People not from the South have this idea about people in the South (white people mostly) that they are prejucied, bigotted, and bascially full of themselves. They believe that they are fake, shallow, and say nice things to your face and gossip about you behind your back. I know this becasue I grew up not in the South and this is what I used to believe. Wow, that is a harsh paragraph. I hate that I just wrote that, but I cannot deny what I used to believe. (God has put in Texas and Arkansas for half my life to purge me of my filth).
Sadly, enough of this is stereotype is true in the South to perpetuate the bias. I know this becasue I live in the South.
Now there is this mass migration of people, some temporary and some permanent, to 100's of cities across the South. Most of the evacuees from Katrina are black and many if not most are going into predominantly white communities. This is true of Jonesboro, Arkansas, where I live.
If ever there were a time to stomp out a negative stereotype it is now. With a massive migration like this and the huge need associated with it, there is a choicewhites in the South need to make. Will we love or will we condescend? Will the "best foot" we put forward be connected to a body that looks just as good? Will there be sustained love or will our compassion run out as we realize how different we all really are?
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