It is evident that the NAACP complaint filed in federal court alleging that the election process in Fayette County is a “racist process” designed to elect only white candidates and deny black candidates a fair shot at winning elections is without merit.
Our county Board of Commissioners and Board of Education must stand firm against these allegations and oppose outcomes that conflict with fundamental American values and principles of government.
Fayette County voters (of all races and ethnic origin) tend to vote based on the issues and are well-known for electing the candidates they believe would represent them best.
Such was the case in the recent election of a black candidate who is now the mayor-elect in the city of Fayetteville. His victory was not based on his race or the color of his skin, but on the content of his character, his record, and his outstanding qualifications. His victory is an undeniable and irrefutable contradiction to the NAACP’s complaint.
To proclaim that the election process in this county is rooted in racism is not only destructive to the growth, prosperity and common good of this county, but is a “no win,” self-defeating venture that will give rise to separatism, isolationism, and alienation at a time when the citizens of our county want unity.
County schools, businesses, and government have demonstrated through their fair and equal hiring practices that they support and promote inclusion and welcome diversity.
I know this first hand: the Fayette County Board of Education hired me to serve as a school administrator from 1997-2007. It was the most gratifying job I ever had. I joined the Fayette County Republican Party in 2011. In March of 2015 the party’s county convention elected me as its chairman. I just cannot conceive that the delegates who unanimously voted for me were motivated by racism.
This leads me to ask this question, “Why did we (and keep in mind that people of all races put their lives on the line too in the struggle for civil rights) fight for decades to achieve equal rights only to diminish the gains by filing lawsuits seeking to be separated and isolated?” The answer is blowing in the wind.
“When we had to be separate but equal that was bad. But now seeking to be equal but separate is equally as bad.”
Tyrone K. Jones
Chairman, Fayette County Republican Party
Fayetteville, Ga.
