Push for Change
Having served as president of the Knoxville Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for the past eleven years, I have encountered many strong and varied opinions on the degree of racism in East Tennessee in general and Knox County in particular, the most common of which is the standard denial of any type of racial problem in Knox County.
The incidents that I see and hear on a daily basis through my work with the NAACP clearly demonstrate a dire need for columns such as the one written by Attica Scott (Color Conscious) in Metro Pulse. In Knox County there is a belief that if you don't experience a problem of racism, or see yourself as a problem, then there is no problem. Many people in this society turn a blind eye to the degradation and humiliation that people of color are forced to go through simply because of the color of their skin. The racial profiling that goes on both in the streets and in the institutions of this country is shameful, but it is still very prevalent.
Like most citizens, I would like to see a "color blind" society, but I realize that we are not much nearer to that type of society in December of 2001 than we were in December of 1954, the year the Brown versus the Topeka, Kas. Board of Education decision outlawing the so-called "separate but equal" doctrine became law of the land.
Keep up the good work, Attica. Your honesty and forthrightness is refreshing and encouraging to those of us who operate in the trenches of the civil rights struggle everyday. I also thank Metro Pulse for having the courage to publish a column that tells it like it is. One of the things that I have learned over the years is that if you speak the truth it will generally evoke a response, either positive or negative. The good thing about the truth is that it usually forces people to either defend or change their beliefs. Nothing else will ever change our society.
Dewey Roberts
President, Knoxville Branch, NAACP
Hail the Critic
This note is to express my appreciation of the great criticism of the last novel of Richard Marius in the Nov. 29 issue. Congratulations are in order for Ms. Jeanne McDonald who wrote this rare piece.
Nicholas J. Chase
Knoxville
How 'bout KJO?
I would like to add a plus to the "year in review" [Dec. 20] by mentioning the accomplishments of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Vance Thompson. This group of 17 outstanding musicians has made two CDs, performed at many area concerts including several at Fairbanks with guest artists, been featured at the Abingdon Jazz Festival last spring and most notably toured Europe last summer, playing at the Montreux Jazz Festival and at Vienne, France and Escary, Spain. This group has brought national and international recognition to Knoxville.
William P. "Bill" Scarlett
Professor Emeritus, UT
Knoxville
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