In the end, it’s not about race, it’s about people
Race is a complicated topic. Race in the South is more complicated still. And race in the South in the 1960s had more layers of complexity than Lance Armstrong has lies.
Take, for example, the photograph above, in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is being arrested by Laurie Pritchett, the big, blustery police chief of Albany, Ga. It was a scene repeated many times during the civil rights movement, in towns all over the South, as King led the crusade to end segregation. But there’s a lot more going on in that photograph than first impressions and stereotypes might lead you to believe.
Beginning in November of 1961, Albany had become the national focus of civil rights protests. Led by King, who had been invited down to Albany from Atlanta by the town’s black leadership, black citizens used an endless string of non-violent mass protests and sit-ins to demand their constitutional rights and an end to segregation. The on-going movement attracted reporters from around the world to the southwest Georgia town to witness what was sure to become a confrontation between good and evil.
Pritchett, however, knew the role that he was expected to play in King’s system, and he refused to play it. He too had studied non-violence. To respond to non-violent protests, Pritchett trained his officers in non-violent law enforcement. On the occasions when King was arrested, Pritchett ensured that his jail cell was immaculate, and well-supplied with books, paper and a radio. The interplay continued for months, tension building as King and his followers pushed and tested and attempted to provoke through civil disobedience, and as Pritchett and his men defended a cruel, oppressive system with what passed for kindness under the circumstances.
In her autobiography, Coretta Scott King describes Pritchett almost fondly:
“One redeeming aspect of that period was that Police Chief Laurie Pritchett was not at all typical of southern law enforcement. He was not brutal, although some of his officers engaged in brutality. He tried to be decent, and as a person, he displayed kindness…. Our people were given fair warning. Often they would refuse to disperse and drop to their knees and pray. Chief Pritchett would bow his head with them while they prayed. Then, of course, he would arrest them and the people would go to jail singing.”
All that led to one of my favorite “little moments” of the entire civil rights movement, when … well, I think I’ll let Chief Pritchett tell the story, as captured in 1976 in an oral history project now stored at the University of North Carolina:
I remember one night Dr. King came to my office. It was about five o’clock, and my secretary come in with a telegram. I opened it up, and it was from my wife. It was in July; it was our anniversary. And I read it, and then Dr. King says, “Did something disturb you, Chief Pritchett?” I said, “Well yes, in a way. This telegram’s from my wife. It’s our anniversary, and I haven’t been home in two or three weeks.”
Dr. King looked at me and he says, “All right. You go home tonight, enjoy your anniversary, do anything you want to. There’ll be nothing happening in this town tonight.” And he said, “In the morning, we’ll take up where we left off.”
So I said, “Do you mean this?” He said, “You have my word.” So I got in my truck and went home. We went out to dinner. When we came back to my house after we left the Victory Club (a steak house) there was a bunch of cars out in front, and I thought something had happened.
And it was the news media. … They’d went and got my wife a gift certificate and brought it back to the house to us. And we sat there and had a few drinks and talked. And then the next morning we took up where we left off.”
Pritchett also understood the danger of violence perpetrated by others. As he told interviewers in 1976, he and King had developed a system to ensure the safety of the civil rights leader.
“… as soon as he’d leave Atlanta, he’d tell me approximately what time he’d be coming into Americus, which was forty miles north of Albany. We’d meet him. One of my men would get in the car, he’d get in our car, and then they’d come in by two cars. And we took him everywhere. There was a plot down there to kidnap him, and we found out about this and got it stopped. But there was a close friendship, you know.”
Again, the wily Pritchett was using decency and kindness as weapons to defend a morally indefensible system. He claimed later to have opposed segregation personally, but said that as long as it was the law, he was required as a professional to enforce that law.
And in 1964, when President Johnson signed the Public Accommodations Act outlawing segregation, Pritchett fell back upon that professionalism:
“I not only went to all the (Albany) businesses and met with them at the Chamber of Commerce, I said, “If this bill is passed then it’s all over. They’re going to come in, they’re going to eat, they’re going to sleep in the motels. The law is the law, and I’ve been enforcing it because we had our laws. Now if this is passed we’re going to enforce that one. I’m going to force you to open up, and it’s going to be non-violent.’
“And that night they went in. They went … and some of them went to the Holiday Inn. They went right in, had their dinner. Some of them raced it and went all over. You know, nothing happened. And so this is what I say: when it became a law that the people in the businesses and things of this nature had to do it by law, they did it.”
I doubt desegregation occurred as smoothly in Albany as that might imply. But on a day when we celebrate Dr. King’s life and career, the story of his chess game and friendship with Chief Pritchett serves as a reminder that in the end, it all comes down to people seeing each other as people.
