Race and the City

Last month, I blogged about Atlanta's Mayoral Election. In the election 3 weeks ago, none of the candidates received 50% of the vote, so the city is headed to a runoff election on Tuesday, December 1st. Kasim Reed, an African American State Senator, and Mary Norwood, a White Atlanta City Councilwoman, are battling it out to become the city's next Mayor. In examining voting patterns from the election 3 weeks ago, nearly all Whites that voted supported Norwood, while nearly all African Americans that voted supported Reed. I must admit that I am proud of both candidates for not exploiting the city's racial tensions as other past elections have done. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for some of the city's citizens, who are determined to create division, distraction, and fear-mongering.

I have been amazed by the comments that have played out in the media over the last month. For example, ABC News's Nightline featured a story about the Mayor's race and the possibility that Atlanta could elect its first White Mayor in almost 40 years. In the segment, a young White woman was interviewed and stated that we needed a White Mayor so the city wouldn't be known as the "ATL" anymore, wouldn't be a city just for rappers, and could become a city that White people could relate to again. Say What!? As horrible as her comments were, I truly believe that they reflect the opinion of a segment of the population who have witnessed the city drastically change over the last 20 years. Atlanta has become more multicultural and has even been nicknamed "Black Hollywood" in some circles. In the hip hop music world, Atlanta has stepped into the spotlight with cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Some are uncomfortable with this new identity and fear that the political structure is fostering this change. Some view electing a White Mayor as a last chance to reverse this change.

On the other end of the spectrum, many African Americans have claimed that the Atlanta Mayor's office can only be held by someone who is Black. Some Black Atlantans believe that electing someone White as Mayor will erase their influence as well as 30+ years of political gains. Frankly, some of the fear-mongering and "the sky is falling" mentality is unnecessary, if it is based on race. As I said before, mandating that all African Americans vote for an African American candidate solely based on race is just as bad as Whites only supporting White candidates. People need to be allowed to think for themselves and support the candidate of their choosing. Just recently as this week, unsubstantiated claims have been made that some of Mary Norwood's Black supporters have been harrassed by other Blacks for not supporting Kasim Reed.

Hundreds of comments have been posted on numerous newspaper blogs regarding this runoff election. Unfortunately, the majority of these comments have displayed a level of ignorance and insensitivity that reflects poorly on our city. I wonder if people are posting some of the comments just for shock value or do they truly agree with what they are posting? It makes you wonder if the year is 2009 or 1959.

Unfortunately, the fact that race has to play a backstory around a city election shows that Atlanta is not quite ready for primetime. As the city's demographics continue to change as a result of gentrification, I fear that the voting public will continue to create an atmoshere of name calling and racial pandering instead of a mature discussion of candidate qualifications during future election cycles. Atlanta, what happens in 2013 and 2017 when it is election time again? Will we behave maturely or will the dialogue become even more hostile? I sincerely hope that the winner of this year's runoff election will do his or her part to bring this city together. We need each other more than ever to solve very serious issues.  

Choose to Discriminate? You May Just Go Bankrupt!

During the summer, the Valley Club in suburban Philadelphia garnered national attention for allegedly discriminating against 46 Black and 10 Hispanic campers who were invited to swim there. The families of the campers claim that the Valley Club revoked the children's pool privileges because of their race and as a result of complaints from some members of the club. What really makes this sad is that some of the children reported overhearing club members make insensitive remarks. Since then, the club has been sued for racial discrimination, and last week, the club's board of directors voted to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

Suddenly, members of the club are expressing dismay about how their club has been portrayed. What they should be expressing dismay about is how some of their members behaved. Or maybe they should be expressing dismay about the lack of diversity in its membership ranks. Numerous news sources have stated that the club had no African American members among its ranks for atleast the last 2 years. The Valley Club could have used this instance as a teaching moment. They could have made an effort to improve the diversity in its ranks. Or even better, they could have instituted a zero tolerance policy toward racist comments. They may not have the chance to at this point.

The lesson here for everyone is that when you perpetuate discriminatory policies, you have a strong chance of being sued. And as we are well aware, getting sued can cost big bucks as well as cost many entities their reputation. If you don't believe me, take a look at the many large U.S. corporations that have had to shell out millions of dollars to settle discrimination lawsuits and repair their public image over the last decade. A multimillion hit to an entity's profit line is certainly one way to get it's attention.

I'm glad the families of the campers did not let allow the Valley Club to slide as a result of what happened. Each of us must challenge institutions that choose to allow discrimination in any form. Are you willing to do your part? It seems like a very small step, but this small step can go a long way toward avoiding millions of dollars in legal fees.   
For more on the Valley Club bankruptcy and lawsuit, click here.

Morehouse College's New Dress Code

A couple of weeks ago, historically Black male college, Morehouse College, garnered attention when the school instituted a dress code that bans sagging pants, wearing pajamas in public, and the wearing of women's clothes. The ban on cross dressing was perhaps the most controversial portion of the new dress code. Morehouse Senior Cameron Titus applauds the change in a recent CNN.com article in which he states "the policy is just saying that you have to show more respect in how you dress and there are things that are just not acceptable at Morehouse. We have a legacy that we are trying to uphold." On the other hand, some believe that the policy is discriminatory and infringes on the individual rights of the student body.

Morehouse College's reputation is amazing. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Spike Lee are among the distinguished alumni of the college. After living in Atlanta for 13 years and knowing many graduates of Morehouse during my life, I can tell you that Morehouse guards its reputation fiercely and has high expections of its students and their image. In most cases, the students know what to expect as well as the legacy of the college once they become a part of the campus. I think it is okay and perfectly acceptable for a college to have certain standards of behavior and dress, especially a college that is an institution within the nation's Black community. As long as students are aware of the policy, I am not sure that there is a huge issue. Many will paint this policy as a so called example of how the Black community is insensitive to gay people. I completely disagree with this line of thinking. All races and segments of the community need to work equally toward an environment where gay people are treated with greater respect and acceptance- no race has a greater responsibility than the other around this topic. To believe that certain races are less accepting of the gay lifestyle is a distraction and doesn't help the argument.

In the workplace, most companies have dress codes and certain standards of attire that employees must follow. If anything, this will further prepare students for what to expect once they graduate from Morehouse. I applaud Morehouse for taking a stand on this issue and helping to ultimately advance the image of the Black male and male youth.

For more on this issue, please click here for the CNN.com article or click here for an article from TheRoot.com.