Black population of NWA?

[crodr]

What's your deal, hu? People from other races deserve the same opportunities that white people have been given. You think that people from other races are the source of crime and such.

The same opportunities? Fine. BTW, "white people" haven't been "given" anything. The "opportunities" exist only because of the hardwork of generations prior.

"Opportunity" now means "living with whites" to all non-whites. Correct?

Racial crime rate correlations exist independently of socioeconomic factors whether your worldview makes them palatable subject matter or not.

Moderate away the truth. Doesn't make it any less true.

[mcheiss]

Well you still haven't answered my question.

[crodr]

Well you still haven't answered my question.

What question was that?

My original post was moderated away because I showed you how the prevalent obsession with DIVERSITY only includes places where whites predominate. Otherwise, lack of DIVERSITY is not an issue.

From that I draw the conclusion that "lack of DIVERSITY" is code for "too white".

As a white person, that is offensive to me.

Let me change the words around for you.

"My, NWA is losing some of its HOMOGENAEITY. That sure is a shame."

"I prefer to live somewhere more HOMOGENOUS because those places tend to have less crime and more community spirit."

All you, and most leftists are doing is using a CODE PHRASE for your anti-white sentiment.

I'd be happy to answer your question if you would ask it in a coherent manner.

DIVERSITY does not equal better. Otherwise, show me proof.

As for the crime stats you alluded to, the FBI has all the statistics you will ever need.

The least prone to violent crime are elderly, females of East Asian descent. Year in, year out, regardless of socioeconomic factors.

Guess who is at the other end of the spectrum??

If you don't want to discuss REALITIES of race and DIVERSITY, perhaps you should stop discussing/celebrating anti-white racism.

[mcheiss]

What question was that?

My original post was moderated away because I showed you how the prevalent obsession with DIVERSITY only includes places where whites predominate. Otherwise, lack of DIVERSITY is not an issue.

From that I draw the conclusion that "lack of DIVERSITY" is code for "too white".

As a white person, that is offensive to me.

Let me change the words around for you.

"My, NWA is losing some of its HOMOGENAEITY. That sure is a shame."

"I prefer to live somewhere more HOMOGENOUS because those places tend to have less crime and more community spirit."

All you, and most leftists are doing is using a CODE PHRASE for your anti-white sentiment.

I'd be happy to answer your question if you would ask it in a coherent manner.

DIVERSITY does not equal better. Otherwise, show me proof.

As for the crime stats you alluded to, the FBI has all the statistics you will ever need.

The least prone to violent crime are elderly, females of East Asian descent. Year in, year out, regardless of socioeconomic factors.

Guess who is at the other end of the spectrum??

If you don't want to discuss REALITIES of race and DIVERSITY, perhaps you should stop discussing/celebrating anti-white racism.

Who said anything about me being Anti-White?

You're making assumptions that aren't true. As a person, you should be open to people of other races. You should realize that we are never going to get anywhere in this world without learning about each other and living and working together. I never once said this area is "too white", all I have ever said is that I wish this area was more diverse.In a diverse climate, there is more diversity in businesses, art, and culture as a whole. What's so wrong with that? It seems like a huge plus for the economy.

This will be my last post on this topic, I do not wish to argue with someone who abviously has no decency for his common man and profiles people from other races.

[razorbackfan]

I didn't mean to start a racist post...I was simply saying that everyone wants to be equal..etc However, with all these BET tv, black history month, black scholarships, NAACP, national black organizations, I personally don't think things are that legal between races.

[masons_dad1]

I didn't mean to start a racist post...I was simply saying that everyone wants to be equal..etc However, with all these BET tv, black history month, black scholarships, NAACP, national black organizations, I personally don't think things are that legal between races.

Your post wasn't racist. It may seem unfair that someone would receive a scholarship based on their race, but when those same people were held back from receiving an education, or any other civil liberty, for so many years it's only right to help them achieve the potential they lacked for so many years.

I like to think that EVERYONE in this country should take pride in their race and and it should be a public pride celebrated on television, on the big screen, in schools and in cultural organizations.

The last thing I'll say is that "white" is not a race... "black" is not a race. Everyone on this planet is a descendant of a race.