– Jay Bookman
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302 comments Add your comment
TBS
January 21st, 2013
11:15 am
josef
Doesn’t matter how endless it is. Right is right and wrong is wrong.
Not saying you are doing it, but ignoring or downplaying will not change what occurred even with all the good things between individuals that did transpire.
As you say, just being EOI here.
Thulsa Doom
January 21st, 2013
11:15 am
Nice article Jay. Reminds me of the story of Nelson Mandela and his jailer. When he was in jail he had a white jailer who was required to bunk either in his cell or next to his cell all night. The 2 ended up becoming very close friends over the years of Mandela’s imprisonment. People are people.
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
January 21st, 2013
11:15 am
JAY
I think I won…didn’t take but 2 pages before the simple minded ran out of meaningful commentary..one guy wants to beat up Fred while another suggests that Albany is a cesspool because of the demographic dynamics. I suggest all the angry whities go sit through Django Unchained….just imagining an outcome protrayed by the movie will tighten those sphinters…
Peadawg
January 21st, 2013
11:17 am
“but I’m pretty sure that Presidents have been holding public inauguration ceremonies for quite a long time.”
To me it’s different when we’re $16 trillion in debt and $1 trillion + deficit. It’s like when the UGA president got a raise while everything else is getting cut…doesn’t set a very good example no matter where the money comes from.
josef
January 21st, 2013
11:17 am
ELECTORATE
As an Atlanta resident and voter…the last mayoral election we had a White and a Black run. Lots of Whites voted for the Black and lots of Blacks voted for the White…
SouthernGent
January 21st, 2013
11:17 am
Okay, someone needs to start the search. Surely Jay has been kidnapped and someone else is writing under his byline!
TBS
January 21st, 2013
11:17 am
Stevie
Have you seen Django? I will haven’t.
Stan
January 21st, 2013
11:18 am
What people don’t get is that many white people don’t like black people not because of the color of thier skin but because of how they act. Let’s look at Atlanta. In the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s downtown was mostly white and there was little violence. Now, it is mostly black, and there are nightly shootings or robberies. The Georgia Tech campus is dangerous. Why? Black people. Someone was stabbed at the Dome yesterday. Who did it? A black person. They just love violence. It also amazes me how many black kids grow up without a father.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
January 21st, 2013
11:18 am
LHU: There were also those that exhibited both extreme prejudice at times and humanity at others. These people, such as my own parents, to this day can be oblivious to their racism and, simultaneously, gracious and caring about the welfare of those they disparage. It’s weird…
Amazing. I was just thinking the SAME exact thing! (great minds and all…..). I saw this documentary……maybe 3 years ago…maybe more, on Rosewood.
Not going to repeat the history, but what struck me as a “WOW!” moment was the fact that a LOT of the white population of Rosewood SAVED a lot of blacks and their children from certain death. They hid them in their homes, in their barns, etc; lied to the horde assembled outside their doors, etc., and made sure that they did what they could do.
Years later when asked why, a couple of them said, “Because it was the RIGHT thing to do. Why would anyone want to kill Women and Children who had nothing to do with what happened?” (paraphrased)
The EXACT SAME SENTIMENT was expressed later on during, before, and while WWII was going on. There’s this guy who grew up in German who was obviously half black — his whole town REFUSED to let the Germans know where he was or WHO he was; risking great harm to themselves and their families.
I think, that for some people, when its time to stand up for what’s right, they WILL STAND UP. Regardless if they like that person, regardless if they harbor a grudge against /ignorant of that person because of their race; but they will stand up for what’s right because they believe in something, (religion, personal creed, etc); that makes them say, “This is wrong — I REFUSE to become a part of it”.
Fred ™
January 21st, 2013
11:18 am
Keep threatening me Class of 98. You are allowed to. Jay will pull MY answers back to you however in case YOU get you little feeling hurt.
Hey given past events not only are you free to threaten and internet bully me, but you can post crap talk about having sex with my wife and taking pictures and Jay will ban ME for it.
It’s a beautiful morning and equity is in play.
Fred ™
January 21st, 2013
11:19 am
In honor of Dr. King, let’s ALL internet bully others and tell how big we are and how NO ONE wpould tell you that6 in “your face. The dream lives on.
indigo
January 21st, 2013
11:20 am
The Civil Rights movement started in the 50’s.
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen, read or heard “civil rights” mentioned, I’d probably have thousands.
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen, read or heard “civil responsibilities” mentioned, I would not have even five.
Civil rights and civil responsibilities are equally important and go hand in hand. That the former has been almost exclusively stressed, at the expense of the latter, explains much of the mess our society finds itself in today.
Hey Libs, how is your paychecks looking now
January 21st, 2013
11:21 am
What’s happening in D.C. today?
