Posted on 09/09/2005 2:35:47 PM PDT by RWR8189
CAMP WILLIAMS, Utah (Reuters) - Asked whether he would relocate permanently to Utah after being brought here as a refugee from Hurricane Katrina, Larry Andrew rattled off a series of questions on Friday on the delicate issue of race.
"How do the adults really feel about us moving in?" he asked at Camp Williams, a military base 21 miles south of Salt Lake City housing about 400 refugees from last weeks disaster. "What if I find a Caucasian girl and decide to date her?
"Will I have to deal with whispering behind me and eyeballing me?" asked the 36-year-old black man.
For the mostly poor, black refugees evacuated from New Orleans, few places are as geographically remote and culturally alien as this corner of Utah, where 0.2 percent of the population in the nearest town is black.
Still, some refugees, especially younger adults, say they are ready to make a new start in the region even though they did not know they were coming until the doors shut on the airplane evacuating them from New Orleans.
"I'm planning a whole new life," said Phillip Johnson II, 23, who has already arranged an apartment in Salt Lake City. "It's an opportunity knocking for me out here."
He said even though the population of New Orleans was two-thirds black, his appearance with dreadlocks and a goatee still worked against him. "In New Orleans, being a young black man, you get harassed a lot, stereotyped a lot," he said.
One of the volunteers at the base, Newton Gborway, who moved to Utah from Liberia in West Africa five years ago, shared his first-hand impression of life in an economically prosperous state with a less than one percent black population.
"Don't be shocked and surprised if you meet someone who is mean to you or doesn't want to associate with you because you are black," he told Darisn Evans. "You don't worry about the negative stuff."
"Everything is going to be okay, but it is just a matter of time."
Evans said he would remain in Utah, and would like to work either as a handyman or as a highway patrolman.
His ex-wife Tanya Andrews, 44, said race played a part in their escape from flooded New Orleans, an adventure which she said included looting food, a television and a boat to get to higher land. She said rescuers picked them up only after a lighter-skinned black woman waved down a helicopter.
UTAH OPEN ARMS
So far the local community has welcomed the refugees with open arms, although they say they face an adjustment to life in Utah, stronghold of the socially conservative Mormon Church.
"Any time you go in where you are in the minority -- and I'm experienced in this -- it's going to be more difficult," said Wayne Mortimer, mayor of Bluffdale next to Camp Williams.
He cited his past missionary work in Canada when he was a relatively rare Mormon. Mortimer said his town of 6,500, a well-to-do bedroom community of Salt Lake City, had 20 low-income housing units available for the refugees.
"When you are an affluent community like we have, the greatest blessing we can have is to lift someone else," he said in an interview.
Larry Andrew's brother Adrian and sister Tanya, despite initial shock about being sent to Utah, say they will remain in Utah. Even Larry, despite his doubts, says the state is offering him a unique chance.
"According to what I see, it will be beneficial to me economically, even socially," he said. "But how would they adapt to me?"
Heck, Eric Montross had been with the Boston Celtics for 3 years before I realized his was drafted to play basketball. I thought they picked him up so he could drive Dee Brown around the nicer neighborhoods of Boston.
Since you're the newcomer, and these folks have graciously offered you safety and a chance to start a new life after a horrible natural disaster, shouldn't you be asking how you can adapt to them?
I have been to Utah many times. Despite the stereotypes the people are very friendly. I am white so my experience might be different but I would be surprised if good, hard working people of any color weren't welcome there.
"A white person in a black neighborhood will be attacked on site"
With all due respect,thats BULL.Cause if it were true I would have been dead MANY years ago!
Hey, that's the way Dems treat Supreme Court nominees.
Thanks for your kind reply. Yes, I am a little black and blue. Wow! What a tidal wave of emotion - I sure didn't mean to offend anyone.