[johnnydr87]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but U of A officials have secured a 418 percent increase in funding for African American studies that should give a needed boost for the program and serve as a building block to increasing minority-group enrollment on the Fayetteville campus.

The new funds will pay for two new assistant professors with annual salaries of $ 55, 000 each. Plans are to hire a specialist on West Africa and possibly a professor whose spe-cialty is blacks in politics. Other investments include $ 40, 000 for a Swahili instructor, $ 50, 000 for fringe benefits, $ 10, 000 for maintenance, $ 9, 500 for the graduate assistantship, $ 15, 000 for supplies and equipment, and $ 50, 000 for scholarships.

Fulbright College Dean Donald R. Bobbitt said the college also wants to bring more prominent blacks to campus next year through the program, which has been “significantly underfunded” in the past. Best-selling author E. Lynn Harris is a visiting professor and writer-in-residence at UA, and the college is in negotiations with Janis Kearney, author and former personal diarist for former President Clinton.

Bobbitt said the college hopes to have an office for the program this fall. Plans are to expand the program into a major, a process he estimates will take about two years. Once it is established, UA would join the University of Central Arkansas in Conway as the only colleges in the state that offer an African American studies major.

This could tenfold African American Enrollment at the U of A. Currently, 982 Black Students are at the U of A, or around 5.5%. Truly, a great sign for things to come ahead for NWA.

These are great goals. Diversity is a mainstay of any good university (it doesn't take much browsing through college rankings to see this).

The black population at UA should be commensurate to its size in AR.

Diversity exposes people to new ideas and new ways of life. Having your views and idealogy challenged is a genuine part of any good education. Period. Knowing more about another person and their cultural heritage, rather than sequestering yourself off, helps to eliminate fears and prejudices between groups.

Are there various problems within various racial communities? Absolutely. But what do these problems stem from? Is it because of some innate inferiority? Oh please. I know blacks at ASMSA who could pound you (and I mean you as in most people) in AP Calculus (best student in my class was black and is going to Harvard), who could cite historical facts encyclopedically (a black student was team captain of quiz bowl last year and the team did the best it's ever done: 2nd in state), and more.

That's not to say some problems are the fault of the group itself.

And even if we were to assume that different races were more talented than others in different areas (which, if we get down to it, is what crodr's post is about), what purpose would it serve? Other than to bloat your hubris--nothing. Other than to make you feel superior--nothing. Nothing constructive would come of it. Further, there are psychological studies on the "power of expectations." Succinctly, the more expectations placed on a person, the more he/she will achieve and push his/herself to achieve. The less expectations placed a person (or the more condemnations), the less he or she will achieve.

That's not to excuse some of the problems within the black community. Certainly, some of those problems are perpetuated by members within the community.

But consider this: recently, a black former ASMSA student was killed in Little Rock's flurry of homicides. I didn't personally know him, but I've been told he was smart and not the type of person to be involved with drugs or the violence surrounding him in his community. He was trapped in his own community. Undoubtedly a lower income community, probably ridden with drug deals, gang warfare, and the like. A young man who had pushed himself to achieve academically and get through the most difficult high school in the state was killed in his own community, by people with very different mindsets than him. Although he was conscientious and knowledgable enough to rise out of the dismal place, he was still taken back, against his will.

The same people who say there is no racism left in today's society are usually the ones cracking derogatory black jokes with their buddies--at least in my experience. It's ironic.

As for affirmative action: I'm not sure how useful it is. Sometimes I feel it does more harm than good. I'd in favor of gradually phasing it out (over many years, possibly decades), but in order to do that, a few things would need to happen: 1) The cultural and socioeconomic climate would need to be changed from within the black community with the help of the rest of the US. Better schools, better teachers, better parents, extra-curriculears for students to participate in to keep them out of trouble, more expectations, and charismatic black leaders to lead the process, etc. It would have to be a change deep at the roots of the problem. 2) Cultural values would need to be changed within the white community (please keep in mind I'm speaking in generalities here) so that it assists in this transition and seeks a greater understanding with the black community. Less of that "they're the root of all of our problems" and that closet superiority complex (among certain people).

Alas, these points will never happen. My points are too idealistic and unrealistic, and would probably be branded as naive (or even commy) by some. Thus, since racism is a very common part of life for minorities (in one form or another), AA is the most realistic tool we have for generating understanding and ensuring opportunity for minorities at this time.