BTW, who cares!!!!!!!
Class of '98
January 21st, 2013
11:22 am
Protrayed? Sphinter? Maybe less time on the bench press and more hooked on phonics is a good idea.
jj
January 21st, 2013
11:23 am
Occupy. Yes I did notice who is in the White House and I would aks him the same question. Only of him I would ask “What are you doing to improve this situation” The most qualified guy, in my lifetime, who could address the black community and he has remained silent. What a shame.
Thulsa Doom
January 21st, 2013
11:23 am
Oh, and happy MLK day everyone. Doomy out.
Marco Polo
January 21st, 2013
11:23 am
98 you are so funny. I don’t remember Alan Keys or Lenoa Fulani getting 95% of the Black vote do you?
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
January 21st, 2013
11:23 am
There were also those that exhibited both extreme prejudice at times and humanity at others. These people, such as my own parents, to this day can be oblivious to their racism and, simultaneously, gracious and caring about the welfare of those they disparage. It’s weird…
Amazing. I was just thinking the SAME exact thing! (great minds and all…..). I saw this documentary……maybe 3 years ago…maybe more, on Rosewood.
Not going to repeat the history, but what struck me as a “WOW!” moment was the fact that a LOT of the white population of Rosewood SAVED a lot of blacks and their children from certain death. They hid them in their homes, in their barns, etc; lied to the horde assembled outside their doors, etc., and made sure that they did what they could do.
Years later when asked why, a couple of them said, “Because it was the RIGHT thing to do. Why would anyone want to kill Women and Children who had nothing to do with what happened?” (paraphrased)
The EXACT SAME SENTIMENT was expressed later on during, before, and while WWII was going on. There’s this guy who grew up in German who was obviously half black — his whole town REFUSED to let the Germans know where he was or WHO he was; risking great harm to themselves and their families.
I think, that for some people, when its time to stand up for what’s right, they WILL STAND UP. Regardless if they like that person, regardless if they harbor a grudge against /ignorant of that person because of their race; but they will stand up for what’s right because they believe in something, (religion, personal creed, etc); that makes them say, “This is wrong — I REFUSE to become a part of it”.
Jm
January 21st, 2013
11:24 am
I find it funny that people think Reed will be in higher office in the future
Where is Shirley Franklin?
Reed may run, he will have a very difficult time winning.
Class of '98
January 21st, 2013
11:25 am
Fred, when did i threaten you? I observed that i would respect your insults more if we were in the same room.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 21st, 2013
11:25 am
Indigo, I would agree that civil rights and responsibilities are not mutually exclusive. However, while “responsibility” is a nice term, what it means in practice for society is something very different to the Ayn Rand crowd as compared to what some decry as “bleeding liberals”
Thulsa Doom
January 21st, 2013
11:25 am
“Can’t we all just get along”
Aint gonna happen I guess. Not even on MLK day.
Stan
January 21st, 2013
11:25 am
I have a question. Why does the media and most black people keep calling Obama the first African-American President? He is far from an African-American and only has 25% black in him! Funny how this country works.
Recon 0311 2533
January 21st, 2013
11:26 am
Another post of buffoonery. “cooperation of the majority”? Civil rights have been fought for over 150 years and longer. It was not because of “cooperation”, it was because some had the courage, like MLK, to stand up and show the world and white America the horrors of what was occurring and Americans were repelled by the CCC and others.
I could label that as ignorance but because it doesn’t say anything but none the less pretends to do so, I’ll label it as buffoonery.
TBS
January 21st, 2013
11:26 am
josef
And has for the “silent majority”. Some of those people do not want the flack or stigma that may come from speaking out. While intimidation certainly played and can play a huge role, sometimes it is just not wanting to be looked at as a “sympathizer” or losing status in the community, church, at work or potential loss of business. Their were self economic and preservation issues going on besides just “intimidation”.
Jm
January 21st, 2013
11:26 am
I wonder if Obama will berate the supreme court again.
Jm
January 21st, 2013
11:27 am
Schemer talking is like nails on a chalkboard
Georgia on my mind...
January 21st, 2013
11:28 am
Excellent article Jay!
Jm
January 21st, 2013
11:28 am
Schumer whatev
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:29 am
race does not matter. in does in some places still. there are many places i would not dare venture. for fear of my life.
dream on
josef
January 21st, 2013
11:29 am
TBS
“…even with all the good things between individuals that did transpire.”