Actually, I don't live in S.F. I moved to San Francisco in '79 from Indiana to work with Jews for Jesus. Was there only three months. Married a California, who I couldn't convince to move back to IN, and finally made my way to a little piece of Hoosier Pie in Winters, California. Winters is 12 miles north of Vacaville (the home of the infamous Cindy Sheehan) and 12 miles west of Davis (home of the famous UC Davis) and real close to Lake Berryesa. My boyfriend lives in Vacaville and came out to CA via Travis AFB. He grew up in Balzoni (always reminds me of Calzoni).
I do like the area though because it has the diversity that I didn't have when I was growing up.
Friends?
What's the "O"?
That's bad advice. No one's gonna give you respect because you act a fool. Don't sink to anybodies level. Let 'em be foolish by themselves.
Leave her alone, she wants her 15 mins of fame, running around with Jesse,Al and maybe even crazy Cindy. These people are pathetic, you have not seen the last of this race baiting, it will get worse, the urban legends are already posted on various crybaby websites.We will see a repeat just like 1 million blacks didn't get to vote, state troopers stopped black voters and the biggest sham flyers telling them to vote on a Monday or Wednesday.I believe the Dems constructed those flyers; I can not imagine a white person going in "the hood" to dispense this nonsense,the closer we get to election 2006 the rantings will become more hysterical.
Leave her alone, she wants her 15 mins of fame, running around with Jesse,Al and maybe even crazy Cindy. These people are pathetic, you have not seen the last of this race baiting, it will get worse, the urban legends are already posted on various crybaby websites.We will see a repeat just like 1 million blacks didn't get to vote, state troopers stopped black voters and the biggest sham flyers telling them to vote on a Monday or Wednesday.I believe the Dems constructed those flyers; I can not imagine a white person going in "the hood" to dispense this nonsense,the closer we get to election 2006 the rantings will become more hysterical.
"The O"is the local vernacular for Oakland
You know, this may seem unrelated, but there's something that I do. A lot. I tend to able to sense when people are troubled or angry. Unfortunately, I usually take it personally and think they're angry at me, when most the time they don't even know me!
My friend tells me, "Beth, don't overestimate your nuisance-ability." and then laughs at me.
Another good saying: "Don't worry about what people are thinking about you, because most of the time they're not."
depends if the people bring their, "Ive been put down and now society owes me (looters)" mentality here. If they brign that baggage here, it will fly like a lead balloon
Black women tend to get very angry, in general, when they see Black guys with white women
thats because there seem to be too few good Brothers to go around its all about feeling threatened, not neccessarily jealous
Some thirty-odd years ago, when Romney the Rambler was attempting to run for President, the church's President, Seer, and Revelator had a conveniently timely Revelation that blacks were suddenly acceptable to be ordained to the priesthood, and for full membership & participation.
thanks for your comment. i hear you.
Hi,
I'm a black woman and maybe I can shed a little light on why some black women get angry when they see a black man with a white woman. Black women have faced discrimination from black men for years. This isn't talked about much. In the 1920's, for example, the black night clubs used to have a "brown paper bag test". You were only allowed to enter the club if your skin was as light or lighter than the paper bag. However, this test was only for the women. Black movies only featured light skinned women as attractive. I've had my own experiences with black men. When I was 14, I went to a club that had a teen night. I was having fun and watching people dance. A black guy looked at me(he was dancing with a white girl and I couldn't have cared less) and said, "Yeah, I got me a white girl. See, I got me a white girl". A friend of mine wanted me to me a guy that she knew. She gave him my phone number. He called and asked me if my skin was light and if my eyes were green and if my hair was long. I could go on about the rejection that black women have gotten. Funny thing- these guys have black mothers! I suppose that my experiences are what led me to stop dating black guys(20 years ago) and I'm married to a white man.
In a way you are right and I'm not saying acting the fool is a GOOD thing but out here you don't get street respect unless you show you will take no"s---"
I'm 58 years old and am too old for the drama so I have to use my verbal skills.Our school system is mostly black and Latino.Yet young whites and Asians are accepted by these groups if they show they "have heart".Seen it hundreds of times in our beleagured school system.
Thanks for that great information. I never knew that and it helps me understand.
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