Finally, diversity is exciting. It's that simple. Walking through downtown Little Rock, seeing widely varying people in appearance, personality, and cultures is exciting. A homogenized culture is boring; it is unimaginitive; it is old; it is lethargic. Different cultures, mixed and matched at will, constantly transforming and reshaping....are exciting.

Rock'n'roll. Reggae. Hip Hop. Classical. Techno. Blues. Jazz. Bluegrass. Country. These things were either started, perfected, or tweaked in America. Within America, different racial groups contributed to these transformations. Within those racial groups, different subgroups contributed in different manners (Irish'n'bluegrass, for ex.) That diversity is incredible, and it wouldn't have come about if this country were all white, all black, or whatever. I can switch between Blackalicious (a hip hop group that is extremely creative and positive in its songs), Nickel Creek (bluegrass), Simon and Garfunkel (folk), a million alternative bands, and more without skipping a beat.

Tweaked italian food. Tweaked Mexican food. Tweaked Lebanese food. Something other than the common cheeseburger and fries (which I love by the way). That's exciting.

While I understand ythpstr's sentiments, I don't completely agree with it. It comes off as a little simplistic, in my opinion. We should all be Americans first, no doubt. But that doesn't mean we should all become homogenized. When a person waves a Mexican flag, I don't think it's anything to fear. I'm sure if you asked that person, he would tell you why he loves this country and why he moved here. I don't think he's trying to subvert the US government.

I personally don't find anything wrong with the term "African-American." I think you're too caught up in a technicality...the hyphen. I really doubt the term makes anyone feel divided. Everyone in the US is American; there are simply subgroups within America. I think it's that simple.

As for Mexican-Americans putting a flag on their car: that type of cultural pride is common among new immigrants. You can find the same thing in Little Italy or Germany. It will die out with their children. I think it's something to shrug off; it's not something to get indignant about.

But I have one sincere question. What happened to the melting pot?

Nothing. It's still here in the US, maybe less so in some regions than in others.

Edit: I hope that's the last comment I make about the matter too, as I know many people will disagree with me here.

[ythpstr2000]

When you voluntarily segregate yourself from the society by not learning the common language, or living or associating with people of other races and backgrounds, you are avoiding the melting pot. The hyphens have caused a division. There is no denying that. Simply by self identifying you have purposely differentiated yourself. If I am organizing my junk drawer I might simply dump all the screws in a tupperware dish. But I may also put the straight edge in one container, phillips in another, hex in another, etc. Then you put the neat little label on the container. You know, like the "slotted screws, or the "Phillips screws" or the "African-American" community. Yes, diversity is a wonderful thing, and its great learning about your culture, and even promoting and teaching it. But it seems to me the more we focus on our differences, the less alike we appear to one another, when in truth we are more alike than we are different. Diverse? Only to a small degree. But when are we going to appreciate and celebrate that 99.999995% of the time we are the same?

This reminds me of a story I heard recently...

The story is told that one evening, an old Cherokee chief told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said,

[razorbackfan]

Your post wasn't racist. It may seem unfair that someone would receive a scholarship based on their race, but when those same people were held back from receiving an education, or any other civil liberty, for so many years it's only right to help them achieve the potential they lacked for so many years.

I like to think that EVERYONE in this country should take pride in their race and and it should be a public pride celebrated on television, on the big screen, in schools and in cultural organizations.

The last thing I'll say is that "white" is not a race... "black" is not a race. Everyone on this planet is a descendant of a race.

Your right, I think it unfair that someone gets a scholarship based on their race. I worked my butt off in high school and had a great GPA, but I'm not the best test taker so I did OK on the ACT but not great. I wanted to go to UofA and I did, I didn't receive one scholarship from them, and now that I graduated I am paying for it through loans. I think its unfair that people get scholarships based on their race, while other don't, and no its not just blacks. I have a friend who is a native american and he gets scholarships for school because of his race.

[monsoon]

My original post was moderated away because I showed you how the prevalent obsession with DIVERSITY only includes places where whites predominate. Otherwise, lack of DIVERSITY is not an issue.