But, remember, it is that which triumphed.
hryder
January 21st, 2013
11:30 am
Noticed a comment from one of MLK’s children indicating that racial equality would only be attained when all individuals would achieve success. This is a proposterous statement on face value in the USA. In the US all should have the OPPORTUNITY to strive for success, but by defintion success is a condition that not all can achieve because when all or most all can do a certain thing only those few who do not are recognized. These few people are recognized as FAILURES. Living in societies where almost all have the same and none have the opportunity to strive for something different has a variety of labels but all go down the drain because there all always at least a few people who strive for something else to be reacognized as different from most everyone else. Pigmantation of skin should not be a factor in overt recognition of success or failure. Yet success or failure only exists when and where ALL ARE NOT THE SAME. Also, fame is recognition of a positive achievements or conditions. Being notorious is recognition of negative achievements or conditions. Currently there are too many people who do not understand that difference and are known and viewed as jokes or people to be pitied not emulated. Lance Armstrong, Kim Kardashian, Leona Helmsley, Barry Bonds, or Al Gore to mention but a few.
Jm
January 21st, 2013
11:31 am
What is going on with oscar’s posts?
TBS
January 21st, 2013
11:31 am
There not their
Regnad Kcin
January 21st, 2013
11:31 am
“When watcing the film I couldnt help but notice what appeared to be an educated, polite, and well dressed black middle class. Where did they go?”
Better question – what enclave do YOU live in? Out here in America, there is a strong and thriving black middle class (well, thiriving as much as any of us these days). You should get out more; maybe go someplace you might meet some of “those” people. Your attitude might change.
Jm
January 21st, 2013
11:31 am
Hillary has goggles on
Seriously deteriorating eyesight
Jay
January 21st, 2013
11:35 am
Live blog of inaugural ceremonies upstairs ….
TBS
January 21st, 2013
11:35 am
josef
Didn’t say it didn’t. Was also a whole lot of sacrificing and forcing via law or striking down of laws as well as showing military might to move things along………
Again, not here to discount anyone’s efforts, but will not gloss over the fact that it took a lot of pulling and mandating……. A lot of that could have been avoided. I’m just thankful to those who said enough is enough and pushed like hell, prevailing attitudes and costumes be damned
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:36 am
things look happy in washington. crowds look purple from a distance because of all the flags
Jm
January 21st, 2013
11:36 am
Content so far – absurdly predictable
josef
January 21st, 2013
11:36 am
TBS
@ 11:26
As Jay says. it’s complicated. That’s why we need to be careful when broadbrushing.
DDR
Your point is well made. Thank you. It’s a really intriguing thing to look at in the honor of “The Rightous among Nations” just what a wide range of backgrounds these people came from, often sharing nothing more in common than, to put it in our Southern idiom, a belief that “that just ain’t right.”
Morality?
January 21st, 2013
11:37 am
I lived in “Albenny” for one year back when disco was in. Lot’s of violence down there , 7/11’s getting robbed and people murdered. People with an attitude. For example, when I walked down a sidewalk certain people would line up side by side to force you to walk in the street to get past them rather than moving to one side like people normally do in other places. I haven’t lost any thing in Albenny.
NOBODYYOUKNOW
January 21st, 2013
11:37 am
I,m in my 70’s and I witnessed alot of stupid hate filled bad things years back. And said nothing. I was not raised to HATE anybody. I was a child of the 50’s and used to wonder ” why can’t they just leave them alone?” All that bad mouthing black folks just did’t make any sense. There was a black family that lived on a dairy farm not far from our home. We played touch football with the black boys in our front yard. I had a older friend that was playing with us. I couldn’t beleive some comments he made to the black guys. The black guys got tired of hearing it and soon left.To think someone is not as good as you because of their skin color is so stupid. I will admit some of that type thinking was instilled in me after so many years of hearing it. After growing up and working so many different jobs and seeing folks of all colors. I finally realized anyone could succeed no matter what race, religion, gender they are. I worked for a very large corp. for over 15 years. The best branch manager I ever worked under was a black man. He was well educated, smart, very approachable, and easy to talk to about any problem you had. I was a police officer in the 60’s for about 3 years. The misstreatment of people of color was rampant. I can tell you folks people were locked up just because they were black. People were slapped because they were black. I once shook hands with a black man while answering a call about his son. After we got back into the patrol car my partner, “a much older officer” cussed me out and said as long as I was riding with him he better not see me shaking hands with a damn N*******r again. One week later I gave my resignation. Please don’t think I’m patting myself on the back because I didn’t do those things. I didn’t say anything about these actions because I didn’t want the repercussions afterward. But to my black friends may I say, you’ve come a long way. There are many black folks in supervisory positions, elected officials, and as we all know we have a black president And no I did not vote for him because there were too many unaswered questons. His background, education, qualifications, experiance, leanings on policies. I had never heard of him until he started campaigning. It was not because he’s BLACK. He is a very clean cut handsom man with a beautiful family. He makes a great speech. But in my mind that is not what makes a good president. It was said before he was elected that any criticism of him would be called “racism”. And that has turned out to be true.And folks I can assure you all that does is cause racism. I heard a black person on a talk show make the comment “you don’t know anything about the black race, you’re not black”. And no I’m not.But you don’t know my feelings because you’re not white. I’m sure someone will comment “Yea, I know the white folks, they’re greedy, selfish, and racest at heart”. Listen my friends, you want to help your race whatever it is. Stop the young girls from having children and letting them run wild on the streets, robbing, shooting, fighting, joining gangs,, never having a father figure in their lives. A little kindness goes a long way, no matter what color your skin is.
