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Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Attendance by whites is still lacking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Robbie S. Moore prefers to see her glass half-full, not half-empty.
So she wasn’t disappointed at the turnout for the 2006 King Day Celebration.
A concerted effort was made to ensure that all Gwinnettians — notably whites — felt welcome at this year’s event. A few showed up.
But you know how the cameraman pans the crowd at a professional football or basketball game? Whites typically occupy most of the seats. Well, it was a similar scene at Monday’s King celebration, only in reverse. Among a sea of black faces in the auditorium at Central Gwinnett High School, two dozen or so whites sat.
This is just me talking, but, man, it would have been cool to see white Gwinnett constitute at least 10 percent of the 500 or so residents who attended. Especially after all the United Ebony Society of Gwinnett County did to try to boost attendance.
“I bet we e-mailed 50 white churches — twice,” Moore, the group’s president, told me.
“I also stopped by a lot of churches, and if I couldn’t see the pastor, I talked to the secretary. Our organization wants to set the example for all of our children. It’s the county that has to catch up to us,” she said.
As we made our way through the cafeteria, Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks of Gwinnett County Public Schools acknowledged Moore’s efforts.
“Great program, Robbie,” he told her.
Besides Wilbanks, I spotted Charles Bannister, chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission, and Jerry Oberholtzer, the mayor of Snellville. Other dignitaries were present, but these leaders stood out.
“They didn’t have to take time out of their day to be here, but they did,” Moore said. “We got great support from the county and our schools. Putting this event on is like being in a family. You work with who shows up.”
Janet Gibson showed up. Gibson, a five-year member of the Ebony Society, said she didn’t think it was necessary for the group to jump through hoops to make this year’s King Day more inclusive.
“I am a Georgian by birth and a white female,” she wrote to me in an e-mail a few weeks ago. “There has never been anything said or done that would indicate whites weren’t invited or that the event would be used to blast the ‘white establishment’ or stress some ‘social agenda.’
“I have found our King Day program an opportunity to revisit his teaching and appreciate his contribution to the betterment of our society. This organization operates on values that are important to me, such as respect, service and honesty.”
On Monday, Gibson passed out programs at the entrance of the auditorium.
“There’s a lot more whites in attendance today,” she told me. “A lot more. I hope more of our citizens understand that Dr. King’s message isn’t just for blacks. It was for all of America.”
And if you get that pertinent point — truly get it — then maybe you don’t have to get off the couch when the King holiday rolls around. Black or white, you don’t have to volunteer in the community or show up for a pep talk on that particular day about the importance of caring and showing respect.
You already practice what King preached.
Don’t you?
