one has ever accused me of being to bright, so I’m going to talk about it anyways.
In the aftermath of Buie-gate, and following the flap Rod Jolivette (the first time), it’s easy to see racial tensions as being motivators for city officials. There are many in the community who feel both were unfairly targeted because of race. That’s understandable because of years of racial distrust that have never fully gone away.
Let’s be honest. Racism has been in Albany since the dawn of the city. Even the civil rights movement couldn’t make it go away completely. Now, however, it’s a two way street. There are whites in the community who still maintain antebellum attitudes toward the black community, but there are blacks who look at whites as the root of all their problems as well.
Both groups suffer from a fundamental flaw, one that isn’t unique to any ethnic group or geographical region. That is a failure to take responsibility for their own actions. It’s easy to blame outside forces for your lot in life, and it’s more difficult to step up and shrug off the past and move forward. However, until people step up and move forward despite adversity, success will never come. It just doesn’t work that way.
Race should never be a barrier to anything. It just shouldn’t. But it shouldn’t be a cushion either. There are many in the community who seem to think that Don Buie was unfairly targeted because he was black. The tons of evidence that has mounted against him doesn’t count apparently, only the color of his skin. I’m sorry, but Buie isn’t vilified on this blog because he’s black, but because all indications are that he’s a crook.
Rod Jolivette’s word wasn’t questioned because he was black, it was because it didn’t jive with the words of another firefighter…who was also black. Further investigation didn’t support Jolivette’s assertion that the fire truck didn’t come at his request. The other firefighter who’s butt was in a crack because of Jolivette’s lie? Oh yeah, he happened to be black too.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of a day when people were judge “not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character.” I dream of that day too. Then, we can put aside the white/black thing and realize that there’s no real difference between us. The only thing is the amount of melanin in our skin, something so trivial as to not even matter.
Honestly, there’s more than enough to deal with in Albany without the race. The only way we’re going to get Albany through the tough times we’ve gone through over the last thirty years is to get over our own prejudices, white or black, and move forward. Without that, we’re just going to keep screaming at one another rather than working together.
Excellent, excellent, excellent! Great point, and very well stated. As long as we let our “historical passions” steer, we will always be living in the past, and going nowhere fast.
Very well stated. Man is what he makes of himself, or doesn’t.
A liar is a liar no matter what color their skin is.
When you break the law, you break the law of man, there isn’t a different one for different races (even here in Georgia).
Everyone uses excuses for their behavior when necessary. This is limited to any particular race.
When will everyone just get over it? When someone does me wrong, trust me, I don’t care about his/her race………..I care about the act.
Andrew Young talks about Silver Rights…..earnings …. vs Civil Rights. Big point. Money and education are big equalizers in the social mechanism…not perfect, but they go a long way.
In this century in Albany, earnings and opportunity will make everyone happier. They are the issue, not race.
Albany and the whole congressional district needs to access and/or develop a bigger pie to split up.
Sure, race is perceived to be a big issue in Albany. Let me suggest that it is less an issue here in Albany than in comparable social and income stata in Chicago or New York or almost ANYWHERE.
At least the races live together in Albany. That is more than i many big cities.
This town needs to also look at what it HAS and build on it…not only what it is lacking.
The race issue in Albany is a big RED HERRING. It is not the big issue. Money and education ARE the issues, NOT RACE.
RACE is the issue EVERYWHERE if people let it be. In most successful environments, EVERYONE SUCCESSFUL focuses on other things.
Race issues are an EXCUSE.
Tom, in his post, said “The only way we’re going to get Albany through the tough times we’ve gone through over the last thirty years is to get over our own prejudices, white or black, and move forward.”
What I mean in my last sentence
“Race issues are an EXCUSE”
is in the context of ALBANY as a whole moving forward, in reality, the PRIMARY focus on race will only hold us back. It’s a catch-22. We will never move forward on the race issue or at least drop it lower on the list of “issues” in our minds until we collectively quit focusing on it and instead elevate the issues of market economy, education, crime, family-values etc in some kind of order, but all interrelated.
Individually, yes, we need to cleanse. In a global environment, race relations education is always a part of it…..but here in Albany, race relations just MIGHT be better in comparison than we think. At least I think so.
Tom-Jeff…any chance you can get Jai to drop a spell check and word count feature in here?
The black preachers in this town have a tremendous amount of power, if only they would use it for the greater good! If they would remove their noses from city personnel matters (which it appears they have) and focus on their communities and the social ills affecting them… so much progress COULD be made! They have the audience and people will listen to them.. If they would use their podium and their influence, and encourage GOOD PARENTING, safe sex, respect for others, education, etc… and stop allowing each other to throw up RACE whenever things get tough… when they have no cogent argument, it’s just so easy and convenient (and a sign of weakness) to throw that against the wall and hope it sticks. These same black preachers can be quite instrumental — no, KEY — in getting Mr. Bishop voted out. There’s no use sugar-coating the fact that some people WILL vote for him because of his skin color, and not because of the issues. Will be very interesting to hear their stance when it comes election time. Will they encourage their communities to vote brother or character? The black voters can save this country IF THEY JUST WILL.
In my sheltered experience in this life, in most elections, most voters will vote for persons of their own race unless there is a powerful overriding issue or a very special candidate.
There must be a study out there on this subject. Would be interesting material.