January 26, 2008Nah, I'm not a racist, but......maybe the caller was. OK, let me go back to the beginning. I published a piece Tuesday morning about Allen Iverson maturing, right? I say good things about A.I. I chronicled his evolution from cocky kid to overall good NBA citizen. I got this message at 10:28 a.m. on voicemail: "Yeah, Miss Flowers, I'm just curious, every time I see an article in the paper ... I'm just wondering if you're a racist. I don't never see you do any story on white people or anything. It's always about black people, which is cool, you know, not a problem. I don't have a problem with that. I was just wondering if you ever do any stories on white people or anything." He said he didn't have a problem with what I write, but you be the judge: I asked the page designer to use Iverson's picture for those few readers who might not know him by name. Iverson happens to be black. I didn't mention that in the column because it wasn't relevant. But the caller saw the athlete's picture and saw race in a column that had nothing to do with race. I don't think I'm the one who's racist. But the caller's comment is not unusual. I routinely hear from whites who think I always write about race. Not true, of course. But here's what I've deduced: Race is an issue that stirs emotion. An emotional enounter is memorable. So those columns that provoke emotion are the ones the readers remember. Thus, they remember columns that explore issues of race. But to quantify my point that I write about a variety of topics, I thought I'd do a quick summary of the last quarter and see how many columns dealt with race. From September through December, I wrote 49 columns. Of those, 11 -- or just over 22 percent -- either fleetingly mentioned or dealt exclusively with race. Let me be clear: I have absolutely no problem writing about race and issues important to or that acutely affect black people. It is not my job to make people feel comfortable but to enlighten, educate and engage. Furthermore, just because you see pictures of black people with columns, doesn't mean the column is about race. Black people have the same worries that white people do such as education, gas prices, health care and jobs. I'm curious whether my white colleagues get calls saying they write too much about white people. I'm betting I know the answer on that one. s |
About this blog In her signature plainspoken style, Michigan native Shanna Flowers peels away the layers and gets to the heart of the issues. No pretense. Just straightforward perspective. Shanna writes about local people whose circumstances reflect decisions made as near as City Hall or as far away as the halls of Congress. Other times, she weighs in on a topic because it is incredibly ridiculous. Or heartening. Or fascinating. Read Shanna's column three days a week, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at roanoke.com
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Comments
[June 4, 2008 1:29 AM]
MikeRacist???? Despite my status as a white male and somewhat conservative, I couldn't have said the above any better myself. And when it comes to race, she bestows praise or kicks behinds when each is warranted, regardless of any racial considerations. And that's the way I see it.