Race Matters Less In Politics Of South

by Adam Nossiter - February 21st, 2008 - The New York Times

[A] few weeks ago, voters in a county that is more than 96 percent white chose a genial black man, James Fields, to represent them in the [Alabama] State House of Representatives. It is a historic first . . .

The New York Times works hard in this article to imply that no matter what is happening, the legacy of the South is more important than the promise of the future. I guess that really is the question though, "Have we learned anything from our history?" There is a famous quote that those who will not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

J.C. Watts represented Oklahoma, a state that is 89% white, and it was dismissed as meaningless. An anomoly that did not mean anything here in the South. "It will never happen here (meaning the South)." Now it is happening all over the South. Not everywhere yet. But it will. Or will it?

Bertie County has great promise. The beauty of our area can be used to attract people who want weekend homes for golf and water sports, retirees who will bring the economic boon of "outside" money, eco-tourism and our relaxed lifestyle. None of this will happen if we don't fix our schools and learn to work together. Part of working together includes accepting that growth must happen. If it doesn't, we will continue to ship our children to the cities and poverty will remain our legacy.

This is a good article to read as long as you remember the political bias of the newspaper that published it. It has some good lessons for our own future. If we can learn from them.