Special By By Carol Forsloff May 8, 2010 in Politics Racial profiling is the concern of many folk about the new Arizona immigration bill. In other parts of the world, race is used as an excuse for crimes and the reason for denial of certain benefits. Is race a good card in the deck? For Bolton, a real estate agent in Natchitoches, the issue is responsibility. She is a successful business woman on a main street in a small town with decided opinions. Her embrace of folks regardless of race is seen in who she hires and promotes and who she consorts with in after work hours. Representatives of both African Americans, Creoles and folks of predominantly European ancestry people work in her office, all eagerly talk about Bolton. Fair? Yes, they say. Good at her work? Yes indeed. Biased at work? Not at all. So why does Bolton maintain race not a good card in the deck? "Race is an excuse, sometimes used to avoid taking responsibility," Bolton declares. "The people I hire are the kind of people who aren't afraid to work hard. Each person is treated fairly and treats the other person exactly the same way. No one says if he or she can't sell a house, that it's because of their color." "Is there a race problem in Natchitoches?" she was asked. "Of course, there is, " Bolton said. "Who wouldn't admit that? But the problem cuts both ways these days. Do I deny some people have it harder than others? No, lots of people have had to work twice as hard to get where they are. But know what? They do, and they teach us something by doing that. They become people we all admire. They set examples for others." Natchitoches, Louisiana is deep South, just about as deep as one gets. It is acknowledged by everyone, including Mayor Wayne McCullen that race is the white and black elephant in almost every room. McCullen often says, "I wish people could just get on with it. Not everything everybody does is targeted towards race. Sometimes folks don't get what they want for an event or an idea just because it's been looked at as not being worthwhile. But race is the reason in spite of even good intentions." Miss Presley receives plaque as Natchitoches Treasure in 2008 from Mayor Wayne McCullen Carol Forsloff Jane Kiley in Yuma, Arizona, hires Mexican Americans to work in front offices, parties with them and buddies with some of these same people after work. She lived in Hawaii for approximately 30 years, owned companies with diverse groups of people, and has often stood up against injustice and gone out of her way to do it. In an event where one of her African American employees had been stopped by a policeman on a main street in Honolulu, Jane intervened fast when she saw it. She immediately went over to check to see that her employee had not been treated unfairly. Kiley said, when asked about the Arizona immigration bill, much the same thing McCullen, Bolten and even Bill Cosby have said. "I get angry when people are treated unfairly. But a very high percentage of our law enforcement people in Arizona are Mexican Americans. They are sensitive as well about how people are treated. Are they going to pick up people of their same nationality just because they are brown? I don't think so?" "Will other people do that and doesn't the law create problems for that?" Kiley responded, echoing Bolten as well, "Yes, there will be problems. Some people almost immediately use race as the factor without knowing anything else. That's a problem, I think, preventing us all from just forging ahead." Jane Kiley is the owner of Hunter Employment Company that hires legal Mexican American immigrants. Carol Forsloff Enter a room in Natchitoches, Louisiana as a stranger; and in very little time you will hear people say something about race, that begins with the word "they," highlighting what some folks think of others as different. Still some of these same people have close friends of every race, go to church, out for dinner and are involved with social and political groups across racial lines. Those are issues as well, that Mayor McCullen and other politicians have noticed. Many hope for some answer about the race issue but struggle with it as they try to make decisions in either running government or in their daily lives, according to those who believe race isn't a good card in the deck. So what are the answers? Responsibility within communities is underlined by key leaders and those who want to be. In a discussion about what that means, a group of black leaders gathered to talk about Bill Cosby's attitude of taking responsibility one to another, as parents, as neighbors and as support within black communities. Bill Cosby espouses taking responsibility as a way to end racial problems and difficulties between and among communities. wikimedia commons Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person’s problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different ‘husbands’ — or men or whatever you call them now. We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can’t write two paragraphs. We as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us. We have to start holding each other to a higher standard. We cannot blame the white people any longer." D. Ruffian, a moderator of discussion surrounding Bill Cosby's statements about the need to do better in black