Community members talk race and elections

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

How much will race be an issue in Atlanta’s mayoral runoff? And what will this campaign tell us about our attitudes on race?

The AJC asked a dozen community members, white and black, for their thoughts on how race would influence the Dec. 1 election between Mary Norwood and Kasim Reed. Here’s who responded.

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Robert Michael Franklin

President, Morehouse College

Three important things: First, Atlanta has a relatively positive and pragmatic legacy of approaching racial justice and equal opportunity through the power of interracial cooperation and nonviolence. Atlanta leaders dreamed and plotted a mutually beneficial strategy for transcending a horrific past. Benjamin Mays, Ralph McGill, Grace Towns Hamilton and Rabbi Jacob Rothschild defied race norms and together they invented the modern Atlanta. This legacy makes us a little stronger and wiser as we face the impending election and beyond.

Second, since the election of Maynard Jackson, Atlantans have demonstrated relative maturity and pragmatism by transforming racial polarization and resentment into the politics of shared prosperity. Atlanta’s exceptional population growth, international reputation, and attractive business profile have all happened under the watch of four mayors who happened to be black. Far from penalizing the city, Atlanta’s progressive racial profile enhanced our appeal for new businesses and families who prefer to live and work in a diverse and enlightened city.

Third, Atlantans are relatively united in our demand for competent and ethical leadership. Black and white, Asian and Hispanic share the overriding desire for leaders who know the issues, have a vision for the future, communicate well, respect all people, and can call on all of us to create an even better Atlanta.

Although some, maybe many, Atlantans will focus obsessively on race, we should remind ourselves of our capacity to overcome narrow self-interest to prioritize that which advances the common good.

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Tom Key

Executive artistic director, Theatrical Outfit

How many voters admit that their decision was influenced by the candidate’s skin color? In my experience, such an admittance is rare. But doesn’t race matter? It is not an unimportant or invisible quality of an individual. The problem with these matters at election time is when we equate such traits with capacity to lead. If we admit race does matter, then there is a chance that it can be considered in our decision appropriately. Come 2013, however, the mayor’s record of four years’ service will speak with the loudest authority to the wisdom of our collective judgment.

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Kenny Leon

Artistic Director, True Colors Theatre Company

I think the candidates all love the city. I think it’s time to focus on what each candidate is about, but we live in a country that’s still tackling race issues. If you’re a white candidate you have to be sensitive to the concerns and needs of all citizens, but especially [so] since this is a majority-black city. If you’re a white candidate you have to respect the opinions and perspective of the majority of the people living in the city and how it impacts everyone. A black candidate has to look at the Northside of the city as well.

It’s always been an interesting city. Usually the political base has been held by African-Americans and the financial base held by non-African-Americans. That’s always required us to get along — to be a big city but a small town. No matter who gets elected, it matters how we all get along. I think getting nasty is not what will keep our city healthy. Staying on the issues will.

There are very few cities like Atlanta. We are a black and white city, and we must do honor to [former Mayors] Ivan [Allen] and Maynard [Jackson] and Andy [Young]. We have to build on them and be sensitive to everyone. It can’t be about anything but the health and wealth of the city.

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Andra Gillespie

Assistant Professor of Politics, Emory University

The lessons of this contest are legion. First, demographic changes in the city portend future diversity among our serious mayoral candidates. For a generation, black candidates benefited from a growing black population who valued descriptive representation. Now that more non-blacks are moving to the city, candidates of other races will likely make more credible attempts for public office.

Ideally, the race of a candidate should not matter, and Atlanta will transition seamlessly between mayors of different races who win because of their command of the issues. However, Tuesday’s results show the persistence of racially polarized voting. Pre-election polls suggested that 70 percent of whites planned to vote for Mary Norwood, while about 70 percent of blacks planned to vote for black candidates. While it is not 95 percent racial polarization, it is still polarization; and it evinces that voters consider race among many factors when selecting candidates.

Given this information, we should look at the glass as half-full and half-empty: polarization is narrowing, and race will be a salient factor in these runoffs.

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Randy Gepp

Partner, Hollowell, Foster & Gepp

I’ve lived here since 1975. I think race should not be an issue. Both candidates should take the high road and talk about the issues. I like both candidates, but injecting things such as attacks [about] somebody being Republican are improper and divert the public from the real issues. I think Kasim Reed ought to be judged on the positions he takes and not on his relationship to Mayor [Shirley] Franklin. The issues have so far been discussed by the candidates. I’m afraid the public, though, hasn’t paid a lot of attention to those issues and candidate positions.

[As far as transcending the race issue], I think it depends on the candidates. I think these candidates can do that. I sent Kasim an e-mail saying that trying to portray Mary Norwood as a Republican was not appropriate. She says she’s an independent and has voted both ways. I think anyone who votes for the same party each time is not objective. If Kasim has never voted for a Republican that’s probably to his detriment. Unfortunately, when you call someone in Atlanta a Republican that almost becomes a little bit racial; that’s trying to scare a certain group of people against Mary Norwood, and not [focused] on the issues.

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Darryl Winston

Pastor of Greater Works Assembly

President Greater Atlanta Ministry Alliance

In the aftermath of last year’s historic election of President Barack Obama, we heard endlessly about the wind of change that was sweeping the nation, transforming the political landscape. Much also has been said and written about Atlanta’s mayoral election and the role that race will play in deciding the outcome. In as much as we would like to blithely ignore the role race will play in this election, the pollutants of polarization were released early on. As a native Atlantan, I am a product of the minority-to-majority initiative of the Atlanta Public School system, a program that bused children from the Southside to the Northside schools in the ’70s. I witnessed first-hand the tension that was transformed into lifelong friendships that transcend race, class and religious affiliation.

We are calling for the candidates to avoid fanning the toxic fumes of polarization in order to win at any cost. We are asking for the substantive issues to be placed above gutter politics and [for the candidates to] place the needs of the citizens of this great city first.

If the issues are discarded and the race of the candidates becomes the central focus, the citizens of this city will become the casualties. The City Too Busy to Hate must not become the City Too Complacent to Change.