Is NOVA racist? (Arlington, Alexandria, Charlottesville: home, living in, to move)

[kynight]

When I think of Virginia I think of the South. What's it like for a person of color living in northern Virginia? Could they feel at home or would they have to live in the inner city parts of Washington DC?

[brooklynborndad]

The City of Alexandria is about 20% african american (a community with a history going back to colonial times). We have had one AA mayor, and currently have two AA council members (out of 6). The Council has voted to rename "Jeff Davis Highway" and a new name is under study. The Council wants to move the Confederate monument ("The Appomattox Statue") from its place at the intersection of Washington and Prince Street, to a museum, but is currently unable to do so due to Virginia law. The City has several activist AA churches - the one I am most familiar with is Alfred Street Baptist.

Most other NoVa jurisdictions have fewer AAs (though Prince William has more, I think) I know Arlington has one AA County Council member, and Fairfax has an AA member of the Board of Supervisors. In general while there are more white NoVans with southern roots than you would find in Maryland or DC, or in a northern city, most whites here do not have southern roots, I think (perhaps more in Alexandria than in Fairfax). There is of course racism here (a problem in the USA), but many African Americans live here and seem to find it no more uncomfortable than most other parts of the USA. For someone looking for a stronger AA community, with more cultural resources and services, DC or Maryland are often mentioned as good choices.

[sonnymarkjiz]

LOL


I've been in this area my entire life. Nova is one of the most least racist places to live. It's a super diverse area with races of all mixes. Nobody bats an eye at differences in skin color at all and you will find several people of backgrounds mixed up and you'll find many interracial relationships all throughout the area.


tl;dr, nova is not a racist place at all and a non-white person will easily feel at home.

[Ffxdata]

Are there racist people in NoVa? Sure, but I’d say they are a tiny tiny minority. The farther you get out of NoVa towards West Virginia out past Fredericksburg, it gets more red neck.

My child is in ballet at a rec center. They are the only white kid in the class. It’s not uncommon that white people are a minority when eating out. There are huge Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic populations. Black people seem to vary more depending on location. More in Arlington. Less in Vienna. It just depends.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by Ffxdata

Are there racist people in NoVa? Sure, but I’d say they are a tiny tiny minority. The farther you get out of NoVa towards West Virginia out past Fredericksburg, it gets more red neck.

My child is in ballet at a rec center. They are the only white kid in the class. It’s not uncommon that white people are a minority when eating out. There are huge Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic populations. Black people seem to vary more depending on location. More in Arlington. Less in Vienna. It just depends.

Fredericksburg is south, WVa is west (and southwest, technically).

There are definitely more Tea Party flags out those directions (assuming they are not all ex-Marines using the Gadsden flag). As for how many racists there are, is hard to say since not everyone shares the same definitions of racist.

[JasmineBasmati]

Originally Posted by kynight

When I think of Virginia I think of the South. What's it like for a person of color living in northern Virginia? Could they feel at home or would they have to live in the inner city parts of Washington DC?

The more you go North or Central West, like Charlotesville, you will encounter racism in many towns. Charlotesville has the KKK.

[sonnymarkjiz]

Originally Posted by JasmineBasmati

The more you go North or Central West, like Charlotesville, you will encounter racism in many towns. Charlotesville has the KKK.

Have you been to these towns and experienced it first hand or are you just reading that off the news? I've been to Charlottesville plenty of times and I've not experienced any kind of racism...nor seen any KKK.

Much of southern VA is more redneck and country, but redneck =/= racist.

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

Fredericksburg is south, WVa is west (and southwest, technically).

There are definitely more Tea Party flags out those directions (assuming they are not all ex-Marines using the Gadsden flag). As for how many racists there are, is hard to say since not everyone shares the same definitions of racist.

Yes. I’m aware. I just forgot the “or” before out.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by kynight

When I think of Virginia I think of the South. What's it like for a person of color living in northern Virginia? Could they feel at home or would they have to live in the inner city parts of Washington DC?

I’m black, live in mostly white North Arlington, and I feel at home. Won’t be my home too much longer but it’s been good to me.

[NeganGrimes]

smells like a race baiting troll post to me