How bad are race relations in Atlanta? (Jefferson: neighborhood, college)

[xirt8]

I see two threads in 1 page asking about living in an area based on its racial makeup...

So..

How bad is it...

I'm from the East Coast...

[TakeAhike]

There have been so many threads about racism in Atlanta. All I can tell you is that there is predjudice here just as there is everywhere. Many opined that there was more 'Class' discrimination in Atlanta than other kinds of discrimination.

A number of posters also said that the predjudice/discrimination was subtle rather than overt.

Here's one of the longest 'Racism' threads that started last January>>>
//www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...m-atlanta.html


hth

[xirt8]

thanks

[ThisIsMike]

I find people of all races getting along wonderfully.

My children are mixed race, and I don't put up with it, while teaching them how to properly deal with it.

[inferno272]

im indian, ive never had any problems.

being brown in this country, during this time, is harder than being black imho. just because everyone expects you to be a terrorist.

most of my friends are white, though i have a few indian, and a few black. ive always gotten along well with everyone, and have never had any problems.

funny thing is, i grew up in NYC, and after 9/11 the racism there was a billion times worse than anything ive felt here, which has been minor at best.

[ThisIsMike]

Originally Posted by xirt8

I see two threads in 1 page asking about living in an area based on its racial makeup...

So..

How bad is it...

I'm from the East Coast...

I might be dreaming here, but I'm hoping that during my children's lifetimes ... at least ... that we become a people who are so racially mixed that nobody has to ask a question like "How bad are race relations in Atlanta?"

Race relations are what you personally make them.

I am white, but I am not your typical white man. I served as a drill sergeant in the Army during the late 1980s, and my platoons of soldiers, of course, were diverse. Imagine young people (some of them even a little older with college degrees) all entering the same workforce, for the same reasons, never having dealt with each other before. That is what military life is like -- you must adapt to the various races, religions, genders, lifestyle choices, and cultural backgrounds of your fellow soldiers, or you will not be able to function in the military.

In the military, you even have to acquire a taste for everybody else's music.

As a military leader, I always took the time to teach people about myself and others, and I developed effective methods of dealing with those who were mis-informed or mis-guided about another race. I never considered anyone as "ignorant." Most prejudice people have "learned" their prejudices, and whatever is learned can be re-learned, although there exist some folks who are just plain stubborn -- but that's their personal problem, not mine.

I remember the first time I stepped before my platoon and noticed that the soldiers were not as happy as they were the day before. I asked them what was wrong. Nobody answered. They were always open and honest with me, but that morning, it was different.

Later the same day, one brave soul approached me and explained that Susie was dating Johnny, and their new relationship was causing problems for everybody. For a brief moment, I wondered how that could be possible. How silly I was not to notice that Susie was white and Johnny was black.

For the next few weeks, we intentionally focused on this problem. I paired these soldiers by purpose in everything they did. I did things like re-arrange roommates and also arranged breakfasts, lunches and dinners accordingly. I told each of them that each day they had to tell me a dozen things they learned about their "new friend."

This was my own creative method as their leader. I owed it to them. I owed it to myself. I owed it to their parents. I owed it to my country. It was fun and effective.

I did this because I was not satisfied that my parents taught me all their prejudices. When I was a boy, my parents would always change the TV channel when a black face came on. For example, the only TV programs my father watched were "The Jeffersons" and "All In The Family." I knew that whatever made my parents was not going to make me -- I did not feel the same way they fealt.

While I understand your question, you have to ask yourself why race relations are so important to you. If you are stubborn about such things, then please re-educate yourself and get re-programmed before introducing yourself to Atlanta.

The magic word is "please."

[JoeyDUde]

Hmm, I've been in the atlanta metro area since 2002 and I haven't seen any racial prejudice. True, a long time ago, back in the civil war times there was unequal treatment but it's gone a long way. As a matter of fact you will see a lot of diversity in here; you'll see indians, caucasians, hispanics, etc...

So don't worry about the hoodies showing up!

[Merin]

I am in an interracial marriage, we live ITP. We haven't had any problems, thought I have gotten a few comments from other black people. Though, I am one to make comments back. Reading this board has made me very apprehensive about visiting a few of the outer counties. There are only a couple of posters who have made me feel this way.

[dens]

It is fine here...if you focus on it then you can make it an issue. Live you life and let people who may have that problem deal with it...it is their problem not yours. I see no major issues here with respect to race.

[AutumnRose]

Maybe I am just clueless but I've never noticed any issuse in this department. We have a very diverse neighborhood with many races and nationalities represented. The adults and children all seem to get along really well. Maybe we all live in a happy little bubble here in E.Cobb