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My husband and I moved to Georgia from the Seattle area almost 5 years ago. I can tell you hands down (race and religion) play a major role here. Most try to hide it or say the " I am not racist, but" which means they are racist. I had never in my life experienced any problems with racism living back home. Not to say there were no racist just so few that I never had an encounter with one.
My husband is black and I am white. We have been stared at, pointed at, and asked to leave some restraunts. My daughter at 4 years old and in pre-k came home telling me how her class was talking about how she is black and they are white, etc. I have been called a n****r lover and my daughter has been called names. We have gone to car lots and homes and been treated poorly and heard comments as we left.
I orginally signed up to go to Fort Valley State University when I got here because it was such a great deal. It is a historically black college. My reception there went from outright hostility to being welcomed as any other student.
That said.... The majoritity of people are fine and are nice. I would say it is a 30/60 split (30% racist). About 5% id outright. It is worse if you are an interracial family. For us the worst of it is from black people, but it has come from both. Even in church. There are towns where race does not seem to come into play and towns where it does. There are towns who still have segregated proms and pictures in the year book under most likely .. etc. have both white and then black students.
I think the problem is everyone is so focused on diversity they are just widening the gap. Add that to the fact that some people still seem to be very bitter about things that happend 100+ years ago. It can be hard to let go of such a history as what had happened here. Both sides need to let go, but they will decide the timetable. The history here has some very low point, but some very proud and good points as well. Also, some of it is that some people still don't mix allot. I made a friend is school who had allot of misconceptions about black people. She was afraid to meet my family at first, but now her and her husband are our closest friends. So give some of them a chance. You can't expect everyones life experiences to be the same.
We live in on base at Robins just outside of Macon. The city here in Warner Robins is really mostly nice, and racism rarely comes outright. It does in some conversations, but mostly it is okay. I think the school systems are about average in this town. Some towns have great school systems, other are poor. You just have to look around.
I think if you don't worry about it you will be fine. I love Georgia for all the things there are to do. There is six flags, stone mountain, american adventures, white water, wild adventures, loads of nature centers, the High museum, science centers, museum of natural art and history, and just so very close to florida and all that you can do down there. There are allot of great things to take your kids too and the Atlanta Zoo is great. AFter you live here for awhile you won't notice it so much because you won't be so sensitive about everythign. Everywhere you go in the country is going to have its ups and downs. Pros and cons. I think the pros of living here greatly outweight the cons and it is worth it. And I have made some wonderful friends here. Some of the people are just like instand best friends. Very warm and friendly.
Oh, yeah and I almost forgot. I hope you like sweet tea! I swear they serve it everywhere!! I don't like tea much but my girls and my hubby absolutely love it.
I am not surprised that you had such bad experiences. I have lived in GA for 13 years and what I have noticed is that atitudes towards interracial marriages go from shaking head tolerance to blunt hatred, although there are exceptions.
Hello. Growing up in hagerstown, Md and working in Frederick, Md....I can tell you that while there might be the KKK in Frederick County, however, there is now shortage of African Americans. I have some good friends who went to Frederick High School, and were the minority there being caucasian. Frederick is somewhat diverse.....Atlanta on the other hand is mostly black.......what is so diverse about Atlanta???
That's another misconception about Atlanta. It is true that city of Atlanta is majority black (it actually dropped from 65% to 52% in the past six years due to gentification taken place in city), but city of atlanta only covers 450,000, less than 10% of Atlanta MSA of 5.5 million.
Overall, white americans stilll overwhelming majority within Atlanta MSA area and black population is close to 30%.
Atlanta is very spreadout city. Depend on where you live, there are a lot mixed or predominate one race. It is very difficult to make generalization, IMO. If you want true diversity population in atlanta area, pick either North Druid hill area (Emory U) or North Gwinnett (Duluth/Suwanee/Dacula/Hamiliton Mill) area.
