Hidden Racism
I have lived in rural Georgia for 12 years now. Most people have Black and white friends. Most elected public officials and most employed public servants clearly feel care for most of the people—-whatever their race, class, or accent—-that they encounter. When you walk into a city or county office, you experience the Southern hospitality, and even clearly stressed people do their best to help you and the other people seeking help or doing business around you. This is small town, Southern reality for us.
There is also an equally real underbelly that someone like me rarely encounters directly. So I'll share some gossip that I believe (most I had first hand, some a plausible second hand), and some statistical observations that support the gossip, and demonstrate the systemic racism—-even if I can't identify all the ways it happens.
Voter Suppression
I'll start with the statistics. According to the 2020 census, our town is about 50% white and 40% Black. I am aware of only one Black person elected as Mayor, and that man was elected as deputy mayor. The Black man only became mayor briefly when the then serving mayor had to leave office because he transferred city property to his church. (Edit: I did some checking. We currently have 3 black men on city council. I'm glad I was wrong to a degree. )
Our county is about 70% white and 25% Black. When a Black sheriff's deputy ran for county sheriff a few years ago, one of his signs outside of town had “Free Chicken” spray painted over it within a week of going up. The implication being a Black man could only be elected by promising free fried chicken to voters. I heard that during the campaign, his wife was run off the road outside of town. It was traumatic, and the sheriff candidate lost his desire to fight to win the election. He was not elected. The man who was elected ended up being prosecuted for sexual harassment (he was dumb enough to come on to a woman judge). In the most recent election, one of the sheriff candidates had assaulted a high school student, and the other had hospitalized his wife. Neither was prosecuted. But these sheriffs are preferable to electing a Black man.
Shortly after we arrived here the very popular former college president was elected as mayor. He had been a well loved president for our small, state college (~800 students). He began instituting a number of changes that would really benefit our city as a whole—-updating infrastructure, hiring a city manager, updating laws that inhibited economic growth, and more. But some of the things he was doing were upsetting to the city council. My best guess is that providing better city services for everybody was somehow costing them and their rich friends a bit more in taxes, and maybe opening things up for competition against their personal businesses. That fits with the attitude that most things should be done by families and churches, and government services for everybody should be minimal. At some point they started illegally holding city council meetings without notifying the mayor. He didn't run for a second term.
I can't pinpoint all the ways it happens. When 25% of the county is Black, and 85% of the county votes for Trump (as they did in 2020), either 40% of Black voters in the county are voting Republican or most Black voters just aren't voting. That is voter suppression in action.
I once thought it was suppression only by non-violent means. After hearing about the running off the road of the sheriff candidate's wife, and the covered up violence of our sheriffs, I'm not at all sure it's limited to non-violent tactics. I not only think it would be pointless for someone with my political views to run for office, I think I would have reason to be afraid if I started to actually be effective at changing things. I don't feel afraid as an ineffective, white, male progressive.
People around here tell me our schools are great. I have no reason to doubt them, and numerous reasons to believe them. But they don't have racially equitable outcomes. When I get the newsletter from the schools in my mailbox, the student academic honors they highlight are nearly 100% white. These children deserve the honor for their work. But the student body is 25% black. We haven't reached any real measure of equality.
To My Mormon, Republican Friends
When you, off in Utah, Idaho, or Wisconsin vote for Republicans, you are supporting systemic racism in my town. You are getting judges appointed who have claimed the racism is gone. They have said we don't need the Voting Rights Act to counter racism anymore. They have said jerrymandering is wrong, but it's not their place to do anything about it. The racially oppressive political control isn't gone. If you continue to vote for the current Republican party, you are supporting racism. It has been cloaked in other words for decades, but I am telling you it is still alive and well. It may be better than the past, but it is not innocent and it is not necessary. If you've taken the time to read this, you have three honest choices: 1. Admit you are ok with racism. However bad it is, your concerns about other things are more important. You may be right about abortion or economic policy (I don't think so), but you can still be right about those things and be a supporter of racism. 2. Quit voting for Republicans on the national stage (and local stage if they support racist policies). Start voting for people who will fight racism. Or 3. Change the Republican party. You will have to do number 2 while working on 3, but I will hope for your success.