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:37 am
jm – probably creepin dementia
TBS
January 21st, 2013
11:38 am
customs not costumes
But since there were a lot of “characters”, costumes works as well
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:39 am
i didn’t realize that was a prayer until the end, long prayer. good though
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
January 21st, 2013
11:40 am
JAY
Do you find any irony in the fact that at his second inauguration, president trillions has a 50.1 approval rating which is an amazing accomplishment and many are already rushing to memorialize his grand legacy.
Bush enjoyed a 49.5 approval rating at this time in his tenure…
Morality?
January 21st, 2013
11:41 am
This inauguration is another example of the wasteful spending of our Fed Gub’ment. You would think these politicians are royalty with the high opinion they have of themselves. Have a little humility.
Tom
January 21st, 2013
11:42 am
The Reverend King espoused the end of what kept us a segregated society, such as racial divisiveness and class warfare.
Yet, these two evils continue to be used by liberals and race pimps like BO, Jackson, Sharpton, etc… to feed THEIR power.
TBS
January 21st, 2013
11:42 am
josef
If “some” is a broad brush to you then I will let you have at it.
Not sure where the broad brush comment even came in, but if you think it was worthy of mentioning based on my post, oh well.
Lee
January 21st, 2013
11:43 am
“Jay January 21st, 2013 11:01 am
I know bigotry when I see it, Lee. And you have made your own bigotry quite clear for all to see.”
You call it bigotry, I call it being a racial realist.
And one day, your grandchildren will come to you and ask how you could be a “liberal, progressive, politically correct” when it means that they cannot get into college or get a job because of some arbitrary “affirmative action” quota that you supported.
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
January 21st, 2013
11:43 am
JAY
How exactly is this inauguration any different than all the ones preceding it? A bunch of priviledged, self serving politicians standing out in the cold putting hand on the christian storybook anxiously awaiting another term to continue to pull the ruse over all of us that they actually care about us..
Tom
January 21st, 2013
11:44 am
I gotta garee with Neal Boortz and keep myself away from the coverage/reports of today’s events. It’s akin to watching a loved one getting raped.
josef
January 21st, 2013
11:44 am
JAY
Well, given what’s come up here today, it looks like a lot of folks missed your point. Nice try, though, and just remember what Granny taught us, nothing beats a failure but a try. You’re back up at least one peg in my accounting…
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:44 am
yankees are singing their victory song. marching thru georgia will be next
Tom
January 21st, 2013
11:44 am
I gotta agree with Neal Boortz and keep myself away from the coverage/reports of today’s events. It’s akin to watching a loved one getting raped.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 21st, 2013
11:44 am
Stop the young girls from having children and letting them run wild on the streets, robbing, shooting, fighting, joining gangs,, never having a father figure in their lives
Putting aside the overgeneralization, I don’t think there is a person of any race who is not in agreement that unwanted children are an issue, as is crime and gangs and having a good solid family relationship and a good relationship with society are great ideas to be strived for. Again, the differences come in how we go about implementing programs and solutions to meet those objectives. You know “it takes a village” or “you are on your own”.
Class of '98
January 21st, 2013
11:45 am
You mean Alan Keyes? I don’t remember him ever winning a major party nomination. Fwiw, i love black people and i always have. I also truly believe that liberal policies have held them back much more than most of us realize, but they continue to mindlessly vote for democrats to their, and everyone else in this county’s, detriment.
barking frog
January 21st, 2013
11:46 am
Jay’
“In the end it is not about race, it’s about people”,
……………………………………………………………..
and, I think, about money…I grew up in the segregated south, Chattanooga TN,
to be exact and I often wondered why were black people picked to be slaves and
why were they still discriminated against. My youthful conclusion was that it was
about money. As slaves their color was easily identified to help contain them and
they were exploited for money. As freemen their color still identified them and
helped in their containment to exploit them for low wages. There was no other
reason not to have light or white slaves and a few were. MLK identified this and
when he began the economic boycotts he was killed.
