Jump to content

Black population of NWA?


bigboyz05

Recommended Posts


  • Replies 148
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Even though it's not true I think there's still that perception to some people that the area is still 'for white's only'. I think we'll eventually shed that image but it will take a little time. Unfortunately some stereotypes are hard to shed. Look how long it took us to get past so much of the hillbilly image. And of course there's still some people who have that perception of us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even though it's not true I think there's still that perception to some people that the area is still 'for white's only'. I think we'll eventually shed that image but it will take a little time. Unfortunately some stereotypes are hard to shed. Look how long it took us to get past so much of the hillbilly image. And of course there's still some people who have that perception of us.

When my Mom was growing up there was a sign outside of Bentonville that said "No N-word allowed". That disappeared, I hear, sometime in the 1970s. Now, I'd say the area is probably as tolerant as you'll find anywhere in the country. That country mentality disappeared a long time ago and only a handful of residents there are the ones that grew up there anyway.

The University issue is different, though. Fayetteville's always been an extremely tolerant town. Sometimes I think that people go up there and look around and assume there's intolerance because they don't see a lot of black faces, which is simply the wrong thing to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When my Mom was growing up there was a sign outside of Bentonville that said "No N-word allowed". That disappeared, I hear, sometime in the 1970s. Now, I'd say the area is probably as tolerant as you'll find anywhere in the country. That country mentality disappeared a long time ago and only a handful of residents there are the ones that grew up there anyway.

The University issue is different, though. Fayetteville's always been an extremely tolerant town. Sometimes I think that people go up there and look around and assume there's intolerance because they don't see a lot of black faces, which is simply the wrong thing to do.

Good point. I can see where someone might make assumptions because they don't see a lot of minorities. But I would also hope that people take into account Fayetteville is a college town and they do tend to be rather open minded communities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In reply to:

Huh?
and;

When my Mom was growing up there was a sign outside of Bentonville that said "No N-word allowed". That disappeared, I hear, sometime in the 1970s. Now, I'd say the area is probably as tolerant as you'll find anywhere in the country. That country mentality disappeared a long time ago and only a handful of residents there are the ones that grew up there anyway.

The University issue is different, though. Fayetteville's always been an extremely tolerant town. Sometimes I think that people go up there and look around and assume there's intolerance because they don't see a lot of black faces, which is simply the wrong thing to do.

Aporkalypse...I was joking that this goofy (on the surface) seeming story, since it made the headlines, made me question how accurate the WNBA story was (echoing your comments on the other thread).

A visitor to our store last week (a minority member himself) and my brother-in-law both said the same thing about the sign. (The same visitor also remarked to the extent of how integrated this area has become.)

But singling out Fayetteville? Wow...that city was diverse way before the rest of NWA was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But singling out Fayetteville? Wow...that city was diverse way before the rest of NWA was.

I think Fayetteville has had to fight this image as well as the rest of NWA. I've had some black friends who seemed surprised when they recently moved to Fayetteville.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even though it's not true I think there's still that perception to some people that the area is still 'for white's only'. I think we'll eventually shed that image but it will take a little time. Unfortunately some stereotypes are hard to shed. Look how long it took us to get past so much of the hillbilly image. And of course there's still some people who have that perception of us.

That one season of Simple Life on FOX definitely did not help you guys. Even if you did not actually look at the show, the clips alone were enough to make people think that Arkansas was still in a forgotten time. I think only Little Rock escapes this image.

A few months ago I was talking to my husband about some land that I saw advertised on television. It was showcasing NWA and the Bentonville area specifically. It was so beautiful. I look over at him and say "honey, wouldn't it be great to have a third home there....you know for a get away." He looked at me as if I asked him to more straight to hell. He said there is no way in the world I would ever move to Arkansas. He's mormon so I would have thought that he would be okay with it. He is originally from Pittsburgh but grew up in Manhattan.

It's sad that people's preception of the south is so skewed. Texas (because of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin), Georgia (because of Atlanta), North Carolina (because of Charlotte and RAL/Durham) and Florida (because Florida from Tampa to Orlando to the Atlantic south) get a pass but every other state has this stigma. We have come a long way in the south but we still have so far to go.

