ATLANTA -- The campaign for mayor of this city, which has long promoted its racial tolerance, veered into controversy Thursday with the release of a memo urging black voters to unite around an African-American candidate and block the election of a white mayor.
A local group known as the Black Leadership Forum called for African-Americans to consolidate their support around Lisa Borders, president of the Atlanta City Council and one of several African-American candidates, according to a memo circulated on the Web and to local media.
"For the last 25 years Atlanta has represented the breakthrough for black political empowerment in the South," read the memo. "In order to defeat a Norwood (white) mayoral candidacy we have to get out now and work in a manner to defeat her without a runoff, and the key is a significant Black turnout."
The memo was the sharpest signal yet of overt racial politics creeping into the competition to replace Shirley Franklin, elected as the city's first female mayor in 2001. Atlanta was the first Southern city to elect an African-American mayor, Maynard H. Jackson, in 1973. No white candidate has mounted a serious campaign for the office since then.
But Atlanta's demographics have shifted drastically in the past decade. The city of about 440,000 people remains a majority African-American city. But the proportion of voting-age residents who are white or Hispanic has grown.
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Can someone tell me how this is not a coordinated effort to defeat a minority candidate soley on the grounds of the color of their skin?
Let's be honest, this is Atlanta we're talking about. Afternoon thundershowers stir up racial tension in that town.
ReplyDeleteThe city too busy to hate...
ReplyDelete... but we can find time for some racial pimpin'.
Sounds like the Obama campaign. I've talked to Obama supporters who knew nothing of his policies, only that he was black and not Bush.
ReplyDeleteWhatever works I guess.
I agree that there were probably many people that voted for barrack just becaue he was "black and not Bush" but I also believe there were a similar number of people who voted for Mcain because he was "white and not Obama". I also don't think it should be suprising that the "BLACK LEADERSHIP FORUM" is advocating BLACK people elect a BLACK LEADER. So I think we're kind of missing the point. The real question should be whether or not having a Black Leadership Forum is a proper thing to do. I'm assuming they're a private group which means they can do whatever the crap they want.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any group advocating Black Leadership should be advising anyone at anytime to vote for someone because they are black.
ReplyDeleteHow about because they are the best candidate who happens to be black?
The memo, if you read it, was only about race. And that is racism because in Atlanta whites are the minority.
BTW, I voted for Shirley Franklin, a black, woman, Democrat.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, just saying they are a private group and can say whatever they want, but I guess that is besides the point.
ReplyDelete