White KY vs. Minority KY (Monticello, London: appointed, title, racism)

[likeitis]

I created this thread because my mixed race family enjoys living in peace and yes we REALLY enjoy our friendly neighbors of all racial backgrounds - they are great! But I have also learned via the news that unfortunately that KKK chased some hispanic kids away from a fair a few years ago and the matter is still open? I don't remember the exact details of the story off hand but this opened my eyes that there may be things that we need to have aware of here. That maybe every smiling face isn't a friendly face, it has made me VERY reluctant to venture outside of 265 for anything.

My job sometimes causes me to travel outside of the city into the more rural areas ALONE and I want to know what I'm dealing with.

If you can't understand that then I'm sorry but I don't really care. Part of this is to know what's up "in theory", like is the status quo to pretend for the sake of southern hospitable social graces but the other part is about very seriously about safety, I would hope someone could understand someone wanting to know if they really need to think about their own personal safety when venturing ALONE into yes "less diverse" areas of the state that is home to our country's 2nd largest KKK compound. I've seen the propaganda they are putting out "now" in 2009 and I do not plan to pretend its not there or potentially a personal problem for me or my family, not at all.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by likeitis

I created this thread because my mixed race family enjoys living in peace and yes we REALLY enjoy our friendly neighbors of all racial backgrounds - they are great! But I have also learned via the news that unfortunately that KKK chased some hispanic kids away from a fair a few years ago and the matter is still open? I don't remember the exact details of the story off hand but this opened my eyes that there may be things that we need to have aware of here. That maybe every smiling face isn't a friendly face, it has made me VERY reluctant to venture outside of 265 for anything.

My job sometimes causes me to travel outside of the city into the more rural areas ALONE and I want to know what I'm dealing with.

If you can't understand that then I'm sorry but I don't really care. Part of this is to know what's up "in theory", like is the status quo to pretend for the sake of southern hospitable social graces but the other part is about very seriously about safety, I would hope someone could understand someone wanting to know if they really need to think about their own personal safety when venturing ALONE into yes "less diverse" areas of the state that is home to our country's 2nd largest KKK compound. I've seen the propaganda they are putting out "now" in 2009 and I do not plan to pretend its not there or potentially a personal problem for me or my family, not at all.

From the Southern Poverty Law Center:

On July 30, 2006, two IKA (Imperial Klans of America) officials, Jarred R. Hensley, 24, of Cincinnati and Andrew R. Watkins, 26, of Louisville, attacked 16-year-old Jordan Gruver while he was enjoying the Meade County Fair in Brandenburg, Ky. Gruver was beaten to the ground and kicked with steel-toed boots. One of his attackers is 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds. Gruver weighed 150. He never had a chance. They cracked his ribs, broke his arm and busted his jaw.

Hensley and Watkins are serving three-year prison terms for the beating. The SPLC filed a lawsuit against the IKA in July 2007, naming Ron Edwards, the IKA's founder, and several highest-ranking members as defendants. Edwards and several others have been deposed, and the SPLC's legal team is preparing for trial.

[Boompa]

I am white my wife is asian, we stopped at a McDonalds in London Ky. The place came to a halt as they all stared at us. I got my order to go.

[SVTLightning]

Originally Posted by Nauticadon

LMAO at the stupidity in this post. It seems that since Obama got elected President many whites have completely washed their hands of the idea that racism is still alive and well in America.

Not at all, but until all people acknowledge that racism goes both ways, we won't make much progress.

[krsheely]

If i was black and poor id be the same way. Not because i was poor, (i have been, its not that bad) but non the non stop patting on the head and patronizing by democrats and the left. The, (oh its ok , keep killing, selling drugs, its our fault slavery did this to you even though you were born in 1989)....meanwhile people like me get labeled a racist because we realize they have the ability to do whatever they want in life and are calling them on their BS--

im sorry but i have got to respond to this first off being poor isn't all the problem, a person can be born poor and succeed the problem is when they were born poor and to parents who 1. arent there, or 2. far too young to be much help, and usually the father is gone by age 2 or 3. also dont forget that the discepency in schools is horrendous. also dont forget that when they get off school and even in school they have a 24 presence of problems in the community that are nearly impossible to solve. and these are problems that go alot furthur back than 1989 lol. its like in the 60's and 70's we gave people equal rights (im white) and then threw them back down and said ok crawl out of hell. all the while, when a family did get on their feet and try to move to better areas with better schools the poplulation of an area gets up to a certain % black and then all the white families move out, (but people can keep beliving that they have no problem with color, its all about character) it's easy to say that when no one of color lives around u. also i've seen many many many white people i know show great pride in their european heritage, why shouldnt a black person be able do. and dont get me wrong i've been discriminated against by blacks because i was white, it happens but please dont tell me anyone can feel that most black people dont want to change their lives or they dont care they live in hell, they do.

[JefferyT]

Missys comment about seeing a rural black folk on her drives south to Cave City mirrors my experience. Here is a neat map showing the distribution of black population as % by county:



What you are seeing here is the rural black population mirroring the old "plantation" regions of the state, where there was a lot of slaveholding. This was in the better farmland, flatter country and better soils. So you see the concentrations in Jackson Purchase, Pennyrile, and The Bluegrass (which had the largest slave population).

Countys that were mostly hill country had few large farms, so fewer slaves.

One should note that when I say plantation, I really mean large scale commercial ag, which in antebellum KY was tobacco and hemp, not cotton.

Or, another way to look at it, by census tract:




Source: The State of Black Kentucky

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by JefferyT

Missys comment about seeing a rural black folk on her drives south to Cave City mirrors my experience. Here is a neat map showing the distribution of black population as % by county:



What you are seeing here is the rural black population mirroring the old "plantation" regions of the state, where there was a lot of slaveholding. This was in the better farmland, flatter country and better soils. So you see the concentrations in Jackson Purchase, Pennyrile, and The Bluegrass (which had the largest slave population).

Countys that were mostly hill country had few large farms, so fewer slaves.

One should note that when I say plantation, I really mean large scale commercial ag, which in antebellum KY was tobacco and hemp, not cotton.

Or, another way to look at it, by census tract:




Source: The State of Black Kentucky

I have a feeling that second map is pretty outdated, there are black people moving into areas even in Louisville they didn't use to.

[JefferyT]

True, its difficult to see using the map since urban census tracts are so small (Im thinking this is 2000 census info). I was posting it more to show rural distribution.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by JefferyT

True, its difficult to see using the map since urban census tracts are so small (Im thinking this is 2000 census info). I was posting it more to show rural distribution.

It says 1990

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by missymomof3

It says 1990

I doubt the rural counties have really changed other than the ones surrounding Louisville. Now, it would be interesting to see a map of how Hispanic %s have changed in the past 20 years.