Honestly I think I could have a vacation home in NWA. From what I read of it, it seems like a very pleasant place. Of course I have gotten so off topic. I apologize....you may return to your regularly scheduled conversation. :whistling:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That one season of Simple Life on FOX definitely did not help you guys. Even if you did not actually look at the show, the clips alone were enough to make people think that Arkansas was still in a forgotten time. I think only Little Rock escapes this image.

Yeah I suppose it didn't help. Although to be honest much of Arkansas is rather rural. Although to be honest all states have areas like this but Arkansas seems to really have this particular image.

A few months ago I was talking to my husband about some land that I saw advertised on television. It was showcasing NWA and the Bentonville area specifically. It was so beautiful. I look over at him and say "honey, wouldn't it be great to have a third home there....you know for a get away." He looked at me as if I asked him to more straight to hell. He said there is no way in the world I would ever move to Arkansas. He's mormon so I would have thought that he would be okay with it. He is originally from Pittsburgh but grew up in Manhattan.

Hey we have Mormons here. One of my coworkers is Mormon, he's originally from Utah and really seems to like it here in NWA.

Honestly I think I could have a vacation home in NWA. From what I read of it, it seems like a very pleasant place. Of course I have gotten so off topic. I apologize....you may return to your regularly scheduled conversation. :whistling:

No worries, nice to have someone else voice their opinion. Fayetteville and NWA does often get ranked rather high as a great place to live. Fayetteville in particular is often ranked pretty high. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That stupid Simple Life show did ruin it for us. It was in Altus, near Ft. Smith which is about 50 miles south of here. I guess the saying goes, that anything interesting in the national mainstream about Arkansas is usually a backwards issue or ecentric.

You need not worry about the Mormon population here Lady Celeste. There's four or five LDS Churches here. I work with probably 10 to 15 mormons in my general area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think developments like Pinnacle Hills Promenade, Crystal Bridges Museum, the Springdale Ballpark and the Bentonville Entertainment & Sports Arena will do a lot to improve racial acceptance and the overall impression of NWA just by giving everyone in NWA an opportunity to socialize with people of other races. As things are right now everyone in NWA either lives next to or works with an African American, but how often do we have an opportunity, especially in Benton County, to meet people in a large-scale casual environment? Fayetteville has the Mall, University and the Arts Center and lots of clubs that allow the social interactions that is needed, but Benton County has what? Churches and a couple Squares. When we all start meeting each other in public and not just passing on the street our acceptance (tolerance) and perception will improve drastically.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess developments like that will help, but the social problem is still going to exist, IMO. Wal-Mart is very committed to diversity in it's workplace, along with Tyson and JB Hunt. Plus, Vendors are constantly sending their best associates to NWA.

I hope NWACC will become D1 someday, which will fuel more diversity. I think social issues like certain restaurants, night clubs, etc also need to come if NWA wants to become more diverse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You need not worry about the Mormon population here Lady Celeste. There's four or five LDS Churches here. I work with probably 10 to 15 mormons in my general area.

Oh no, I wouldn't worry. My husband is Mormon, I am not. We are of different faiths. I would be more interested in how many temples you had instead of LDS Churches. Now if we could find a blend....that would be great, lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh no, I wouldn't worry. My husband is Mormon, I am not. We are of different faiths. I would be more interested in how many temples you had instead of LDS Churches. Now if we could find a blend....that would be great, lol.

We don't have a temple. The nearest one is in Oklahoma City.

Do you know if they build temples reguarly, or what?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes you do have temples in NWA.....

Congregation Etz Chaim is in Bentonville.

Temple Shalom of Northwest Arkansas is in Fayetteville.

I thought you were talking about a Mormon Temple.

Yes, we do have two Jewish temples here. They're packed pretty well from what I've heard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You hate to see things like this. I have to question if it's perhaps the community these people were living in instead of the metro as a whole. We've been pretty lucky so far to be honest. For an area that has historically been all white to one that's becoming more diverse that there hasn't been more racism rearing it's ugly head. But unfortunately I think it was just a matter or time before a few problems might arise. Especially as diversification started occuring in the smaller towns along the edge of the metro. Unfortunately I think sometimes it just takes some time for some people to accept that our metro isn't going to be all 'white' any longer. Ironically I just send a response to the new FOX station requesting that they focus a little more on diversity. Some people feel threatened when faced with people that have other cultural traits that they don't understand or are just different from their own. But instead of focusing on the negatives I'd like to see the media help publicize the postitives. Maybe even just help people understand other people's cultures so maybe they won't feel quite so threatened because it's something 'foreign and alien' to them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting article KJW. I must ask....as I plead ignorance to the matter...what type of evacuees relocated to NWA?

