Posted on 07/11/2015 7:57:43 AM PDT by Second Amendment First
SEATTLE — MOUNT RAINIER stands sentry over Seattle. On clear days, the mountain is the dominant backdrop, particularly in the city’s southeast, where its most racially diverse neighborhoods embrace their majestic setting with names like Rainier Valley and Rainier Beach.
Michelle Perry lives in an adjoining neighborhood and travels to work on Rainier Avenue South. The looming mountain enchants and beguiles nearly the entire way. She knows she can keep driving south and visit Rainier and the national park that surrounds it. Ms. Perry, 58, an African-American, has an idea about what she’d find up there — mosquitoes, which she hates, and bears, cougars and wolves, which she fears.
“The mountains are beautiful to watch,” she said, pausing for effect, “from a distance.”
As it approaches its centennial on Aug. 25, 2016, the National Park Service says it wants to encourage people like Ms. Perry to visit. It has its work cut out for it.
*
Jeff Cheatham grew up in southeast Seattle, and still lives in Mount Rainier’s shadow. Yet, he said of Mount Rainier and other national parks, “I’ve never been, and never thought about going.” A 29-year-old African-American writer, Mr. Cheatham said he didn’t even know what a national park was, or what he would be likely to find at one. “As far as I know, it’s a big field of grass,” he said.
A neighbor, Carla DeRise, has been to Mount Rainier and other parks, and is game to go again. She just can’t get any of her friends to come along. They are worried about unfriendly white people, hungry critters and insects, and unforgiving landscapes, said Ms. DeRise, 51, an African-American. So she mainly hikes alone, albeit with some anxiety. “I don’t have a weapon,” she quipped. “Yet.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
In my 49 years of being white, I've NEVER experienced anything different.
But I guess I'M the racist.
>> We “lived” in WDC for 30+ years. We hardly ever saw blacks in the museums (especially the art museums)...and the museums were all free admission and conveniently located together. <<
Exactly. Been there, done that.
But if you make it back to DC, just go to a top-notch jazz concert at the Kennedy Center, where tickets can be north of $100 per head. For example, with a performer the caliber of Wynton Marsalis, Cyrus Chesnut or Monty Alexander.
Then the audience will be at least 50 per cent black — mostly very well-dressed, apparently well-educated and obviously not the DC hood’s typical rap-loving gangsters.
(Been there, done that too — with absolutely no fear of angry white people, black people or Asians!)
>> The majority of our inmates were urban blacks. <<
What about swimming? Were a lot of them afraid of that also?
Because blacks, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and other third world descended trash have other interests?
Lots of (racially mixed) Brazilians live in Martha’s Vineyard doing the schlep work as well.
“There was always nervous banter as we cruised through small rural towns on our way to a park. And there were jokes about finding a “Whites Only” sign at the entrance to our destination or the perils of being lynched or attacked while collecting firewood after the sun went down. Our cultural history taught us what to expect.”
And since what “Our cultural history taught us what to expect” didn’t happen, that implies your cultural history is bogus, doesn’t it?
You were not attacked in the small towns. You were not run off. You found no “Whites Only” signs. So your “cultural history” was dog poop on a stick, wasn’t it!
“Why Are Our Parks So White?”....Maybe the Supreme Court can fix that too.
Busing. Mandatory busing of blacks into the National Parks. It is the only way to be sure they visit.
Or maybe ration white visitors. When no one visits the parks, overcrowding will cease and all will be equally poor. It is the communist way.
Quit making sense!!!!!
That's it right there. Black people aren't "outdoorsy" at all. From my "racist" experience of the past several decades, almost ZERO black people know how to swim.
I've never heard of black people hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, or doing anything in nature.
They hang out in the cities.
Funny you should mention that. We took them on a short float trip in jonboats (it might be a regional term—flat bottomed boats with squared off prows—very stable as opposed to say canoes). We had life belts on all of them and they were afraid to move. One kid asked another for a smoke, the kid he asked had some, but was afraid to reach up to his shirt pocket to get them. We weren’t shooting rapids, just drifting down a slow river. It was a real reversal from their usual street tough swagger. I believe there was an informal agreement among the kids after the trip that any kid who mentioned their behavior while camping or floating would receive a beat down.
>> Lots of (racially mixed) Brazilians live in Martha’s Vineyard <<
I guess the Azoreans and Cape Verdeans were already there, so the Brazilians would have somebody to talk to?
>> I’ve never heard of black people hunting, fishing <<
Then you haven’t spent any time in the Deep South.
Correct. Much to their dismay, btw.
After this I'm sure the NPS will start a Colored Peoples Only Day for National Parks.
Equality of opportunity does not guarantee equality of outcome.
Blacks are welcome to go to the national parks, but they don’t.
Nothing to see here, move along.
Hillary Clinton campaign staff white?
NY Times editorial staff white?
No of course not, almost nothing is as white as those things.
I’m from the South and have lived here almost all my life.
Might just as well ask why aspirin is white.
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