"We tend to think everything is all right. That really isn't the case when you stop to look at the various disparities that exist. You can look at education or health and recognize the disparities. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. There are people walking around with a veil over their eyes thinking racism doesn't exist in our community because we haven't had those major racial incidents. It's like the iceberg theory. What you see at the top might look fine but once you dig underneath it looks a whole lot different. In order for there to be true democracy, everyone has to participate. When one group of people is left out, you don't have full participation. When I look at the various community boards, do I see people who look like me? Racism affects everybody. It affects whites because it doesn't allow them to be whole, it doesn't afford them the opportunity to be all they can be. In the South, we tend to be polite. When you're taught to be nice and polite, you don't bring up those subjects that might create a little tension. There's nothing wrong with a little discomfort if it's going to mean correcting a situation."
| A quote from Saadia Williams, executive director of the Center for Race Relations of East Tennessee, in Joe Tarr's Metro Pulse cover story "Whites Only?: Downtown should be for everyone, but some minorities feel unwelcome"
Also: "Nash(ville) Bridges,"
posted in articles on August 18, 2004 11:49 PM | t (0)
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