I ask because there is this misbelief that all of the evacuees where those we saw left behind. There was an article in the major paper here where I live that chronicled many families over the last year. Many who came to the city that I live in were in fact not the evacuess that were seen on CNN nightly but rather were honest tax paying citizens who fled the storm. Based on the article, most of the evacuees that were seen on CNN or FOX went to Baton Rouge or Houston. Also in the article here, they gave the statistics on the crime levels in the areas that have been home for evacuees. Crime has been flat or actually lower.

From the post that I read in the Morning News article, people will probably have to take the time to learn of others. I can't say I fault some of the posters for feeling the way that they do. If you have never been around other types of people and your only exposure is to what you allow in your home via television then you may have a slightly skewed idea of those other people. It takes time and sometimes with growth and change there are rumblings. I have every faith in the NWA community that...in time...stories like these will not be necessary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting article KJW. I must ask....as I plead ignorance to the matter...what type of evacuees relocated to NWA?

I ask because there is this misbelief that all of the evacuees where those we saw left behind. There was an article in the major paper here where I live that chronicled many families over the last year. Many who came to the city that I live in were in fact not the evacuess that were seen on CNN nightly but rather were honest tax paying citizens who fled the storm. Based on the article, most of the evacuees that were seen on CNN or FOX went to Baton Rouge or Houston. Also in the article here, they gave the statistics on the crime levels in the areas that have been home for evacuees. Crime has been flat or actually lower.

From the post that I read in the Morning News article, people will probably have to take the time to learn of others. I can't say I fault some of the posters for feeling the way that they do. If you have never been around other types of people and your only exposure is to what you allow in your home via television then you may have a slightly skewed idea of those other people. It takes time and sometimes with growth and change there are rumblings. I have every faith in the NWA community that...in time...stories like these will not be necessary.

Arkansas recieved both. Many were people who fled on their own. But Arkansas did receive evacuees also. But Arkansas isn't a particularly populous state so I think many were sent to larger cities like Houston and such. I know for a while Arkansas was second only to Texas in the amount of Louisiana people living in the state. Although that seems natural because we are a neighboring state and also didn't have any damage like Mississippi did. But as you said I think over time we won't here stories like this. But I still think that considering this area has pretty much been all white for so long that things have gone much more smoothly than what some would have expected. And as I said in my previous post I think part of this might also tie into the fact the Siloam Springs is a smaller sized area on the edge of the metro. Like KJW said there are many people from Louisiana who do really like it here in NWA. And I'm not referring to just the white people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting article KJW. I must ask....as I plead ignorance to the matter...what type of evacuees relocated to NWA?

I ask because there is this misbelief that all of the evacuees where those we saw left behind. There was an article in the major paper here where I live that chronicled many families over the last year. Many who came to the city that I live in were in fact not the evacuess that were seen on CNN nightly but rather were honest tax paying citizens who fled the storm. Based on the article, most of the evacuees that were seen on CNN or FOX went to Baton Rouge or Houston. Also in the article here, they gave the statistics on the crime levels in the areas that have been home for evacuees. Crime has been flat or actually lower.

From the post that I read in the Morning News article, people will probably have to take the time to learn of others. I can't say I fault some of the posters for feeling the way that they do. If you have never been around other types of people and your only exposure is to what you allow in your home via television then you may have a slightly skewed idea of those other people. It takes time and sometimes with growth and change there are rumblings. I have every faith in the NWA community that...in time...stories like these will not be necessary.

Lady Celeste, frankly, I didn't like the headline to that article at all.

Earlier here I spoke of the possibility of Bentonville becoming a sister city to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire. John Brown University has had black students from, among other places, Zaire.

I'm sure there are some prejudiced folks in SS but it's becoming as multicultural as the other towns in NWA, with Hmong laotians, American Indians, (India)ns, hispanics and yes, african-Americans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.