My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. In case you haven’t noticed from my recent posts, Norfolk is now undergoing the process of redistricting.
It is sometimes easy to forget that not everyone who lives in Norfolk – or Virginia, for that matter – is aware of the fact that we are under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and that our redistricting requires that race be a part of the equation.
That we are still so uncomfortable talking about it points to a much larger problem.
In the mid-1990s, I was involved with a group called Neighborhood Network, a coalition of folks from all over Norfolk. One of the things that we did was to hold a public discussion on race at one of the city’s schools. We were encouraged not to do so, because of the fear of what it would stir up. Nevertheless, we did it. And not a single fight ensued.
What I remember the most about that night – besides it being the genesis of Norfolk United Facing Race – is how it was portrayed on TV. The 10 pm news just reported what had gone on. But by 11pm, they had their chance to put a spin on it. And spin they did.
They opened the news segment with a clip of the KKK riding horses in full gear. (I still have that tape around here somewhere.) The interviews they showed were the folks on the edges of the conversation, the ones who routinely engage – some to this day – in race-baiting.
I guess it’s a lot easier to show discord than accord.
We cannot get past race until we face it head on. And that means that we need our elected representatives to face it, too. Younger people today don’t understand why the issue hasn’t gone away. They need only look to the so-called “leadership” to see why.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 