Charles Douglas Edwards
January 21st, 2013
11:47 am
CONGRATULATION to President Barack Obama !!!
May God Bless the United States of America.
jj
January 21st, 2013
11:47 am
Regnad Kcin: I grew up on the west side of Chicago so I have spent a good part of my life outside of the enclave. My point was that in the 50’s and 60’s there was a much larger thriving and proud black middle class than their is today. And if you want to make the “enclave” remarks I would ask you to respond to the eradication of blacks by blacks, the total lack of respect for education, the 70% plus out of wedlock kids and on and on. NOT ALL, but a big part of the black community is a mess and the black community seems to have no desire to fix it. That is why I wonder what Dr. King would think! And for discussions sake, what would you say to Dr. King about the above issues?
josef
January 21st, 2013
11:47 am
TBS
Don’t take it personally. My point all along today has been the general approach of broadbrushing. We all do it. It’s the way history is written. Sometimes, however, we should step back for a minute and contemplate “it” from a different perspective, move beyond the iconic.
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:48 am
v p oath is longer than the presidential oath. odd
skipper
January 21st, 2013
11:49 am
Many (or most) on this blog are probably not from a majority-minority area. I know there are different sections of such areas for folks to go and “hide”, but I’m talking about the small towns that are heavily monority (and for example have one school system.) If you have lived in one of these areas, it is a very unique situation. I’m not talking about a big area like Atlanta….I’m talking about one of the small towns. There were some tough times in the past, and wrongs, for sure. But, when things changed up there was, Jay, in fact, some culture shock. Many of the elected officials were not qualified for office even though their race had been wrongly denied. The pools you so casually mentioned were swamped….and folks heard language used there and racist insults (MF, etc.) heretofore untold, as one would be kicked out for this language previously. Of course much of it was pent-up anger from previous wrongs, but (again, this is sincere questioning) how do-did you handle such a situation? Many of those with the bleeding hearts and “progressive” opinons are looking in from the outside………..I seriously doubt if you yourself were ever in this situation, so many comments are coming from those who have not been there.
This is why I am independant. I’m willing to listen, and both parties have too much extremism. It has been a tough go to make it work…..and while I swear I’m not racist, some of the behaviour so unceremoniously pointed out is more true than many want to admit. I so do not like all this….but what is the answer? Years ago, when I was at UGA in the ’70’s (ancient history for some, right?) many of the blacks in my dorm were very outspoken about this type of behaviour and how it was holding them back. I do not think they were just trying to appease…….
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:50 am
james taylor?
TBS
January 21st, 2013
11:50 am
josef
As I said, oh well. I didn’t broad brush and mentioned anyone’s contributions should be acknowledge then went on to say that I would not allow those contributions to overshadow the other things that went on.
If you don’t agree, it is all good.
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:51 am
robets is reading the oath this timt. good move.
Oscar
January 21st, 2013
11:55 am
what makes us exceptional. he finally said it.
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
January 21st, 2013
11:55 am
AGAIN and don’t forget..
Approval rating at beginning of second term:
Obama 50.1
Bush 49.5
No worries, Obama has plenty of time to go down as mediocre or worse…at a minimum the most significant debt builder in the history of debt. Unlikely the ubiquitous benchmark of Bush will forever stick to his legacy…it’s how will he leave things for the next guy..
barking frog
January 21st, 2013
11:57 am
This inauguration is important because the first time it could be said
that Obama was elected by a fluke or accident or cross party voting
but this time we elected him and it was no mistake.
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
January 21st, 2013
11:58 am
Charles Douglas Edwards
January 21st, 2013
11:47 am
Obama is getting a big atta boy as we speak..cheers, applaud and the like. I’m certain this noise pales in comparison to our debtor nations. The chinese creditors are applauding more loudly than any…we will need at least another 4 trillion before this guy is done..
Welcome to the Occupation
January 21st, 2013
12:00 pm
Tom: “Yet, these two evils continue to be used by liberals and race pimps like BO, Jackson, Sharpton, etc… to feed THEIR power.”
Certainly truth to it, as far as it goes. Only, Barack Obama hardly belongs to that group. On the contrary, he represents the next generation of cynicism, that typified by the various mayors of major cities like Cory Booker, etc., who pretend to march under the banner of racial and socio-economic justice but are really in the pocket of Wall St.
But something tells me that’s not exactly what you had in mind, is it now?
josef
January 21st, 2013
12:02 pm
TBS
And, with all due respect, the point is that it was their contributions which triumphed…the lesson we should be drawing from “all that.” They did, in the end, overshadow the other things that went on, imeoiauo.
