Giving Racism a Fender-Bender

Apparently there are neighborhoods that I "shouldn't" visit while visiting Lynchburg. I have been warned that there are streets where I wouldn't be well received because I am white. However, I didn't learn this until after I had spent afternoons running around the centers of such quarters. My experience in these areas involved nothing but friendly interactions and positive conversations with individuals and groups of people who were enthused to become a part of the political process by registering to vote and posting my fliers in their buildings.

One of my crew members/friend explained the racial-cultural dynamics of Lynchburg to me. The town is still very much in slavery mentality in that there is a massive divide between the whites and the blacks. Each group is in fear and loathing of the other. However, as an outsider, I refuse to play into these games. I want to introduce the people of Lynchburg to the twenty-first (or even twentieth) century by expressing a natural comfort with everyone in town. I felt nothing but safe when I naively entered into the "wrong" streets because I did so with positive enthusiasm. The people I met with responded in kind. Nearly everyone I pass in the Ward 2 part of town now recognizes me as a vote registerer because I have spoken with them personally or by the clipboard I carry as a sign of my mission. Lynchburg is a particular place because it is so physically removed from other populous areas and the majority of visiting outsiders are attendants of the neo-conservative Liberty University. Attitudes and relations between many locals are preserved from the days of the Civil War.

That is not to say that there are exceptions. I have met many inspiring people who work on our crew, provide us with office-space at the Starlight Cafe, or cheer us on in the streets. Chris and I have agreed that doing what we do, we get to meet all of the coolest people in town (the other Chris was called to another office). We get invitations from several people on any given day to hang out when we get off of work. Unfortunately, we usually get off of work after 1am and start again around 8am. However, we are currently devising a way to carve one evening out for fun with our local friend - whose name is also Chris.

I want to end this blog with a note of assurance. I am not being reckless with my own safety. I am continuing to learn more about the nature of the neighborhoods of Lynchburg. I will not enter "unsafe" neighborhoods without the accompaniment of friends. However, I refuse to compromise my passion and enthusiasm. I WILL say hello to everyone I pass even if they are labeled as haters of white people. I WILL offer to empower others through registration. I WILL continue to act with politeness and a smile. I also look at the crew that we are continuing to build as a microcosm of tolerance. During check-out at the end of the day, crew members of African descent are chatting and comparing their number of registrants with members of European, Caribbean, and mixed descent. Even if it is in a minor way, I feel that I have dented a tradition of racial tension in Lynchburg.