I am in an interracial married( Wm BF) and we moved from the Dc area( Mont County) to Atlanta. LOL@the fredneck reference since it was a term only a DC area native would know. On a more serious note, I have noticed that Atlanta is pretty segregated especially in the suburbs. I remember being shocked when visiting parks where I was the only minority. We searched long and hard to find a community where we could feel at home and we found a great community in the Grant Park area.
As an interracial couple my husband and I are frequently asked if we want separate checks, in restaurants and at the grocery stores. Also frequently African Americans look at us with disgust, and Caucasians have a shocked look on their face when my husband approaches me. I would like the original poster to know that it is not a hostile environment, but it does take some getting used to. I see it as a compromise for such a low cost of living.
My husband and I moved to Georgia from the Seattle area almost 5 years ago. I can tell you hands down (race and religion) play a major role here. Most try to hide it or say the " I am not racist, but" which means they are racist.
My husband is black and I am white. We have been stared at, pointed at, and asked to leave some restraunts. I have been called a n****r lover and my daughter has been called names. We have gone to car lots and homes and been treated poorly and heard comments as we left.
That said.... The majoritity of people are fine and are nice. I would say it is a 30/60 split (30% racist).
Add that to the fact that some people still seem to be very bitter about things that happend 100+ years ago.
We live in on base at Robins just outside of Macon. The city here in Warner Robins is really mostly nice, and racism rarely comes outright.
If I may address some of this with my personal takes on it.
1) I disagree that people who say they aren't racist "means they are racist". A racist hates everyone who is of a particular race, period. I've actually met VERY few people here who would qualify as a "racist" by the true definition of it. Are there prejudices? Yes, on both sides. Prejudice isn't the same as racist however. Usually when I see a problem is when people try to act like a stereotype around others. Example - a black man walks in with a white woman, the man has dreds, ***** his head back, pops out a "MF" word or two, etc (as in attitude). Yes, he will encounter "problems" if he goes into a predominately white area acting like that. On the same note, if a white guy covered with tattoos who has a Rebel flag sticker on his pickup truck goes into a black area, he's going to encounter the same time of prejudice. In other words, regardless of your color - if you act like a stereotype you'll not get a red carpet.
2) The "N** lover" comments. Well I'm in metro Atlanta and have been here 22 years and I've never heard any whites (or latinos or asians) make that comment or similar. Certainly I've never heard of people being asked to leave a restaurant - at least not more recently than 35 years ago. In areas like Macon you perhaps may hear of certain issues, but nothing that blatant. I know someone who lives in Columbus (a similar sized area) and this type of conversation came up once and he said that he too, has never heard those kinds of comments made.
3) Granted, yes, people here do tent to have an odd "living in the past" thing going on. The Whites still think the South will rise again and take over the country, march around the city in Confederate uniforms on Confederate day, etc etc., and the blacks want everyone who's alive today to continue paying for what some of their ancestors did more than a century ago. Yes, people here DO that, but it's happening less and less as more and more move into the area. Religion is a major thing here, and that's unlikely to change.
I would certainly not agree that "30%" of the people here are racist. I think in many cases it's a certain level of people from certain areas who move here being too politically correct. I mean, I've worked with people who come out here from California or other areas of the West coast, and if you use the term "black" instead of "African American", they immediately call you racist, too. I think some areas of the country are far too "PC" and under a hair trigger mentality to call racism where it's not there.
Yes, in some small southern towns you will still find your bigots and heehaw mentalities, but unless one or the other spouse has a huge attitude and visible chip on their shoulder, I don't think a mixed couple should have issues in 90% of the places in Georgia anymore.
I live in Warner Robins and I must say that I flat out dont believe that anyone would be asked to leave a restaurant based on race....Not trying to be rude, but I dont buy it. Warner Robins is a very diverse town (because of the base there) and the city has thrived for years because of its diversity and ability to welcome all kinds of people.