M'Karyl
January 21st, 2013
12:03 pm
Thanks Jay…
DownInAlbany
January 21st, 2013
12:06 pm
Just the facts, you make your own decisions about the current state of Albany:
Albany is 72% AA, 25% White
City Commission is 71% AA (5 of 7)
We just elected our 2nd AA mayor. The previous mayor served multiple terms.
Dougherty Co School System:
School Board is currently majority white (4 of 7)
Recently non-renewed Superintendent (AA male) Joshua Murphree
Board member Velvet Riggins was indicted, but, acquitted of “free school lunches” charges
49 teachers were charged with CRCT cheating
The graduation rate is 52.5% (65.4% State)
Per student spending is $10,089 (9692 State)
Violent crime is 8.38 per 1,000 (3.73 State)
Crimes against property is 64.67 per 1.000 (36.27 State)
Unemployment rate is 10.8%
Regnad Kcin
January 21st, 2013
12:08 pm
jj – I didn’t mean to go overboard, but I live in a mixed-race middle-class neighborborhood, patronize mixed-race middle-class shops and restaurants, and support our local mixed-race middle-class schools. I confess I don’t see any evidence of a “shrinking black middle class” or of polite black people, or anything else you’ve mentioned. Maybe you should come to dinner in my neighborhood.
TBS
January 21st, 2013
12:16 pm
josef and that is your opinion
Many individuals’ contributions certainly played a huge factor. I don’t recall saying any different. However, if all these great interactions and intentions were the prevailing attitude and custom of the day, we would not have had to have the involvement of the Feds on so many levels as occurred. I’m glad it happened but many had to be prodded and pushed screaming at the tops of their lungs and we wont even speak of the disgusting acts to prove points and the silence of many.
So I do applaud all the contributions, big and small, but if all those contributions were the major factor then why all the problems?
Any notion that the vast majority (that is all over, not just the south) were pushing for progress and some small tyrannical minority with little support of the people were holding the nation back is imo, poppycock.
You didn’t say that, but I am not even sure what your point is. A gloss over? A perspective of where and how you grew up?
My apologies for any misunderstanding on my end for anything you have posted on this issue.
It is evident that you are a very intelligent and well read man as well as someone who grew up during some of those heated times. I can appreciate your vast knowledge on this and many issues, but in the end, we just have a different perspective.
Adam
January 21st, 2013
12:20 pm
Stevie Ray: Are you saying there is a solution to minority unemployment that the President has not considered or acted on that would bring it to the same level as white unemployment?
Charles Douglas Edwards
January 21st, 2013
12:28 pm
OPEN LETTER TO AMERICA ! ! !
Join us in this brotherhood ring
To celebrate the life of a king
From this point hence
We pledge non-violence
War and strife shall cease
For all we seek is peace
We ask all that are able
To join us at the table
We will work as a team
To celebrate this brotherhood dream
Charles Douglas Edwards
This is a poem I wrote for the “Table of Brotherhood” in honor of the dedication of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington.
barking frog
January 21st, 2013
12:31 pm
Charles Douglas Edwards,
Excellent.
" Vote For Obama Because He's Black "
January 21st, 2013
12:33 pm
It is about people. People like Herman Cain,Condoleeza Rice,Allen West,Clarence Thomas. Plantation mentality negroes can’t stand that there are some of what they consider “their peeples” have normal independent brains that qualify them to make a great contribution the the world.
Anything that they touch turns to gold.
We need these types of people of African decent to become active in Dekalb,Clayton,Atlanta, so these communities can get cleaned up and restore greatness to metropolitan Atlanta.
FarTrain
January 21st, 2013
12:35 pm
Tell that to Obama. He makes everything about race, or class, in his own subtle way. Deep down, I believe he is a racist, just like Rev. Wright, his ex-pastor.
Jack In Cumming
January 21st, 2013
12:54 pm
I appreciate what King did, but in my mind there has been little follow up. When you looks at the strides in equality and yet African Americans still fill the prisons and unemployment lines, I think part of the civil right story needs to be looking inward past race to ask yourself are you doing right.
Also, I am conflicted on MLK. He did so much, but he has almost becomed diefied despite affairs and plagarism charges. If he did indeed have affairs despite being a man of the Lord, i wonder if his motivation in the rights movement was power and not the end game of equal rights for all.
