Blacks in West Des Moines (Waukee: home, school district, law)

[rhonda2k]

For those of u that have read my previous Blacks in West Des Moines post I must confess that i have not relocated yet. i am so afraid of not being accepted well not me but my children not being accepted, we as adults can handle ourselves,but kids on the other hand are different what if they dont make friends? can u imagine living somewhere where hardly anybody looks like you or talk to you or accept you i don't want to subject my kids to that possiblity. i have visited the area and i know it is a beautiful place to raise kids,low crime rate,excellent schools, i just don't want to regret the move. I would like to hear from any blacks that live in the West Des Moines area, please tell me of your life there.

[tollfree]

Racism is very subtle in Iowa, most want to pretend it's not there and get very mad if anyone even brings it up.

It's a feared topic, kind of gives you an idea what it's like.

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by rhonda2k

F. I would like to hear from any blacks that live in the West Des Moines area.

That's a pretty tall order. There aren't too many blacks out that way.

[thatguy1]

Originally Posted by rhonda2k

For those of u that have read my previous Blacks in West Des Moines post I must confess that i have not relocated yet. i am so afraid of not being accepted well not me but my children not being accepted, we as adults can handle ourselves,but kids on the other hand are different what if they dont make friends? can u imagine living somewhere where hardly anybody looks like you or talk to you or accept you i don't want to subject my kids to that possiblity. i have visited the area and i know it is a beautiful place to raise kids,low crime rate,excellent schools, i just don't want to regret the move. I would like to hear from any blacks that live in the West Des Moines area, please tell me of your life there.

As a white person, I would never move to a predominatly black area..or any other area of different race.

I would just feel out of place. So I totally know where you are coming from.

I would guess that goes for people of all races...it's a comfort think. I will also say that I doubt anyone would make any issue out of you living in W DSM. Good luck whatever you decide.

[thatguy1]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Racism is very subtle in Iowa, most want to pretend it's not there and get very mad if anyone even brings it up.

It's a feared topic, kind of gives you an idea what it's like.

Yes, you are right for the most part. Most poeple couldn't care less, but most people are also racist in their own subtle way without even knowing it. That goes with all races.

[todd00]

rhonda, you might want to contact the schools your kids would be going to, ask them some questions. perhaps they can refer you to some other black parents you could speak with regarding the area. i think that would be a more sure way to find out about the schools and contact pple living in the area.

peoples perspectives here can be useful and many pple are very helpful, but dont base to much on it. if you need to make another trip to the area to feel more sure, do so. its much better to be cautious than to regret making an important move. i dont have any specific information about this area. but from living in several midwestern cities, i think most pple dont care much about race, just the quality of the person. i understand your wanting to be certain, i always recommend pple look at the data on registered sexual offenders when thinking of moving to a new area. thats good infor to know before renting or buying. good luck to you.

[tollfree]

Originally Posted by That-Guy

Yes, you are right for the most part. Most poeple couldn't care less, but most people are also racist in their own subtle way without even knowing it. That goes with all races.

yes, blacks in America being racist carries just as much weight, come on, be realistic. it's not the same, although there is a popular belief in the midwest that "blacks are racist".

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

yes, blacks in America being racist carries just as much weight, come on, be realistic. it's not the same, although there is a popular belief in the midwest that "blacks are racist".

Huh?



Ronnie, do you actually believe the stuff you say or are you just always trying to get a rise out of somebody?

[Luke9686]

Originally Posted by rhonda2k

For those of u that have read my previous Blacks in West Des Moines post I must confess that i have not relocated yet. i am so afraid of not being accepted well not me but my children not being accepted, we as adults can handle ourselves,but kids on the other hand are different what if they dont make friends? can u imagine living somewhere where hardly anybody looks like you or talk to you or accept you i don't want to subject my kids to that possiblity. i have visited the area and i know it is a beautiful place to raise kids,low crime rate,excellent schools, i just don't want to regret the move. I would like to hear from any blacks that live in the West Des Moines area, please tell me of your life there.

I have lived in a place where hardly anybody looked like us, or spoke like us. When we moved from Iowa to San Jose, we moved to a suburb called Cupertino. It's overwhelmingly Chinese. My wife, daughter, and myself were the only three white people in the neighborhood. Honestly, it was one of the best places we've lived. We were treated just like a neighbor, not outcasts. I'm sure racism exists there, but we weren't looking for it, and didn't find it. If we would have looked for racism, we probably would have found it. Asian culture is very tight nit. They stick to their own, so if we would have looked at their culture as racism, it would have been found.

That being said, if you move to West Des Moines looking for racism, it will be found. If you move there wanting to be part of the community, you will probably fit in. At first you will get some weird looks, not because people are racist, but because there aren't many blacks in West Des Moines. It's like when I lived in Cupertino, I'm sure I got some weird looks at the park, because we were the only white family. Once we spoke to people, and were friendly, the stares turned into friendships. If we would have gotten pissed off at everything we thought was racist, our lives would have been miserable. We moved in and knocked down the walls, and we loved living there.

Ronnie seems to think racism is only in backwards hickville like Iowa (sarcastic), but there is just as much racism in Los Angeles as there is in Iowa.

[thatguy1]

Originally Posted by El Rhino

Huh?



Ronnie, do you actually believe the stuff you say or are you just always trying to get a rise out of somebody?

Clearly a statement suggesting the inability of an entire race to be racist was meant to get a rise out of me...or at least I would hope he wouldn't be that ignorant.