Your original post was moderated away because while it expressed your opinion, you also attacked another member in the process. And you have continued to do so in subsequent posts. If you want people to listen to your opinion, then you need to give it in terms that are not framed as personal attacks. You are free to express your opinion, you are not free to insult others here in the process by implying they are racist, unfair, idiots, etc. I suggest that you go read our rules before you make any further posts on this site.

I will ban you from this site if you can't discuss this in a civil respectful manner.

[Mith242]

I almost hate to post anything to get things started back up again. I still support more diversity for NWA. If other non 'white' groups of people are afraid to move here then I think it hurts the economy and growth of the metro. I'd like to make the argument that diversity is one of the big factors in just about all major urban areas. I personally think having more diversity is also more likely to make at least some people try to relate to other groups rather than pretending they don't exist because they're not in your area. I'm not saying any of this in a negative manner towards 'white' culture'. I'm pretty much of 100% Northern European ancestry. I'm very proud of the heritage. But it certainly doesn't stop me from appreciating other cultures.

[masons_dad1]

I'm half Puerto Rican on my mom's side and my dad is of English/Irish descent. I always claim to be "caucasian" unless the form I'm filling out says "white" or "other". If those are my only two options I choose "other", because I was brought up to believe "white" is the color of a piece of paper and not ones race. The fact is skin color has very little to do with ones race. A half African American can have light skin color and I've known more than a few American Indians with blonde hair and blue eyes. If someone has a really great tan does that make them less caucasian?

I just can't wait for more ethnic diversity in NWA just so people don't notice other people's skin color or the way people dress as much.

[johnnydr87]

I'm half Puerto Rican on my mom's side and my dad is of English/Irish descent. I always claim to be "caucasian" unless the form I'm filling out says "white" or "other". If those are my only two options I choose "other", because I was brought up to believe "white" is the color of a piece of paper and not ones race. The fact is skin color has very little to do with ones race. A half African American can have light skin color and I've known more than a few American Indians with blonde hair and blue eyes. If someone has a really great tan does that make them less caucasian?

I just can't wait for more ethnic diversity in NWA just so people don't notice other people's skin color or the way people dress as much.

Skin color has a small part to do with one's race. There are also facial and body features to distinguish races. There were quite a few Germans living in the Philippines when I visited who had dark tans, but you still could tell they were German by the facial and body features.

I agree with you on the second paragraph.

[masons_dad1]

Skin color has a small part to do with one's race. There are also facial and body features to distinguish races. There were quite a few Germans living in the Philippines when I visited who had dark tans, but you still could tell they were German by the facial and body features.

I agree with you on the second paragraph.

I just meant that in most cases you can't tell someones race just by their skin color or even facial features. I mean obviously you could tell someone was Asian, but you couldn't tell they were Vietnamese, Japanese or Chinese. At least not in most cases.

[johnnydr87]

I just meant that in most cases you can't tell someones race just by their skin color or even facial features. I mean obviously you could tell someone was Asian, but you couldn't tell they were Vietnamese, Japanese or Chinese. At least not in most cases.

The untrained eye couldn't ;-)

It's sort of that whole "they all look alike" syndrome. To people not accustomed to seeing Asians, Asians often look alike. I can readily tell the difference between a Filipino and a Chinese etc.

Anyways, this really is a pointless argument.

[masons_dad1]

The untrained eye couldn't ;-)

It's sort of that whole "they all look alike" syndrome. To people not accustomed to seeing Asians, Asians often look alike. I can readily tell the difference between a Filipino and a Chinese etc.

Anyways, this really is a pointless argument.

I actually didn't see it as an argument. It's all good, but you're right it is pointless.

[ythpstr2000]

You can tell even certain sub cultures if you spend enough time around them. There where many west africans at the Seminary I attended, Nigerians in particular. We grew close to a family from there, and even almost moved there when we graduated to help establish a church that was being pioneered by our Nigerian friends. Instead I felt Gods call here, though emotionaly I would have chosen Lagos. Because of our experience and study I dont know how many times I have been able to recognize Nigerians from the facial features. The funny part is our close friends there did not have the common features, but the majority of fellow Nigerian students did. I cant even describe it, now that I think about it, but there was a difference that was recognizable. In fact I am a big boxing fan and the second I saw Samuel Peter I knew he was Nigerian before they ven introduced him.

