The Greenwood Commonwealth. No place for an educated African-American

OK,

You are all racist, YOU ARE, both black and white. You don't think things are right...

So what are you going to do about it. Here's your chance. You can't change how the other guy thinks.
Again, I say... What are you going to do.

Don't let me down. Make it better.

Has it been a while since you visited Greenwood? There are not any parts of town that don't have blacks or mexicans. Wake up!!!!!!!!!!

Past resident of Gwood wrote:

I was born in Greenwood, MS, and I know that there is racism in Greenwood. Here is one question that everyone should ask.
Why do blacks stay on one side of the town and the whites stay on the other (North Greenwood or Caroll County)? Living in Caroll County or North Greenwood does not make a person better. There are nice houses in North Greenwood, but there are way better houses in states like Arizona. I am black, and have owned two of them.
I think that living in separate places is very stupid. I have lived in Arizona, Oregon, and now Texas. I am African American, and I live around tons of whites and other races. This is how it is now in other states. Nobody cares about that kind of stuff. If you have money to buy a nice house, you move in the neighborhood. This is not geared towards whites or blacks. I do think that whomever is racist needs to get out of town for a while to see how things are being done in the present.
As far as someone criticizing English, whenever you type on a forum, you are typing so fast, and mistakes can happen. Just because you spell something wrong does not make you uneducated. I feel that that comment was to say that blacks are uneducated, but since everyone makes mistakes, I guess we must all (blacks and whites) be uneducated. I have been blesed with a huge nice house, car, education, and family, and I am black. The best part of it is that I don't have to work. I have a well educated husband who is also African American, and he is a great provider.
The moral of this story is to let blacks and whites know that everyone is equal. Blacks can get all of the same things that whites can and vice versa. Everyone was made the same except for color. If we use our brains, everyone could have the same nice things in life.
Suggestion of the day: Try visiting other states to see how happy blacks and whites are living in the same neighborhood. Check out the cool block parties while you are there, and count the number of black and white people.

Greenwood is like most small Delta towns. It is drying up. Like some of the others have said, it used to controlled by old money. There is very little old money left. Most of our industry has left. This in part to cheap labor in Mexico and and uneducated work force. The uneducated part is due to lack of drive by the people. Everyone has been offered a excellent, free education, but only a few are willing to accept it. Most have become 2nd or 3rd generation wards of the government, sitting around waiting on a check. What will happen when the government runs out of money and there are no tax payers left, what will these people do or whom will they blame then??

I agree with most of the coments. It is very sad and stupid that there is still so much racism. White people are no better than Black people. We all bleed the same color just in case you haven't notice it but what gets me is the fact that these black people as well as white people are so stuck on stupid when it comes to hiring people especially when they have a degree and is qualified for the position but they stupid a.. would rather give it to someone they know or not so much as qualified. It's all about who you know these days trying to get a job when it should not be like that at all especially at the Greenwood Leflore Hospital. I guess they want you to kiss their a.. or beg for a job but it's not that serious. Gas is to high too keep running up there or anywhere trying to get a job especially when you know that they are hiring and they just hire who they want to and not acknowledge the fact whether or not if you are qualified for the position in which you are applying for give you the opportunity to work and prove yourself. Everyone needs a job including their dumb a.. because if they didn't they wouldn't be there. It's just not fair the way these people treat you when applying for jobs because their a.. sit in these high position and act you can't work for them.

Please people find something new to talk about.

Like have you maade preparation for your eternal life? We as Americans get so caught up in race issues. Let it go Black people. You know who you are and how far God has brought you. Look, it really doesn't matter if another race dosen't want to be around you. Know that God loves you and so do I. Live on all people lets stopping wasting our limeted time on this earth with race issues. GoD Bless

Ok, I Made several grammer errors. So how are you guys going to react to that? Will you take the message intended or will you judge?