Also, I agree with an earlier poster...there is a difference between racism and prejudice. I am a white male who married a white female....I have never dated a black female...not because I hate the black race...but because I prefer white females..its that simple. Dont read more into things than is actually there...
Contrary to some of the folks who pretend like they don't understand what you're saying ... I do.
Yes, much of Georgia is about 20-25 years behind in terms of satisfying their homogenous zones. Blacks stick with Blacks and Browns stick with Browns; and provides safe cover for the White majority who prefers it that way. It's a built-in excuse to continue some rather antiquated ways.
Like you, I'm very disappointed with metro Atlanta and all of the self-segregating. By now, you would think that someone would have taken the lead in changing things, but such is not the case--for the most part anyway.
Georgia may be "integrated", but that just means that segregation isn't the law anymore. It's got a long way to go before people will get their acts together, get over their petty ethnic and racial phobias, and actually appreciate true diversity.
Like I said ... I know what you were saying. And the mocking you received is simply good ol' fashioned resistance to change.
Contrary to some of the folks who pretend like they don't understand what you're saying ... I do.
Like you, I'm very disappointed with metro Atlanta and all of the self-segregating. By now, you would think that someone would have taken the lead in changing things, but such is not the case--for the most part anyway.
See.. I just don't get this. I don't think anyone is "pretending" to not know what the OP is talking about - I just don't think most people have seen what she claims to have gone through.
I've been in Atlanta for over 20 years. I've never seen a mixed couple denied access to anywhere, looked at funny just for being mixed couples, or asked to leave a restaurant. As a matter of fact, many years ago there was ONE instance where a black man and a white woman came in to eat (I worked in the restaurant at the time). The man got drunk and started talking VERY loudly using the F and MF words, and many customers were complaining. The manager asked him if he needed a cab and the guy does the "F-you" to him, so he told him and his GF to leave. As he was leaving the guy was mouthing off stuff like , "you white MF - kickin' me out because you don't like me with one of your white women..."... yadda yadda you get the whole condensed story by now.
He wasn't kicked out for his color, his girlfriends color, or anything else other than an obnoxious attitude, yet, he immediately made it a racial issue and no doubt later he told every one of his friends that a restaurant kicked him out because he was black, or black with a white girl, etc. So then more and more people hear his version of the story and think that "restaurant X" is racist, etc. Likewise not long ago that one restaurant owner refused to serve O.J. Simpson, so he left, and his lawyer is suing the place for discrimination - yet, 50% of the restaurants clients are famous black sports stars, and one of the owners best customers and friend Michael Jordan supports his decision - yet O.J. still says the people are racist.
The point - if you look under stones enough and have a very vivid imagination, you can find racism anywhere... even where it doesn't exist.
Yes, it does exist in some places still - there's no denying that. I'm just saying that sometimes some of these stories you hear MAY be where people are paranoid or in a few case may even have done something themselves to offend the locals to cause a bad reaction, and then they claim that reaction was based on race rather than simply their being obnoxious.
I live 22+ miles West of the city and in my neighborhood we have white people, black people (well, American Brown if you want to be specific), a girl from Africa (black, not brown), and a couple from India. No issues. Closer to the city you see an even larger mix of people living close to each other and I can guarantee you, you'll not see eyebrows even raise if a mixed couple of any type walks into a restaurant or store.
Greg, you missed (or avoided) the point. The OP's focus is on how little effort is made by Georgians to diversely interact. She doesn't appear to be concerned about statistics, or who was refused lunch service; nor is she looking for evidence of forced segregation. She's simply saying what other transplants from modern and contemporary areas of the country are saying: Too many Georgians--White AND Black--are still wed to past behaviors of non-association and separate living arrangements.
People who prefer diverse interaction aren't "looking under rocks" for anything. We just like the idea that our society is multi-faceted, and that we're better for it.
Lets make sure we keep this thread on topic, posting only material which relates directly to Georgia. We don't want to turn this into a discussion which belongs in a general US forum.
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