Racism/Georgia (Atlanta, Gainesville, Suwanee: schools, live in, vs)

[backfist]

I think Georgia's coming along. One can live just about anywhere in the Atlanta metro area and not encounter overt racial or ethnic issues (that's overt--the subtle stuff still happens in private). But in the next 20 years or so, we will have progressed that much more, and anybody of any color will be free to live in the city, suburbs, or mountains with much less concern about prejudice, bias, etc.

[layneed]

I've lived near the 85 part of gwinnet county for the past 8 years, and around the us before then. i never knew hatred before i came to georgia. but i can say that i just didn't recognise it before. i'm white and i've lived in mostly latino neighborhoods since i've been here. i seem to get more stares from the white people than i do the latinos. i went to meadowcreek high school and never had problems with the....reverse racism. but now that i'm older and more aware of things around me, it has become more apparent that the thing isn't neccisarily rasism more than it is segregation. people want to be around those like them. music plays a big part of that. hip hop is primarily black so black people hang together. just like rock people hang with one another and country hang together. that's why it kills me when you have a black guy who likes rock music get classified as white. it seems that the music is caught up in the crosshairs of segregation as well. i know it's a long time before eeryone will learn to accept everyone for who they are, but i think it's on the right path.

[adnama52]

The biggest differences I can see in groups of people is specifically a result of their upbringing and attitude, and familial culture in general
Now the hammer has hit the nail on the head. More than skin color seperates people. Their culture, their beliefs. Like another stated most humans feel comfortable around those that they share things in common with and feel safe around. Kinda natural. It is intellectually stimulating to experience other cultures and maybe even adopt some of their ways. But the shoe that is comfortable is the culture you were nurtured in. As you get mature you should take out the bad and keep the good. Obviously the creator enjoys variety cause anglo saxon white is not all the world is made of.
And as far as living, all but in the remote mountain area around Atlanta is a pretty good melting pot of it's own.

[DisgustaTruth]

Take a trip to Augusta and take a trip to 40 years in the past.

[Scraper Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by jeanifca

Hi,
We are here in South Florida and making our first trip to GA at the end of the month. We are looking at Kennesaw and Woodstock. I am starting to be a little concerned about racism. We are a tri-racial family. I'm German/American, husband is Cuban and the love of our life is our 2 year old adopted Chinese daughter. My husband has voiced concerns over this and I have always told him it is nothing to worry about. I am just looking for some input. Since So FLo is such a melting pot it has never been a problem. We are moving his parents and my mother to. Our housing selection will be based on a good school district for our daughter and possibly any other children we adopt. We need to have our parents close by and access to doctors etc for them. We are not looking to live in a all hispanic or asian area as we do not now. We actually live in a mostly Jewish neighborhood. I hope this does not offend anyone as I was not sure about posting this or not. I just wanted to get some input for myself before making the trip.
Thank you for any replies.

First of all, I doubt that any white neighbors will want you living beside them, as most blacks in a black neighborhood, etc. will want whites living beside them.

Second of all, "racism", a term invented by communist, Leon Trotsky, and a method to silence people's thoughts, isn't any worse here than it is any place in the US or in the world. It may have manifested itself more, as it is more diverse when compared to a more homogeneous north. I highly doubt that you'll see any differences between South Florida and here. In fact, I'm sure it is worse in south Florida, as the Americans don't like the Spanish take-over, and the newcomers aren't exactly fond of American ways. I've known more than enough people from south Florida to tell you that it isn't exactly a less tense area. Diverse areas by nature are tense.

[charolastra00]

I think this has already been fleshed out pretty well, but I'll put in my 2 cents. If there had been the internet in 1990 when my family moved to Georgia, I guarantee you we NEVER would have moved there. Visits just can't describe the full brunt of the racism, anti-semitism, and just plain ignorance of some areas. I was harassed throughout my youth because I didn't "know" to hide my Judaism. We go the whole cross burned on our lawn thin and everything in Forsyth County. My best friend moved to Cumming in 1997 as the adopted Korean daughter of white parents and even into the early 2000s, when her parents, myself, and her neighbor who happened to be black walked into a store in Cumming or parts of Alpharetta, we would be completely ignored and get horrifically dirty looks. The first black girl in my elementary school didn't move to the community until 1994- and was the first person of color most of my classmates had ever met (and it took me years to figure out that that was the reason why I was her only friend).

Some areas of metro Atlanta are great. Decatur, for instance, is wonderful. But while the Southern areas of Forsyth county have gotten a lot better, I will still never go back once I'm done with college (in Boston) and don't have breaks where I have to go stay with my parents.. that's how painful of a place it is to me.

[moira1963]

I am in Kennesaw....I would not worry about it all. It is a very nice place, with alot of great people. It really doesn't matter where you go, you are going to find some ignorance. In the community I live in there are several multi-racial families, and they are happy and so is everyone else. Like others have stated, Florida isn't the only melting pot. You will be just fine.

Good luck on choosing your new home!

[theguat!!]

As a person who has grown up in the "ghetto" of Princeton, NJ I feel that racism isnt a big deal in Metropolitan Atlanta. I myself am a Guatemalan and i have the appearance of a white male... I have a african american girlfriend and I do not see the difference between a white, black, hispanic woman... I treat her with all the respect a gentleman can offer.. but to hear such stories about racism which always turn out to have a tragic ending... it makes me think.., " Is this America? What happened on September 11th? We all came together at that time... but when a conflict between the Americans gets in the way we discriminate... That is not American like..." I was discriminated against whilst young in middle school but when showed people how smart i was then people thought i was white... when we did projects on our lives... people found out the REAL me... Most people thought I was white.. until i set them straight... no one treated me differently... even on the foot ball team.... if you dont believe this i dont no what else there is for Americans to believe...mod cut- don't post URL's to myspace accounts!

[johndoeboy]

GA does have alot of racism, just read the comments on this site about people from other races.

[Tidbits]

Racism is everywhere. As long as you move forward and don't let it consume you, you will be able to handle any situation you are confronted with. Just be tolerant as Racism is synonymous with Ignorance, and Ignorance is Bliss. You are a step ahead when you can look at folks who are racists or how demonstrate acts of racism, and realize that you are actually a step ahead of them. Don't let that deter you in making your next move. Good luck.