communities in parenting and taking responsibility. "Have we allowed ourselves to be conditioned into thinking its acceptable to disrespect our women in rap music? Once again, there are those of us, who chose to indulge in self gain at the expense of us. I witness it every day, crack dealers, gangster rap music, and one of the worst of all in my book, some of, and I emphasize "some of", our Black so called church leaders. Actually, there are many false church leaders in our country, not only blacks. But I hold them all as being the lowest form of human representation on the face of the earth. My final question is, what are we going to do about it? when are we going to break the cycle? The clock is ticking, when are we going to realize that we are not presently competitive in today's global market, when are going to realize that the days of industrial blue collar employment are gone. When are we going to realize that it takes a village to raise a child? When are we going to realize that investing in, and guiding our youth, is the way to break the cycle which holds us back from making forward progress? When are we going to realize that we've had ENOUGH tribal strife in our black communities? " Chris Moerdyk in Moerdyk finds support from "I certainly acknowledge and appreciate what the Civil Righters have done, but we younger African Americans are saying now, loudly, the jig is up and it is time for you to go, especially if you have not created hope and plans of action for our communities. The days of marching and protesting without a clear purpose are over. The days of voting for someone just because they are Black are over. Indeed, the multicultural legion of young Americans who've flocked to Obama's campaign suggest that we want leadership that builds bridges, not be stuck in the rhetoric and realities of the past." The days of voting for someone just because they are Black are over. Indeed, the multicultural legion of young Americans who've flocked to Obama's campaign suggest that we want leadership that builds bridges, not be stuck in the rhetoric and realities of the past." Janice Bolton in Natchitoches, Louisiana doesn't think so. Jane Kiley in Yuma, Arizona doesn't think so. Even celebrities like Bill Cosby don't think so. There are others, as well. Now what do people say about that race card that might give clues about whether it should be the first card that's played in the game?For Bolton, a real estate agent in Natchitoches, the issue is responsibility. She is a successful business woman on a main street in a small town with decided opinions. Her embrace of folks regardless of race is seen in who she hires and promotes and who she consorts with in after work hours.Representatives of both African Americans, Creoles and folks of predominantly European ancestry people work in her office, all eagerly talk about Bolton. Fair? Yes, they say. Good at her work? Yes indeed. Biased at work? Not at all. So why does Bolton maintain race not a good card in the deck?"Race is an excuse, sometimes used to avoid taking responsibility," Bolton declares. "The people I hire are the kind of people who aren't afraid to work hard. Each person is treated fairly and treats the other person exactly the same way. No one says if he or she can't sell a house, that it's because of their color.""Is there a race problem in Natchitoches?" she was asked."Of course, there is, " Bolton said. "Who wouldn't admit that? But the problem cuts both ways these days. Do I deny some people have it harder than others? No, lots of people have had to work twice as hard to get where they are. But know what? They do, and they teach us something by doing that. They become people we all admire. They set examples for others."Natchitoches, Louisiana is deep South, just about as deep as one gets. It is acknowledged by everyone, including Mayor Wayne McCullen that race is the white and black elephant in almost every room. McCullen often says, "I wish people could just get on with it. Not everything everybody does is targeted towards race. Sometimes folks don't get what they want for an event or an idea just because it's been looked at as not being worthwhile. But race is the reason in spite of even good intentions."Jane Kiley in Yuma, Arizona, hires Mexican Americans to work in front offices, parties with them and buddies with some of these same people after work. She lived in Hawaii for approximately 30 years, owned companies with diverse groups of people, and has often stood up against injustice and gone out of her way to do it. In an event where one of her African American employees had been stopped by a policeman on a main street in Honolulu, Jane intervened fast when she saw it. She immediately went over to check to see that her employee had not been treated unfairly.Kiley said, when asked about the Arizona immigration bill, much the same thing McCullen, Bolten and even Bill Cosby have said. "I get angry when people are treated unfairly. But a very high percentage of our law enforcement people in Arizona are Mexican Americans. They are sensitive as well about how people are treated. Are they going to pick up people of their same nationality just because they are brown? I don't think so?""Will other people do that and doesn't the law create problems for that?" Kiley