Blacks and Whites in Fort Lauderdale
The Nation is talking about race. The talk has been generated due to the possibility of the first African-American President, or more accurately, the first Mulatto President (Senator Obama's father was Black and his mother White).
And talking about race is important, and uncomfortable. We baby boomers grew up in an America where the color of one's skin did matter. We still remember the race riots of the 1960's, the assassination of Dr. King, and forced busing.
On the other hand, there is no question that the Country has come a long way since then. There are the most obvious signs: it is no longer socially acceptable to utter racial epithets, (the "N" word has been erased from usable public language), and most folks now disregard bigots and racists. And there are the more substantial improvements, such as more attention to inner-city schools, and better opportunities of upward mobility for Blacks.
So all this got me thinking about our town, and how much progress we have made in the issue of the racial divide. And it led me to the map below. It describes the demographic make-up of our City - by geography.
It shows that though we may have made progress in disregarding color as important to the judging of one's character, we still don't live together.
This is a map of the City.
The darkest area in the map is where most of the Blacks in Fort Lauderdale live. Those boundaries are basically west of Federal Highway, between Broward Blvd. and Sunrise Blvd., and run to the City's western border at US 441. Some of the neighborhoods in this section are 90% or more Black.
The lightest areas on the map have the fewest concentration of Black citizens. Many of these neighborhoods are as much as 95% or more White. The medium shades on the map are diverse to some degree, but generally are either predominately Black, or predominately White.
Does it matter? ....Will it change over time?.... Does it need to? ....I'm curious what you think.
The Visionaries know that for a strong and growing city and one that is safe, we must bring in all people into the growth of this city (an all Inclusive City), that welcomes all peoples, White & black. That is why I support the Light Rail that is being proposed recently to go to Sistrunk. That should encourage growth and job's. We the Visionaries should work on more ideas to bridge the divide that we have today with the white and blacks and make it change for the better.
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Hell no, we need to keep one Black District so there can be one king.
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Interesting article Tim, cannot wait to read the comments that may follow from it.
Trust me, I am far from being a racists, I have many friends that are black, & I also have been involved with a black man for years!
(my opinion) The Nation has always talked about "race" an always will in many ways.(just to many inmatue idiots out there)It is a shame however, for the "blacks" have come a long way since the 60'S.(I remember going shopping where bathrooms & drinking fountains were marked "Black" & another "White.
What does bother me though is how "blacks" being called the "N" word by a white person they pull the race card, but yet it is okay for a black person call a white a "cracker." Is this not being a racists?
Will the city change as to the map? I doubt it. Why I say this is because I feel that there are blacks & whites that cannot accept today's world.
However, I feel that there is "good" in everyone no matter their race, just as there is "bad."
God created all of his childeren to be equal, should be time that his children understand this! Should not matter what race you are or where you came from ~
As the Sly & the Family Stones sang "We Are Family!"
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Charlaton,
I am sorry that you feel this way, but yet I understand.
Thank God your "king" will no longer be CBM come this next election.
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There is no doubt that the geography described in former commissioners Smith insightful comments is a result of the shameful racial segregation that drove the creation of our neighborhoods in the period from 1910 through the 1950’s. However while it is important to understand how we got here I think it’s a lot more important to understand where we’re going. I think while well intentioned, school bussing is an example of how “integration” can diffuse the voice of minorities. Parents with an economically and culturally similar background will most certainly have different priorities than those with a different life experience. Those priorities will most certainly show up in school policies. Bussing a relatively small number of black students to a predominantly white school means diluting or eliminating the voice of black parents on PTA night. Is the cross-cultural experience in school important enough to offset this imbalance? I don’t know. I do know there were many law suites in the 1960’s, including a few that made their way to the United States Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the practice of racially gerrymandering political bounders to keep black Americans from being elected to public office. This was a cause that I and most other rational Americans supported. However gerrymandering becomes a mutt issue if a district does not have a black majority. The reality is that for any group of citizens to have a voice they must elect fellow citizens to speak and act for them and that can only happen if enough of those like minded citizens live together in the same neighborhoods. There is no getting around this. So the real question for us, going forward, is not where a group of people lives but how they live.
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Everyone should listen (again) to Obama's speech on race, and then......have the "audacity to hope" and the energy to work at change. Ask Tim how much energy it takes!
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