[kalkiwendy]

Her needs are primarily medical - and I've looked at the hospital at Berryville, which looks pretty good. She also gets speech therapy. I already drive three hours for most of her medical issues, and an hour a day for her therapies, so, that's not necessarily a dealbreaker.

I'm thinking that we're going to just keep looking in Carroll County - seems like it will be the best fit for us. Wish us luck!!

[housewife2009]

Ok I am a citizen of Harrison Arkansas and have been for ten years. I know everyone wants everyone else on the outside to think we are a great little community that loves all skin colors, but that is not the case. I have watched a black couple walk through wal-mart, (last week) and every person turns and stares, points, whispers, and scowls. I am not saying Harrison is terrible, it is just full of close minded stuck in their ways residents. So yes it still is a racist little town.

[Luvvarkansas]

Also, my kiddo has special needs, and I am really concerned about her being so different from everyone else that she won't be able to be happy. She's going to be different, that's just a fact, and I'm hoping we're preparing her to have a good sense of humor about it, I just don't want her to be persecuted - kwim? This, certainly, could happen anywhere - I just want her to be able to have alternatives if one group rejects her. (Oh, how I hate even thinking about that!)

I feel your pain with that....I'm a mom, too!

It sounds like the Fayetteville area might be the best match for you. It's really in a beautiful part of Arkansas, and it's a nice, clean, growing little city. And you can drive just a couple of miles out of town and be in the wilderness!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by housewife2009

Ok I am a citizen of Harrison Arkansas and have been for ten years. I know everyone wants everyone else on the outside to think we are a great little community that loves all skin colors, but that is not the case. I have watched a black couple walk through wal-mart, (last week) and every person turns and stares, points, whispers, and scowls. I am not saying Harrison is terrible, it is just full of close minded stuck in their ways residents. So yes it still is a racist little town.

I am not doubting you on what you say, I will question you may have exagerated a little: every person turned a stared? Come on, if this is true they were staring for some other reason, not because the couple were black...It may still be racist to some degree as many areas are, but not so much that everyone stares at people who may look a little different. I have seen racism everywhere even today, it can be Dallas, Albuquerque, Los Angleles, small and large cities and can be seen on both sides, whites against black, visa versa, straights against gays, Christians versus Musslems, etc.
The country has come a long way in the past 40 or 50 years, but still has to make more progress.

Nita

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I am not doubting you on what you say, I will question you may have exagerated a little: every person turned a stared? Come on, if this is true they were staring for some other reason, not because the couple were black...It may still be racist to some degree as many areas are, but not so much that everyone stares at people who may look a little different. I have seen racism everywhere even today, it can be Dallas, Albuquerque, Los Angleles, small and large cities and can be seen on both sides, whites against black, visa versa, straights against gays, Christians versus Musslems, etc.
The country has come a long way in the past 40 or 50 years, but still has to make more progress.

Nita

I have walked into businesses in Little Rock where I was the only white person there, and I certainly got some looks.

As I mentioned quite some time ago, I went to a "soul food" (southern) restaurant in Chicago once with my wife. Walked in, and the manager immediately came over and said, "Man, you *must* be lost".

"No......just hungry", I told him.

He looked like I just climbed out of a UFO, but he did seat us in a corner, and many turned and stared.

When the waitress took our orders and I ordered greens, the waitress put her pad down and said, "Sugar......do you know what greens are?"

I said, "Honey.....can't you hear this drawl?"

She laughed and I got my greens, but we were still the floor show.

Racism?

No..I don't think so.

Just an oddity.

Same thing happened at a seafood restaurant in Memphis. It was black-only and I wanted some oysters.

Now, I know that my neighbors aren't racists, and I know that I'm not, but let's face it, if a car with blacks, asians, Iranians, whatever, drove down our back-woods roads, we'd kinda wonder what's up, this ain't exactly metro-land.

If I showed up at a NAACP meeting, do ya think anybody would want to know what the hillbilly's doing here?

Some folks will take any reaction at all and cubbyhole it as racism, because that is the scope of their world.

Some folks got wider horizons than that.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by RogMar

I have walked into businesses in Little Rock where I was the only white person there, and I certainly got some looks.

As I mentioned quite some time ago, I went to a "soul food" (southern) restaurant in Chicago once with my wife. Walked in, and the manager immediately came over and said, "Man, you *must* be lost".

"No......just hungry", I told him.

He looked like I just climbed out of a UFO, but he did seat us in a corner, and many turned and stared.

When the waitress took our orders and I ordered greens, the waitress put her pad down and said, "Sugar......do you know what greens are?"

I said, "Honey.....can't you hear this drawl?"

She laughed and I got my greens, but we were still the floor show.

Racism?

No..I don't think so.

Just an oddity.

Same thing happened at a seafood restaurant in Memphis. It was black-only and I wanted some oysters.

Now, I know that my neighbors aren't racists, and I know that I'm not, but let's face it, if a car with blacks, asians, Iranians, whatever, drove down our back-woods roads, we'd kinda wonder what's up, this ain't exactly metro-land.

