[SDTraveler]

I was born and raised in Arkansas and I am of an age that I can remember seperate drinking fountains, bathrooms, and even sides of the room for the doctor's office. One thing I do know is that you are not born a racist, you are taught to be one. I went to a military operated school in my high school years and quickly learned people are people, no matter what nationality, skin color, or religion. I passed that thinking on to my children and I am very proud to say that I don't have one racist out of four kids. I live in South Dakota now and face the Native American racist up here. It is a little different than the Southern Black racist. Here we have people still fighting Custer's battle, if you can believe that. My argument is: You take a proud and family oriented race of people and find the most god forsaken piece of land in the area and put them on it, using deadly force to keep them there. More or less feed, clothe and take their language away from them for over 100 years and WHAT THE HECK DO YOU EXPECT OF THE GENERATION NOW. You call them lazy, I call them spirit broken and unmovitated - You call them drunks - Uh, who sells them the liquor? There are no bars on the reservation!! Who introduced them to alcohol- which is really a poison to their systems.
Can't trust them - I'm not so sure if I was an Indian, I would trust you - history doesn't speak well of the white man's dealing with my race. So as you can see racist is taught and it can and does cover millions of people of all races and even religions. So Sad!!

[Cali BassMan]

Why don't we start a seperate forum for all the Arkansas racism threads...This is ridiculous,,and yes it's a double standard... switch the words white for black and you'll see locked threads and reprimands....

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by Cali BassMan

and yes it's a double standard... switch the words white for black and you'll see locked threads and reprimands....

Precisely.

Are all these W.A.S.P.'s out in the work force unemployed because "The Man" is holding them down?

But ya know, Cali when one get's their whiz-bang pot-stirrin' tool, that is without a doubt the closest and easiest one to stir.

[photobuff42]

My grandparents lived in Mena. When I was a little girl I remember going to the Missionary Baptist Church with my grandma. As I remember, that was about the only place I saw African Americans.

Western Arkansas historically hasn't had a large population of African American citizens. A really good read on the subject is Born in the Delta: Reflections on the Making of a Southern White Sensibility by Margaret Jones Bolsterli. She grew up in the Delta but served as a professor at the U of A. Part of the reasons are geographical; part are the ethnocentricities of the folks who settled Western Arkansas. From a practical standpoint, I think it is more interesting how the white folks and Indians settled the Ouachitas. It just wasn't economically feasible for slaves to work that land and economically, once they were free to go where they wanted (or could), it wasn't economically feasible to settle in such a hard scrabble area. If there was any discrimination going on (and I kinda doubt it, it was based on how hard it is to subsistence farm there and make enough to feed and clothe a growing family), it had more of an economic basis than a racist one, just like it did in Eastern Arkansas and other parts of the Reconstruction South. If African Americans moved West, they went to Texas and beyond.

I have to say the issue is very complex, but I don't think those good folks in Polk County are racists. If that were the case, they would have annihilated the Indian population that was resettled from the Southeast US--and I wouldn't be writing this as my great grandfather was a full blooded Cherokee. They never taught me to not like people who were different, and they didn't complain when the wonderful woman who served as my maid of honor was an African American.

The economic and cultural geography of the area can't be overstated when looking at the issue over time. If you looked at the original Louisiana Purchase and drew a line dividing easily farmed vs. not, you could see a similar emerging picture that resembles perceived racism.

By the way OP, what college are you attending to write this thesis?

[crgirl]

It's funny that their are some residents of mena willing to say that they aren't racist. Go to the southern part of Polk county and you will find color not of the enviroment, but of race. Go up north and the color gets lighter and lighter. I have worked in mena for a long tme, made some friends who had childern that went to mena school, and even the kids today are being taught racism. There were comments made to the white girls, from the white boys for talking to african american boy. but if the white girls tried to say anthing to the white boys about talking to the african american girl then the boys would threaten the girls. I really believe that a person should come and stay a while and make their own judgement. One wold tend to believe that keeping with a tree called the hanging tree of long ago is the means of a reminder of what Polk county was and in a way what it stand for.

[southerngurl]

So it is only white people that are racists? BS.Where I was born/raised in southwest MS, the black people hate the white with an unbridled passion. I'm talking about pure dripping hatred in their eyes and the actual air is so thick with it, you can cut it with a knife.
If I had ever given birth to a girl, yeah I would have taught her that you can be platonic friends with them, no, you are not any better than them, no worse either. No sex, dating, marriage. You stay within your own race, period. If that makes me a racist, then so be it. If the shoe fits, wear it. Goes for me, too.

[Trickmystir700]

^ Yeah you are a racist and a scary one at that, I feel very sorry for your daughter and the fact that she has to grow up to be like you.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by southerngurl

So it is only white people that are racists? BS.Where I was born/raised in southwest MS, the black people hate the white with an unbridled passion. I'm talking about pure dripping hatred in their eyes and the actual air is so thick with it, you can cut it with a knife.
If I had ever given birth to a girl, yeah I would have taught her that you can be platonic friends with them, no, you are not any better than them, no worse either. No sex, dating, marriage. You stay within your own race, period. If that makes me a racist, then so be it. If the shoe fits, wear it. Goes for me, too.

Not racist, somewhat of a bigot. Telling your daughter that she cannot date anyone outside of her race is bigoted. Just because a few blacks hate whites, that isn't the whole spectrum of blacks. I know there are many whites who hate blacks with a passion, but that doesn't mean I am going to hate white people or not date outside of my race. I don't care what race the person is when it comes to dating/marriage/sex. It shouldn't matter. Saying that is should matter is very bigoted.

[adysmom]

Originally Posted by Trickmystir700

^ Yeah you are a racist and a scary one at that, I feel very sorry for your daughter and the fact that she has to grow up to be like you.

Put that race card back in you pocket! Is that the best you can do?

[southerngurl]

or you would know I don't have a daughter. Shows your intelligence. I will be moving to an all-white area, glad there are still some places like that. Call me ANY name you like, I will never change.