As a newcomer to Greenwood, it is very discouraging to read the above. It’s 2008 and we are still going back and forth about race. Life is what you make of it, take a few to the chin, walk with your head held high and your chest out as if nothing can stop your blessings. I’m American, it doesn’t matter what shade my skin is!!(At least to me it doesn’t)

Several years ago I was on a cruise and found myself seated next to a nice looking couple. It didn't take long for me to recognize the southern accents, as I could overhear their conversation.
Since I was born and raised in Ms. I asked where they lived. They were as surprised as I was to find another southerner from the same state. We chatted comfortably for awhile until the man asked me "who's your people"? I had not heard that for many years and was actually shocked.
Racism is problematic in many areas of this country and a non-issue in others. I believe it is just one of the problems in Greenwood and the other is the genetic elitism that is still prevalent there. This is just as racist as white racism toward blacks and I believe that is quite possibly the root of all prejudices there. It also seems to be perpetuated by the very people who are compromised by it. One has only to look just beneath the facade of civility to see that the people who are perceived as being "top drawer" rarely, if ever, are prosecuted for wrongdoing or even suffer any social consequences for same.
I spent the better part of my first 34 years in Ms. Since then I have lived in many differnt areas of the country and I would never consider moving back to Ms. My primary reason is because of the deplorable lack of equity for all the citizens there.
BTW I am white and female.

I moved to Greenwood as an adult in 1998 and spent 5 years there. It's got to be one of the most miserable places in the entire country to live. I could go on, but primarily the rain-forest climate, clouds of mosquitoes, lack of outdoor activities (unless you like to hunt, fish, or swim in muddy rivers), poverty, crime, drugs, gang activity, and racism were the hardest to deal with. I just read the Commonwealth headlines before coming here and the new year isn't 20 hours old yet and already there have been 2 murders. Most everyone keeps a firearm close by and has an alarm on their house, but despite those there's still no where you can feel truly safe. The racism goes both ways, I saw just as much white vs. black as black vs white. The whites think they're superior and the blacks think they're owed everything because of slavery. The whites don't feel comfortable on the black side of the river and vice versa. It's about as polarized as it could get. Why people stay there and put up with that enviroment when there are so many other places in this country to be without those problems is mind boggling. Greenwood will NEVER change.

I lived in the Delta for several years and I am thankful for what my ancestors taught me about race. We, the white people of this beautiful country are superior to the black race. I will carry what I was taught and will pass it along to my children. The Delta is a wretched place simply because of the number of blacks that pollute the area.

www wrote:

I lived in the Delta for several years and I am thankful for what my ancestors taught me about race. We, the white people of this beautiful country are superior to the black race. I will carry what I was taught and will pass it along to my children. The Delta is a wretched place simply because of the number of blacks that pollute the area.

We're glad you left... I don't feel that way and go back and visit often.

I was born, raised, and lived in the Delta for 18 years of my life. I was taught no to possess a hate for people of any type, which would include discriminating against particular races of people. Granted, I went to a private school and was raised primarily among those of the white race. However, I do not possess a hate for blacks. People in the Delta, for the most part, have grown against the original nature of racism. In the past few decades, a shift from racism to what I will call selective racism has taken place. Most white people in the Delta will possess a dislike for blacks who have not taken the opportunity to better themselves and insist on living off others through programs like the welfare program.
What you describe as being racism against you in the workplace is something different. I personally worked at the Commonwealth and I do know Tim, the editor. I don't particularly like his views on things, however, I don't really dislike him either. What you described as happening to you at the Commonwealth is not discrimination or racism, it is called business. You were not employed by the newspaper for a long period of time. Those that have been employed by the paper for many years have achieved the position of staff writer or supervisor of their department. You cannot run around screaming discrimination and racism based off of some supervisor making you clean the press. One obvious reason that you cannot call this racism and discrimination is that the distribution manager at the newspaper is black. The reason that a new press operator was hired is because a new press was installed a few years ago. The new press is software based and runs off of a computer instead of the old method. Yes, someone still has to burn and cut the plates, you. Had you decided to stick it out and not bust out of the place because you were asked to do something well inside your job description, you would have learned that.
Yes, the Delta is still a backwards place. However, with anti-discrimination laws in place at a place of business which will impose strict penalties and possibly force a closing of the business for violation, I hardly believe that you were discriminated against in the workplace.
One last thing, the reason that you were only employed at a pay rate of $7 per hour is because the Commonwealth does not generate a large amount of revenue. No one person that is employed by the paper gets a large salary. For instance, that nice car the the editor drives around on a daily basis is one that he cannot afford on his salary. The car was purchased by the owner of the paper, John Emmerich, as a perk to get Tim to take the job.
It is high time that people stopped running around and calling white individuals racist. The reason that most are called racist is because they find some things that other races or their own do completely ridiculous and without personal moral. Drugs and other illegal activity are perfectly acceptable examples of the types of actions I refer to. Remember that actions speak louder than words. If you want people to stop treating you differently as an outcast of society then stop acting like one. Take some initiative and get an education. No one person is provided with the same opportunity as the next. In the long history of our country there have been countless individuals that have overcome the obstacles they were born into and achieved a new level of personal success despite what society was doing to keep them down. Stop complaining about what other people are doing to you and pave your own way through your own life and deal with difficulty like the rest of us do.