[Mith242]

Very true. To people who aren't around caucasians, they appear to look all the same to them too. I'm no expert but I've had an interest in Asian cultures for quite a while and I've noticed I many times can tell differences from Asian peoples. But a lot of people can't, just because they haven't really looked into it.

[mcheiss]

Something like that in our neck of the woods would be pretty cool.

Although, the Rogers Cultural Festival was last month, and there were a few African Booths that focused on East African Food, Dancing, and Culture. There was also plenty of El Salvadorian, Chinese, Mexican, Indian (Indian), Guatemalan, and Loatian Booths. The festival was quite popular with well over a few thousand people. I think the owners are considering moving the location from Lake Atlanta to somewhere with more room.

[KJW]

East African...

Don't know if it will ever come to fruition, but it would be cool if Bentonville could make a connection with a Central African city.

Seriously, if the Democratic Republic of the Congo can become united, that place could become one of the richest enclaves in the world...it's like a big, African, equatorial version of Arkansas blessed with an incredible wealth of minerals, water/hydropower, timber and wildlife. And Kinshasa, like Bentonville, is stuck off way in the western corner.

(Mcheiss, it could also supply a lot of animals for that zoo we'd like to see in NWA (hopefully Bentonville) some day...)

[mcheiss]

Question.

Would this bring in Congo residents to NWA, or what are the good benefits?

Also, has this been implemented yet?

[Mith242]

Question.

Would this bring in Congo residents to NWA, or what are the good benefits?

Also, has this been implemented yet?

Overall I don't think a sister city program will have a huge effect. I think most of the NWA cities have been in the sister cities program but none of the ties have lasted so far. Pine Bluff has been a sister city with a city in Japan for a while now. The two cities have occasionally traded gifts to each other. There is or was a factory in Pine Bluff that had Japanese connections. Not sure if it's there anymore and I don't think it neccessarily had anything to do with the sister cities program. Overall the biggest thing is that the two cities tend to exchange people. But it's still interesting to hear and would be interesting. Hopefully it will fare better than the other sister city ties that have failed in the past with NWA cities.

[KJW]

Overall I don't think a sister city program will have a huge effect. I think most of the NWA cities have been in the sister cities program but none of the ties have lasted so far. Pine Bluff has been a sister city with a city in Japan for a while now. The two cities have occasionally traded gifts to each other. There is or was a factory in Pine Bluff that had Japanese connections. Not sure if it's there anymore and I don't think it neccessarily had anything to do with the sister cities program. Overall the biggest thing is that the two cities tend to exchange people. But it's still interesting to hear and would be interesting. Hopefully it will fare better than the other sister city ties that have failed in the past with NWA cities.

Indeed, mcheiss, mith is correct. This could be nothing more than an oversized pen pal arrangement. (And when you're dealing with third world cities, some such relationships have been one-sided.)

But...who knows? This nation (formerly Zaire, and the Belgian Congo) should be one of the richest in the world. And there are other nations (i.e. Botswana, and even Rwanda, racked by hideous genocide just over a decade ago) in Africa that are becoming quite prosperous. If Bentonville ever gets a zoo some day there could be some fascinating animals that could come from the DRC, if any arrangement ever gets that far.

President Eisenhower started this program decades ago to promote global diplomacy. It's about building relationships. One Arkansas town (Gilbert, between Marshall and Clinton) went to great lengths to build such a relationship and last year became a sister city to a town on Great Britain's Isle of Man. In many ways, Kinshasa and Bentonville are polar opposites, but actually the Sister City program was originally intended to bring opposite (in culture, composition, etc.) cities together.

[mcheiss]

So what do sister cities do?

Sorry, I'm just not seeing any physical benefits with this program.

[johnnydr87]

So what do sister cities do?

Sorry, I'm just not seeing any physical benefits with this program.

There aren't any economic benefits.

Hot Springs is the sister city of Hanamaki and leaders from both cities regularly visit each other. There aren't any economic benefits from this relationship either. The value of the relationship is sentimental, which I don't really have a problem with. I doubt it costs many tax dollars to declare two cities to be "sister," and the social benefits (in proportion to costs) of such a relationship are probably worth it.