Merlene Davis: The "State Of Black Lexington" Is Something For All Of Us To Talk About.
Davis: The "State of Black Lexington" is something for all of us to talk about
By Merlene Davis
As I listened to the dignitaries at the microphone in front of the Oteria O'Rear Community Center in Douglass Park Wednesday, I wondered what happened to our efforts to portray Lexington as a model of Southern hospitality.
Instead of straining to perpetuate the illusion that all is well, I heard University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. and Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry saying we needed to be about the business of clothing the emperor.
Todd and Newberry were praising the existence of a mirror that said this community has some problems. That mirror came in the form of the "State of Black Lexington," the result of a 10-minute phone interview with 200 whites, 200 blacks and 200 Hispanics living in Lexington in 2008.
The survey revealed that blacks, whites and Hispanics have different views of life in Lexington. Surprise, surprise, right?
I think we all know different cultures have different experiences or traditions that mold their perceptions. The problem is we don't believe those perceptions have anything to do with us.
For example, we all know blacks moan and groan all the time, whites think they are superior to others, and Hispanics are trying to take over America. That's what we have learned from afar. Those are our perceptions.
What others say about us, or what we think they think about us, sometimes serves as a mirror for how we see ourselves. But that is because we don't know one another and don't talk honestly with one another.
This report — though limited in scope and 2 years old — gives us a peek into the thinking of others.
If we use the information correctly — again, though limited in scope and 2 years old — it will allow us to sit at the breakfast table with other Lexingtonians and explore our differences and sameness.
David Cozart of the Urban League of Lexington-Fayette has worked with representatives from UK, the local government, the Lexington Commission on Race Relations and the Human Rights Commission to analyze and present the data.
The purpose of the report, Cozart said, was to allow diverse voices of Lexington to be heard. There is discontent on one page followed by contentment on the next, he said.
"The problem in the past was that some people have said, 'Well, you don't speak for me.' And that is true," he said. "This is the most representative and comprehensive voice that we know."
Heretofore, he said, our perceptions were viewed as feelings that could not be documented with data. "The existence of a paradox is now documented," Cozart said, "and it needs to be addressed."
Leanna Comer, president of research at Preston-Osborne, said the public relations firm came on board to conduct the study. She stayed until the final product was presented because, "it was one of those situations where it made me stop and think and it made me look at things in a different way," she said.
Comer has worked in Lexington since 1989. While she knew we have racial differences here, "it was not something I thought I had a vested interest in until I started seeing how this affects everyone in our community.
"It makes me realize what is good for the African-American community is good for Lexington," she said. "And that is good for me because I work here."
It's the-rising-tide-raises-all-boats thing.
So, if she knew there are perceptions and realities that differ between races, what made her stay and hold that mirror up to Lexington?
"I think it was just having conversations," said Comer, who noted that sometimes she was the only white person at the meetings where the report was formulated. She learned a lot.
Future meetings — with conversations like the ones Comer participated in — will be planned for the public.
"That is what it is going to take," Comer said. "This is not just an African-American issue. This is a Lexington issue. Until there are other people who recognize that, I don't think the problems can all be solved if there is only room for African-Americans."
She not only said the emperor is naked but she also handed him a suit of clothing.
You can check out the "State of Black Lexington" on the Urban League's Web site, ullexfay.org.
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/10/14/1478763/davis-the-state-of-black-lexington.html#ixzz12Ky1hOIn
By Merlene Davis
As I listened to the dignitaries at the microphone in front of the Oteria O'Rear Community Center in Douglass Park Wednesday, I wondered what happened to our efforts to portray Lexington as a model of Southern hospitality.
Instead of straining to perpetuate the illusion that all is well, I heard University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. and Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry saying we needed to be about the business of clothing the emperor.
Todd and Newberry were praising the existence of a mirror that said this community has some problems. That mirror came in the form of the "State of Black Lexington," the result of a 10-minute phone interview with 200 whites, 200 blacks and 200 Hispanics living in Lexington in 2008.
The survey revealed that blacks, whites and Hispanics have different views of life in Lexington. Surprise, surprise, right?
I think we all know different cultures have different experiences or traditions that mold their perceptions. The problem is we don't believe those perceptions have anything to do with us.
For example, we all know blacks moan and groan all the time, whites think they are superior to others, and Hispanics are trying to take over America. That's what we have learned from afar. Those are our perceptions.
What others say about us, or what we think they think about us, sometimes serves as a mirror for how we see ourselves. But that is because we don't know one another and don't talk honestly with one another.
This report — though limited in scope and 2 years old — gives us a peek into the thinking of others.
If we use the information correctly — again, though limited in scope and 2 years old — it will allow us to sit at the breakfast table with other Lexingtonians and explore our differences and sameness.
David Cozart of the Urban League of Lexington-Fayette has worked with representatives from UK, the local government, the Lexington Commission on Race Relations and the Human Rights Commission to analyze and present the data.
The purpose of the report, Cozart said, was to allow diverse voices of Lexington to be heard. There is discontent on one page followed by contentment on the next, he said.
"The problem in the past was that some people have said, 'Well, you don't speak for me.' And that is true," he said. "This is the most representative and comprehensive voice that we know."
Heretofore, he said, our perceptions were viewed as feelings that could not be documented with data. "The existence of a paradox is now documented," Cozart said, "and it needs to be addressed."
Leanna Comer, president of research at Preston-Osborne, said the public relations firm came on board to conduct the study. She stayed until the final product was presented because, "it was one of those situations where it made me stop and think and it made me look at things in a different way," she said.
Comer has worked in Lexington since 1989. While she knew we have racial differences here, "it was not something I thought I had a vested interest in until I started seeing how this affects everyone in our community.
"It makes me realize what is good for the African-American community is good for Lexington," she said. "And that is good for me because I work here."
It's the-rising-tide-raises-all-boats thing.
So, if she knew there are perceptions and realities that differ between races, what made her stay and hold that mirror up to Lexington?
"I think it was just having conversations," said Comer, who noted that sometimes she was the only white person at the meetings where the report was formulated. She learned a lot.
Future meetings — with conversations like the ones Comer participated in — will be planned for the public.
"That is what it is going to take," Comer said. "This is not just an African-American issue. This is a Lexington issue. Until there are other people who recognize that, I don't think the problems can all be solved if there is only room for African-Americans."
She not only said the emperor is naked but she also handed him a suit of clothing.
You can check out the "State of Black Lexington" on the Urban League's Web site, ullexfay.org.
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/10/14/1478763/davis-the-state-of-black-lexington.html#ixzz12Ky1hOIn
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