When I first entered the job market many years ago I found work in a small town near Atlanta. The company was a manufacturing company and most of us were trying our best to put our degrees to work, mostly with little success. There was this one guy who had come into the job another way. He had been "hired on" as an hourly employee. It was obvious he was a hard worker and he seemed to really have a grip on things. After a few weeks we became friends. I never will forget the day he told me he had his Masters degree from Georgia.
"Why didn't you get your education to open the right doors for you and go directly into management," I asked him?
His answer was that by learning from the ground up he was going to be in a better postion to understand the business and all of it's complexities when he did get into management. See, he already knew in his heart that he would be in a more superior position one day.
There's nothing wrong with starting out as a part time employee, but once those jobs you knew how to do became available why didn't you tell the editor? All it would have taken was you saying, "Hey, I can run a press...I did it at my last job." Then you could have said, "just give me a shot at it, if I can't do it you haven't lost anything and if I can do it you have a $7 per hour pressman."
If you could have done it, how long do you think you would have been: 1. part time and 2. making $7 an hour?
You need to be willing to disregard your personal predjuces and use them as stepping stones to achievement. Keep this in mind next.
"Everyone has to carry their own water."

I attended Mississippi Valley and worked in Greenwood, until I graduated. What I found was that most people are fair outside of the established class, both Black and White. There's no monopoly on oppression, both Black and White treat working class folks with disdain and disrespect. The problem I see is that Greenwood has a large population of mis-educated workers both Black and White that have been fighting so hard to survive, that they haven't organized to fight management for better wages, haven't organized to get better education for the children and haven't participated fully in politics to force the politicians to fight for the little people.

As for the Commonwealth, its purpose is to uphold the status quo and progressive minded educated Black men don't fit that profile, so don't take it personal.

As for the idiot, "American American", Black folks were here before your ancestors started purchasing them.

I said all that to say Greenwood, MS is one of the most polarized places in America. The leadership of the city fought tooth and nail to make sure that the new college(Mississippi Valley State University) would not be built in Greenwood, because the leaders did not want to deal with an enlightened workforce and I believe that they got what they wanted, control and a ignorant and divided workforce, both Black and White. Thus, there has been very little change in Greenwood and there probably won't be much change in the near future.

I lived in greenwood until i was 18 years old i could wait to leav there ;when i come home to see my family;its nice ;but ms;is still in the dark i move from LA to michigan ;its better then ms; i don;t think ms will every change;they will all ways be racism in that places;;just pray;things will get better;;;;;;

I grew up in Greenwood and left for 16 years. Now I am back having chosen this over anywhere in the country yes, I am white. Yes Greenwood is deeply divided. But most people like me that went to private school whose parents busted ass to send me to are not racist. Most people here wait to judge. It doesn't take long to figure out if some one is worth further contact with white or black. Yes, I am pejudice with an *. That * means white, black, green or whatever, if you don't strive to be better and sit around bad-mouthing the people who have and won't try to better your situation then I can't waste my breath on you. My parents both grew up
dirt poor living in a 2 room house with multiple siblings.

The moral of the story is YOU are in control of YOU. If you want better than YOU have to work regardless of color. I wish I could say I
was sorry for the racism that goes on but I can't. It is not my place to appologize for them. Just people like me show it day today through our actions. I hope that the fellow that quit the paper finds a good position elsewhere and all the luck in the world.

