Race and You

Greenville is a mid-sized city located in the upstate of South Carolina. Greenville is located approximately halfway between the big cities of Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina along Interstate I-85. Of a population of about 86,000 people: 62% are white and 34% are African-American , 3% of our population are Hispanic and 1% are Asian. The economy here was formerly based largely on textile manufacturing and our city was once known as "The Textile Capital of the World!" In the last few decades, low wages and favorable tax benefits have lured foreign companies to invest heavily in the area. The city is the North American headquarters for Michelin and is home to the manufacturing arm of BMW in the US. These major plants provide many jobs for the population through direct and temporary employment. Which is an issue I will further investigate and explore in my research. I, personally can not recall a time when I have experienced racism. Prejudices, maybe, but rarely racism. Psychology teaches that most people can forget unpleasant times in their past that they feel they need not remember. University of Connecticut professor Jack Dovidio, who has researched racism for more than 30 years, estimates up to 80 percent of white Americans have racist feelings they may not even recognize. And I’m sure that goes the same for the other races. After reading some quotes from Turnleft.com (liberalism website) I began to question the racism In my community. In this paper I will address the diverse population of Greenville, SC, the racism we face, and ways to overcome the racism in our community.

My Greenville, SC

I live in an older more traditional subdivision named Belle Meade Community in the outskirts of the city of Greenville. The families here in Belle Meade are mostly African-American. It isn’t considered the “ghetto” like some other smaller parts of Greenville that are also home to mostly African-Americans, it’s more of a lower middle class. As I stated earlier, I don’t feel I have been a victim of racism but looking into what other people have to say about Greenville, SC makes me wonder if I have been a little blind. TurnLeft.com is called the home of liberalism on the web. They have forums discussing towns in the United States, the population and their way of life there; liberalism or conservatism. Here are a few quotes I found about Greenville, SC from former residents:

“Try Greenville, S.C. on for size. Prior to the Olympics, County Council passed a "pro-family" resolution that essentially condemned any lifestyle other than that of the religious/reactionary right. For county employees, just saying anything that does not fit in with that way of thinking can bring informal reprimands...nothing official, but it will show up in your evaluation. This is the buckle on the bible belt...home to Bob Jones University, a bastion of proponents who want to return to the dark ages. Positive signs...the city council wouldn't touch the resolution with a ten foot pole, more out of town industry and money is moving in, with broader world views, and you can closet yourself as a liberal...just never say anything unless you know the person is of a like mind...sorry gays and people who live "differently"...its not healthy here.”

“Greenville is the most conservative city in arguably the most conservative state in the union. Greenville, with a population approaching 100,000 is home to Bob Jones University. Calling this "educational" institution the most conservative, knee-jerk backwater Christian-coalition-financed university in the US is hardly doing justice to this monstrosity. This paragon of higher learning forbids inter-racial dating (indeed forbids ANY dating among its students, unless chaperoned), routinely produces productions of Shakespeare plays with the "bad parts" cut out (one recent production of "The Tempest" cut out the masque at the wedding of Ferdinand and Miranda which features the goddesses Ceres and Juno and replaced it with a Christian prayer), boycotts theatre productions like "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Six Degrees of Separation" and "Les Miserables" and has several of their graduates in positions of local and state government.”

“Greenville County (for which Greenville is the county seat) has not voted for a Democratic President since 1944. Heck, Senator Fritz Hollings is considered to be too liberal for them.”

“You could not be more right on your opinion of Greenville, S.C. I had the unpleasant experience of living there for 4 years and it was the most racist, sexist, small minded and backwards place I have ever seen in my life..”

A Leader’s View

These views made me take a closer look at my opinion of my hometown, which I had assumed was “up-to-date” on letting go of racism and embracing diversity. I interviewed a well respected Holiness Pastor in my community. I realized that I shared a lot of her conservative views on religion, racism, and family life as a whole, while still considering liberal views. Her opinion of Bob Jones University which is a huge University in