responded, echoing Bolten as well, "Yes, there will be problems. Some people almost immediately use race as the factor without knowing anything else. That's a problem, I think, preventing us all from just forging ahead."Enter a room in Natchitoches, Louisiana as a stranger; and in very little time you will hear people say something about race, that begins with the word "they," highlighting what some folks think of others as different. Still some of these same people have close friends of every race, go to church, out for dinner and are involved with social and political groups across racial lines. Those are issues as well, that Mayor McCullen and other politicians have noticed. Many hope for some answer about the race issue but struggle with it as they try to make decisions in either running government or in their daily lives, according to those who believe race isn't a good card in the deck.So what are the answers?Responsibility within communities is underlined by key leaders and those who want to be.In a discussion about what that means, a group of black leaders gathered to talk about Bill Cosby's attitude of taking responsibility one to another, as parents, as neighbors and as support within black communities. Bill Cosby said this during a commemoration of Brown v. the Board of Education, June 15, 2007.Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person’s problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different ‘husbands’ — or men or whatever you call them now. We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can’t write two paragraphs. We as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us. We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.We cannot blame the white people any longer." Folks criticize Cosby for not understanding the black community, for not standing up for it. Some call him a "race traitor," and there are discussions about whether or not the middle class community is out of touch with the needs of African Americans. Still there are others who echo Cosby's words and wonder about having a different direction that could impact how people deal with each other so that the race card isn't the first one pulled out for the game.D. Ruffian, a moderator of discussion surrounding Bill Cosby's statements about the need to do better in black communities in parenting and taking responsibility. He said this in 2008 "Have we allowed ourselves to be conditioned into thinking its acceptable to disrespect our women in rap music? Once again, there are those of us, who chose to indulge in self gain at the expense of us. I witness it every day, crack dealers, gangster rap music, and one of the worst of all in my book, some of, and I emphasize "some of", our Black so called church leaders. Actually, there are many false church leaders in our country, not only blacks. But I hold them all as being the lowest form of human representation on the face of the earth. My final question is, what are we going to do about it? when are we going to break the cycle? The clock is ticking, when are we going to realize that we are not presently competitive in today's global market, when are going to realize that the days of industrial blue collar employment are gone.When are we going to realize that it takes a village to raise a child? When are we going to realize that investing in, and guiding our youth, is the way to break the cycle which holds us back from making forward progress? When are we going to realize that we've had ENOUGH tribal strife in our black communities? "Chris Moerdyk in News 24 looks at this issue beyond the United States into countries such as South Africa where the race card is also played in order to excuse crimes and very bad dealings. He speaks strongly about using culture and race as excuses for doing harm to society as a whole and for hiding behind these issues instead of taking responsibility for one's individual behavior. He writes, " It seems you can get away with anything these days by using culture as an excuse. And I'm getting sick of it."Moerdyk finds support from Kevin Powell , a young politician, community organizer and writer of eight books underlined the same thesis during the election of Barack Obama in the discussion of race and what youth now believe should be done in an article written in the Huffington Post in 2008."I certainly acknowledge and appreciate what the Civil Righters have done, but we younger African Americans are saying now, loudly, the jig is up and it is time for you to go, especially if you have not created hope and plans of action for our communities. The days of marching and protesting without a clear purpose are over. The days of voting for someone just because they are Black are over. Indeed, the multicultural legion of young Americans who've flocked to Obama's campaign suggest that we want leadership that builds bridges, not be stuck in the rhetoric and realities of the past."The days of voting for someone just because they are Black are over. Indeed, the multicultural legion of young Americans who've flocked to Obama's campaign suggest that we want leadership that builds bridges, not be stuck in the rhetoric and realities of the past." More about Race card, Arizona immigration bill, Bill Cosby More news from race card arizona immigration ... bill cosby