Segregation — noun: the institutional separation of an ethnic, racial, religious, or other minority group from the dominant majority (Websters.com)
I’ve written a few letters to The Citizen highlighting the audacious move by the NAACP and a handful of county citizens to use racism (or more correctly the appearance of racism as borne out by lack of success at the polls) to elect their chosen candidates, and I am heartened to see more thoughtful citizens speak up.
Some of these people are frequent contributors to public discourse, while others have been drawn out of their daily lives because of the frustration brought about by this transparent misuse of a law designed to protect minorities to instead artificially ensure that a Democrat gets to sit at the dias.
We all know that there were once real and concrete racial inequities in our country, and the nationwide violence that erupted following Dr. King’s assassination was the true wake-up call for all Americans.
Actions instituted to right the wrongs of our nation included desegregation as a primary goal. White children were forcibly bussed to predominantly black schools while black students were likewise forcibly bussed to predominately white schools. This experiment, however ultimately unsuccessful, was carried out in the name of desegregation.
The U.S. military removed all vestiges of segregation to treat all soldiers, airmen, and sailors as equals. Any law that supported segregated schools or other public areas were deemed invalid and overturned. Public transportation was desegregated as were amateur and professional athletic leagues. Only by breaking down the barriers of segregation could all citizens have access to freedom.
Fast-forward to 2015 in Fayette County, Ga. Along comes the NAACP with a lawsuit whose stated aim is fairness in the county government but whose means will build virtual walls to once again codify racial segregation, this time in perpetuity.
Based upon the ridiculous mapping required to create a majority minority district, Fayette is already less racially separated than many other places in our state and country and the population continues to change.
What happens when a thousand white people move into the majority minority district or when a thousand black people move out? Necessarily the map will have to be redrawn to again segregate the majority minority district — or expect more lawsuits.
Rather than following the original goals of the civil rights movement of a nation without racial boundaries, have we instead come to a place where majority rule (when the majority is not a minority) is defined as unfair if that majority does not elect any member of a minority and where we artificially reduce the voting power of the majority by in fact instituting political segregation so that there is no more majority?
This is not hypothetical; district voting has the exact effect of eliminating majority rule. It will not matter if 4 out of 5 commissioners are from the majority race or party, each has only to answer to the voters of their home district. By definition, there is no more majority voice; divide and conquer is the end game of the left.
My opinion from the start of this cynical lawsuit has been that the actions of the suit are 180 degrees out of alignment with the leaders of the original civil rights movement.
Far from living up to Dr. King’s dream of a land where one’s race was subservient to one’s character and abilities, instead of teaching our youth to be communicative, persuasive, impassioned, and focused, this suit and the federal judge’s rulings tell us to assume that the reason for our current position or failure is likely due to our race.
The message left is that no minority candidate, however talented and willing to campaign for votes in Fayetteville, Tyrone, Brooks, and Peachtree City, to communicate ideas and ideals that resonate with the majority, and who displays a passion to serve, can ever be elected to county office simply because of their skin tone unless the county is racially segregated, thereby eliminating the need for that or any candidate to reach outside of their own demographic.
This does not sound like victory to me. But living up to a greater ideal is not the goal of this suit. It is simple gerrymandering for political gain and segregation is once again a useful means to an end.
Alan Felts
Peachtree City, Ga.