UGA ECONOMICS MAJOR
January 21st, 2013
1:27 pm
no where in america has has race still a glaring factor like here in metro Atlanta and georgia..actually i think it has gotten worse here…the metro Atlanta area has to be the most racialy divisive area in the country…my daughter came home yesterday and repeated something from one of her friends that that particular young lady heard from her parents not only was it disgusting and ignorant it was so,so,untrue..and i pointed to all the very educated upper middle class blacks in our alpharetta neighborhood as we had a long,long talk with our daughter and suggested that she no longer associate with her..we now are looking at other areas of the country in which to raise our kids with more diversity and education….Seattle comes quickly to mind…racism is a form of ignorance and lack of education..i,m so glad we caught our daughter from repeating and thinking such ignorant dribble
Cosby
January 21st, 2013
1:36 pm
And where id their leaders take them..to the government plantation…they now are owned by the Democratic party for their EBT Cards, Food Stamps, housing, paying for the birth of their children..yep..we have come a long way!!! But the leaders of the NAACP as well as the likes if Jessie are living high off the hog!!
josef
January 21st, 2013
1:48 pm
UGA MAJOR
“Seattle comes quickly to mind…”
So long as you’re not an American Indian or a Jew, it’s not a bad place. Lots of Scandanavian blonde, blue-eyed white folks.
Jay
January 21st, 2013
2:09 pm
According to Gallup in June, some 49 percent of REPUBLICANS said Bush deserved a great deal or moderate amount of blame for the economy.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
January 21st, 2013
2:10 pm
What’s wrong with these AJC blogs lately? It’s like they’re mired in quick sand or something…..
mae brown
January 21st, 2013
2:11 pm
beautiful story
josef
January 21st, 2013
2:15 pm
DDR
Not a lot of happy, smiling people about today, eh? Maybe the Imam will give us a new thread…
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
January 21st, 2013
2:24 pm
josef: Not a lot of happy, smiling people about today, eh? Maybe the Imam will give us a new thread…
Heh. heh…
They’re all in mourning. All that money, All that time, All that…………ummmmm……….kissing azz to appease the unwashed masses, All for nuthin!
Come to find out, the unwashed masses, are not as dumb as the proleteriat THINK they are.
Figures!
josef
January 21st, 2013
2:27 pm
DDR
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
January 21st, 2013
2:34 pm
This is what I’m going to file under, “Things I probably shouldn’t post but I’m gonna anyway ’cause I can’t stop laughing and besides it may be one of our very own posters who got caught and if it is, I betya its _____________ (fill in the blank), or _______________, (fill this one in too); or DEFINITELY ____________ (this one’s a doozy!); and I hope after I post this I can finally stop laughing!”:
Man on probation for donkey sex arrested again
He couldn’t help it!! They were just too tempting………….
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
January 21st, 2013
2:40 pm
Come here baby…………..let’s have some hot, torrid donkey sex after I steal these train batteries…..
josef
January 21st, 2013
2:43 pm
DDR
You’re going to hell for that!
And the donkey’s name? Some things you just can’t make up!
Anyway…going upstairs…it’s nasty a-double time on the blog…
Maybe Big Daddy ought to just post a thread…”…no topic, just go straight for the jugular…”
Hey Libs, how is your paychecks looking now
January 21st, 2013
4:57 pm
Debbiedoright!
Others “may” read your posting if they were not so long, remember you have Libs with a limited attention span on here!
Jonmaguire22
January 22nd, 2013
6:36 am
My hope is that we can make as many strides in this generation as we did in MLK Jrs day. We must remember that to get rid of racism we must stop asking people their race. We are all one people in America and when you join the ranks you are equal. Either from African, Asian, European decent (I speak of continents), it makes no difference. We are all the same. At what point do we drop African-American and just become American? At what point do Asian-Americans become Americans? That is when we will end racism. We are ultimately all the same race – humans.
Joel Edge
January 23rd, 2013
6:49 am
SMH
Dharma Bum
January 23rd, 2013
12:38 pm
Genetically speaking, we are all 99% the same. That being said, we are just a few chromosomes off from being a banana or a fruit fly. Knowing this, it should become apparent how incredibly similar all of us are.
Race accounts for roughly 0.001% of our genetic makeup, for the math illiterate, that is one thousandth of one percent… Both sides need to grow up on this issue.
Reality Sets In
January 24th, 2013
2:51 pm
Voted for Obama
90% of Black voted for Obama
67% of Mexicans / Hispanics Voted for Obama
65% of the Asian voted for Obama
64% of Women voted for Obama
86% OF ALL WHITE MEN VOTED FOR ROMNEY.
Racisim is stronger now that ever. Politics from the Replicans view is not about making a better life for All the Citizenry. Its about Oppressing the other races and genders as they have the Black men for centuries, and today..
They are in denial and refusing to change. Its said. Very sad Obama is not trying to destroy the Repulicans, They are dying from the cancer of Racial hatred.
Racism is so prevelant in the White Male work place today and black men are ALWAYS the trarget of the Racial hatred of White Men.
Racism Is alive in the Republican Party/America, and destroying families today.
Thats whats killing thre repulican party. Not Obama.