If I showed up at a NAACP meeting, do ya think anybody would want to know what the hillbilly's doing here?

Some folks will take any reaction at all and cubbyhole it as racism, because that is the scope of their world.

Some folks got wider horizons than that.

Rog, I agree with you 90% but I still question everyone staring at a black couple in a Wal-Mart. I can understand a white person in a black area more. This happened to us in a secton of Memphis. I needed to use the bathroom and the first place we saw after leaving Tunica was a Micky Ds in Memphis. I don't know who was more surprised when I walked in, the people in the restaurant or me...

[joebaldknobber]

Originally Posted by housewife2009

Ok I am a citizen of Harrison Arkansas and have been for ten years. I know everyone wants everyone else on the outside to think we are a great little community that loves all skin colors, but that is not the case. I have watched a black couple walk through wal-mart, (last week) and every person turns and stares, points, whispers, and scowls. I am not saying Harrison is terrible, it is just full of close minded stuck in their ways residents. So yes it still is a racist little town.

Sometimes I point at hispanics, scowl at Asians, stare at Indians, whisper about Canadians while I shop at Walmart. I imagine this is common.

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Rog, I agree with you 90% but I still question everyone staring at a black couple in a Wal-Mart. I can understand a white person in a black area more. This happened to us in a secton of Memphis. I needed to use the bathroom and the first place we saw after leaving Tunica was a Micky Ds in Memphis. I don't know who was more surprised when I walked in, the people in the restaurant or me...

Memphis is....Memphis, Nita. I recalled on here a while back a time when my bourbon goggles got foggy and I made a wrong turn there and ended up getting beer cans bounced off the side of my car.

I'm not saying that it's an impossibility that a black couple didn't get a racist stare, there's *no place* that one can go where there isn't a hating mind or two around, no matter what your race.

All I'm saying is that a lot of people are quick to any reaction as "racist", and that gets played waaaay to often.

I'm following with amusement the situation with Blago and Burris in Illinois.

I've met Roland Burris, talked with him, and one time shared a dinner table next to him for an evening with much entertainment on his part. Roland Burris is anything but racially motivated, he's simply a good man that happens to be african american.

Blago, however, knowing that he could "stir the pot", tried to appoint him, knowing full well that he didn't have the authority, and that any opposition to his appointment would immediately be viewed as "racist" by many.

People call for equality, but that equality will never come as long as those calling for it are the first to point out a persons race in reference to his position and office.

As I mentioned a while back, is RogMar white, black, asian, or an "all the above" sitting in his mothers basement with the family laptop?

Who cares? Read my posts or don't.

The same way with Roland Burris, Barack Obama, and many others. It makes no difference of their skin color, only how they're going to execute they're office and conduct ther lives in the public eye.

I guess that invasions of the "let's find something racist about this" crowd just makes my milk curdle after awhile.

[strumpeace]

Turning to look at someone for a second because you are not accustomed to seeing folks who look like that person is not racist. Staring at the person and deliberately making the person feel uncomfortable is clearly racist.

Perhaps folks in Harrison glanced at the couple because folks in Harrison don't see many black people. Perhaps some went out of their way to make the couple feel uncomfortable. If they did, shame on them. Hopefully, the couple was able to discern type A from type B.

Either way, all you can do is be conscientious of your own actions. Ask yourself -- If someone did this to me, would it make me uncomfortable? If your honest answer is 'yes', then you need to rethink your behavior. Teach your children and grandchildren to be kind, humble, and merciful. That's your responsibility whether you're in Harrison or Memphis or Chicago or wherever. It's the best you can do. Perhaps you can be the kind face in the crowd that the next black couple in Harrison's Wal-Mart looks to for comfort and reassurance when everyone else is staring.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by RogMar

Memphis is....Memphis, Nita. I recalled on here a while back a time when my bourbon goggles got foggy and I made a wrong turn there and ended up getting beer cans bounced off the side of my car.

I'm not saying that it's an impossibility that a black couple didn't get a racist stare, there's *no place* that one can go where there isn't a hating mind or two around, no matter what your race.

All I'm saying is that a lot of people are quick to any reaction as "racist", and that gets played waaaay to often.

I'm following with amusement the situation with Blago and Burris in Illinois.

I've met Roland Burris, talked with him, and one time shared a dinner table next to him for an evening with much entertainment on his part. Roland Burris is anything but racially motivated, he's simply a good man that happens to be african american.

Blago, however, knowing that he could "stir the pot", tried to appoint him, knowing full well that he didn't have the authority, and that any opposition to his appointment would immediately be viewed as "racist" by many.

People call for equality, but that equality will never come as long as those calling for it are the first to point out a persons race in reference to his position and office.

As I mentioned a while back, is RogMar white, black, asian, or an "all the above" sitting in his mothers basement with the family laptop?

Who cares? Read my posts or don't.

The same way with Roland Burris, Barack Obama, and many others. It makes no difference of their skin color, only how they're going to execute they're office and conduct ther lives in the public eye.

I guess that invasions of the "let's find something racist about this" crowd just makes my milk curdle after awhile.

agreed and yes, many things some want to call racist are certainly not that.

Nita