18 JAN 09: Can We All Get Along?

The RiverCenter downtown hosted two big events Saturday night. The Columbus Symphony Orchestra had a concert in Bill Heard Hall, which featured Gustav Holst's "The Planets." The smaller theater had a forum on racial diversity - and viewers discovered local racial communities are NOT on different planets after all.

A televised and web-cast OneColumbus town hall meeting on diversity brought out a wide range of local leaders - from the police chief to the incoming school superintendent to the Chamber of Commerce President. And amidst all their comments, African-American people spoke as well....

Statistics shown at the beginning of the forum reminded you of how diverse Columbus is. The population is now 48-percent African-American, 44-percent white, 6.6-percent Hispanic - and scoffers would say the remaining people are running motels and Chinese restaurants.

Several people sent e-mail comments, which were shown at the forum. One accused "professional agitators" of stirring racial tension, citing the "Ku Klux Klan and NAACP." That doesn't seem quite right to me -- because the Klan often comes across as rank amateur.

Columbus NAACP President Bill Madison was NOT at the diversity forum. Margaret Jenkins spoke for the civil rights group, denying it's a "radical organization." She added the NAACP "takes on the personality of its leader" - which may explain why it's never hosted a "Comedy Jam."

Margaret Jenkins added a bit of history I never knew. Did you realize the NAACP was founded 100 years ago by "Southern whites?" That's what she said. I'm not sure exactly when so many of them fled to the Urban League....

The town hall meeting examined all sorts of local issues, from crime and education to employment. But several key points kept coming up from speakers, including the importance of the family. Parents should teach their children about everything from tolerance to language -- while hopefully not teaching intolerant foul language.

A former chaplain at Rutledge State Prison put it simply during the forum: "Prejudice is not inherited. It's learned." Wow - do you mean babies in the South are NOT automatically born with red necks?

Another frequent topic at the "Building Bridges" town hall was the so-called "Macon Road divide" between North and South Columbus. Sad to say, there's only one bridge over Macon Road -- and drivers go so quickly on Interstate 185 that they never stop to talk.

Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley spoke on tape, saying the new skateboard park and soon-coming ice rink at South Commons will help the "Macon Road divide" disappear. If that doesn't work, we might make the "Aflac Outdoor Games" a year-round affair - and invite young people to come saw firewood for free.

But other speakers at the town hall said the divisions of Columbus are NOT drawn down Macon Road. They're matters of economics, social upbringing - and even of the heart. The last one certainly divides the single guys from the married ones....

Mike Gaymon of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce said people tend to discount years of improvements in Columbus South - from the Civic Center to RoadAmerica, and even the main library on the south side of Macon Road. And as we all know, the library won't be truly appreciated until the asphalt behind it is turned into pastureland.

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren told the forum his department has to "address a lot of black-on-black crime." But a white police investigator took offense to an e-mail claim that "out-of-control" African-American youth lead to racial tensions. She said youth of ALL backgrounds are out of control - which could make this a big week for sales of home security systems.

Police statistics shown during the town hall indicate larceny in Columbus is most likely to happen in an area between Warm Springs and Miller Roads. But NO local numbers could be tracked down, showing crime percentages by ethnic group. And let's face it - criminals of all backgrounds are equally likely to wear black hoodies or ski masks.

When it comes to economic equality, Mikell Fryer of the Columbus Career Center said during the web-only hour of the forum it's NOT a matter of race. As he put it, "Most people are not ready to go to work." So get out there during this holiday weekend, and buy a nice new tie.

But some of the most insightful comments during the town hall came from an unexpected person - a resident of Elizabeth Canty Homes. Tiffany Stacy said any divisions in Columbus are because "the dividing line is on the inside." This was reinforced during Friday's "Oprah Winfrey Show," with those funny drawings of male and female brains.

Tiffany Stacy added some people are surprised when they meet her and say, "You don't act like you're from the projects." How is she supposed to act? Some residents choose to spend their limited incomes on food and basics, as opposed to gold teeth and rotating hubcaps.

OneColumbus presented several awards during the two-hour forum. An Excellence Award was given to Judge John Allen, who said during the web-only hour many prisons have become mental health institutions and "baby-sitting cells." Some of us can remember when that latter title was applied to middle school study hall.

Many more interesting comments were made during the diversity forum, but let's quickly summarize several things which stood out:

+ Former Muscogee County School Superintendent Guy Sims emphasized the importance of education. "I'm not employed," Sims added - to which the police chief would have noted he's still trying to hire 65 new officers.

+ Barbara Moushon with the Literary Alliance also focused on education. She said children should know 5,000 common words by the time they enter kindergarten. Then they can memorize the 25,000 others in the dictionary, which will help them win spelling bees.

+ Alfonza Whitaker introduced himself as Chief Assistant District Attorney - and also a church pastor. If he starts getting a bit personal in his sermons, it could be his way of extracting a confession.

+ Whitaker and another speaker noted the number of prison beds is figured by the reading level of a community's fourth-graders. If that isn't stunning enough, consider this - to do that figuring, you probably have to be smarter than a fourth-grader in mathematics.

While the RiverCenter had all that star power, other things are making news this weekend as well....

+ The Saturday morning low in Columbus was 21 degrees F., after the dew point Friday dropped as low as nine below. At that level, I think it becomes a don't point.

(The last few nights have reminded me that winter coats have multiple uses. When you're inside, lay it on the floor next to the north door to keep cold air from leaking in.)

+ Columbus Water Works suspected ice-cold weather caused a two-inch water main to break on Harbison Drive. But word did NOT spread fast enough about this, because no youth hockey players showed up for a street game.

+ The annual "MLK Unity Parade" was held in downtown Columbus. It was held in the afternoon this year, which allowed for warmer weather - but it was still chilly enough to require a coat on, and not a coat off.

+ The Port Columbus museum announced it has received the donation of a Bible from the Confederate ship "Water Witch." With a name like that, I would have expected the Bible to look much more worn-out than it is.

(The Water Witch is the ship Port Columbus staff members are reconstructing along Victory Drive. It should be ready for tours in April - right on time for Southern rednecks to stage a Confederate Memorial Day sit-in.)

+ Pro Bull Riding completed its annual two-night stand at the Columbus Civic Center. We mentioned two weeks ago that it's a minor-league tour - so any bull which didn't buck its rider might have been dropped off outside Longhorn Steakhouse.

+ Auburn outplayed Alabama 85-71 in men's college basketball. But did you notice what I did - empty seats at Beard-Eaves Coliseum? The paid attendance of 8,788 was down 1,700 from last winter. I didn't realize so many Auburn fans are staging a boycott, until the new arena is built.

+ Instant Message to Gold's Gym: About those billboards showing a good-looking woman's head above water - is her body not showing because it's the "before" picture?

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