??? I do not get it anymore (Birmingham, Enterprise: home, rent, vacation)

[Twostep]

Somewhere along the line I lost the connection. This is 2007, isn't it?

It was not easy to move to the US not the mention The South but I still do not get all these questions - hate crimes, is it safe to vacation in Gulf Shores, I am black, my wife is black ...

Folks - in 25 years I encountered racial issues once and that in WA. I was not welcome to a black church on Christmas. Yes, it hurt but it takes two to tango.

[duncan st clair]

You sure did lose the connection.What exactly are you trying to say?

[linda1943]

So twostep you are saying it is good down south and there is nothing to fear. Like I said I moved to Enterprise Ala. from Calif via NJ,NM and I was a native from Calif. and I found the south to be fabulous and we are in canada right now and doing every thing we can to move back. So I hope we are on the same page LOL. Linda1943

[Twostep]

Linda, Canada is too cold for me:>) So is any place where polar fleece is necessary. Do you at least have opportunities to visit and defrost?

[fatima5778]

I'm there in two weeks. I was truly terrified. You hear all the negative things and few positive. I am a black, my fiance is white. SOME TOLD ME TO BY MYSELF & NOT WORRY
thank you Twostep

[DaddyJ]

The black/white issue is still with us and will be for a long time. However, you will find much more acceptance than publicity tells you. Your money will be welcomed everywhere. You will be greeted in a friendly manner "almost" everywhere. You may find some white people a bit distant but you will not have to fear physical danger. In alot of areas you will find that there are alot of black people who are not very accepting of interracial couples but I know many. As long as you stay out where there are plenty of people in public you will not be in any danger in any area... it is no different than how a white person feels or is treated in a black neighborhood. Skirting Birmingham are many very nice neighborhoods that are mixed racially. For the most part, the further away from the city you get, the whiter it gets. Surrounding Birmingham, In the economically higher areas you will have absolutely no problems. In the lower status areas you will find as much or more racism among black people than similar socio-economic "white" areas. There is a wide diversity of racilly made up communities. Some have very few black people but are still comfortable communities for black people. I'm mostly familiar with the Forestdale area and there an interracial couple would find they will be treated and respected with little attention paid to their races. For the most part, if you are an upper middle class black person you will face more prejudice and have more problems from lower class black people than you will from almost any white person. My sister retired and moved from a previously "all white" community which is now 80% black. For the most part, as crude as it sounds, there is alot of truth in the statement she made that all the black people moving in were either doctors, lawyers, or drug dealers. In the "lower" black culture flashing money, materialism, and a desire to be seen and heard seems very prevalent. Persons of higher socio-economic status are more private, quieter, and not as pre-occupied with racial issues. Although I've lived in Alabama all of my life I would very much assume that life for a black person in Alabama is as good or better than anywhere in a comparable area anywhere in the USA. You will possibly find that more black people will pull you down than white people will hold you down...and regardless of where you go or who you are you will always be faced with suspiciousness until people become more familiar with you and you find that you can mix and mingle with virtually anyone as long as you regard them with respect and open friendliness....and are not racially sensitive yourself.

[FilmCutter]

Originally Posted by Twostep

Somewhere along the line I lost the connection. This is 2007, isn't it?

It was not easy to move to the US not the mention The South but I still do not get all these questions - hate crimes, is it safe to vacation in Gulf Shores, I am black, my wife is black ...

Folks - in 25 years I encountered racial issues once and that in WA. I was not welcome to a black church on Christmas. Yes, it hurt but it takes two to tango.

Why were you not welcomed in a Black church if you are Black? Did someone say something to you or did you just feel the vibe? This is very interesting.

[Twostep]

Originally Posted by FilmCutter

Why were you not welcomed in a Black church if you are Black? Did someone say something to you or did you just feel the vibe? This is very interesting.

To make a long story short - a coworker I considered a friend was active at her church, my first Christmas away from home and my husband was travelling. The response to my my question if I could attend Christmas Mass was that white folks were not welcome.

[DaddyJ]

You will find alot more of that kind of prejudice and discrimination than expected. For all the hoopla about how terrible the whites supposedly have treated black people it's amazing that blacks so often turn their back on white people who come into their churches and communities. What's even worse is that it this ethnocentrism is becoming heavily ingrained in black society with black this that and the other and with black history a part of government holidays. It is resulting in far too much separation between people. For some it is out of suspicion, for others it is resentment, and some just joining in out of ignorance.

[Twostep]

Our immediate neighborhood is an ethnic cocktail and works fine - Japanese, Hungarian, Pakistani, German, Indian Feather, Indian Dot, black and white, single, married, divorced. We help each other with handy man chores, kids, everyday life, get together but do not pry into each others lifes.