But if the paper was prejudice, then why did it openly support Obama for his presidential run?

I disagree wit ur comment it is not always jus d blacks as you stated, its both sides, no 1 regardless of color or majotity should hold all d blame. African Americans might b d majority, but we do not hold high job positions, wen it comes to employment whites hold majority of the cards.

Don't mention Carroll County, because it is the county-- full of hate. CCC OR KKK (WHAT'S THE DIFFERENTS) Carroll county and Greenwood are first cousins. Granddaughter and sons of Mr. Hate Blacks. Nothing else matters. It's really sad, people are still not treated fair, because of a skin tone. I can relate to this mistreated worker. I had a sister, back in the 1980s got a job at Greenwood Commonwealth. She sound white, she could type 80 word per minute with no errors. She had great experience, but when she had a face to face interview, it was over. She said, It really hurts, when a manager rejects you,because of you're Black. They ponder and ponder trying to think of something else to say. This is true and I believe the original statement.
People, stop trying to justify hate. It's there,and you know it, Whites are too busy trying to hold black down from jobs, that they have lost the fight and sight.
So to the person that made the comment about giving blacks welfare, the system knows why. Black have to be put to the front of the line for something, because they are pushed to the back of the line on everything else. On the flip side, white are just as poor and they get welfare and medicaid too, this I know. So don't make it a Black thang, you have probably just got off the last year or so.
You wake up with a fair change being white, but If your face would turn from white to Black, you would see examples of discrimination on your daily walk in life.
Sorry, I Love You and Pray for them.
Peace to all!

Well Leon, we're all American-Americans. On all three ships that came to America in 1492 there were Blacks! Many who were indentured seevents. Blacks have been here just as long as Whites. The only REAL Americans are Native Americans.

I am a white female. I have white friends and black friends. There are blacks then there are Blacks...some of which even the blacks don't want to be around. If I go to WalMart or the grocery store, etc. I have to hear them call each other the N word. Oh, but if I did that, OMG, a lawsuit would soon follow. Also, one day not long ago, some kids looking to be from 9 to 13 years old, were walking. They were wearing baseball shirts. They were all black children. I thought they looked so good in their shirts, so I stopped to ask if they had won their game. One little boy said,"YES! We won 10 to 2!" I said, "Great!" and then proceeded to drive away. One of the older boys yelled, "Hey, white lady...is you a pone sta...cause you look like a pone sta!" I know that you realize he was saying porn star...it made me so mad that I had taken the time to stop and be nice to those kids because I truly thought they looked so sharp in their shirts. Its the parents at home that are teaching some of these children the junk that they continue to display. There are whites who are just as bad, they make me sick, too. Racism is a black thing just as it is a white thing. We all need to ACT RIGHT...but hey, if you were reared to be stupid, then how do you know what is right!? Well, there is an age of accountability! Also, I agree with the person's post above. The blacks of today were not slaves, nor did the whites of today own slaves. I HATE what happened to blacks! Im sorry the whites did this. But please don't let the civil rights stuggle turn into the civil rights wallow!!!! I am of Choctaw Indian decent. Way back in our lineage, a Frenchman and and Indian married...and so here I am. The tribe was "coaxed" to a reservation in Oklahoma...however my people stayed in Mississippi; making their home near French Camp. Some of the Indians were treated terribly!! and for many years. You don't hear them moaning and groaning and perpetuating the horrible stories down through their family lines. They may do it within their families, but do we hear it in ALL the papers and on all the TV stations. Do we ever hear the news people say, "Mr. John Doe, the first Choctaw Indian, blah, blah, blah". We always hear, "Mr. John Doe, the first African American to ever be....." Why cant a person be known for and hired on his own merit...not his skin color. I don't care if a person is purple...if he can do the job, let him have it. This business about having to have X number of people be black is a bunch of bull. Blacks have college grants, so don't tell me they can't get an education. I am leaving this place not because we have blacks in office, nor for the reason that the public schools are mostly black, nor for any reason that involves dealing with blacks or trashy white people. Im leaving this place because Im tired of it being shoved down our throats that because we, the white race, are racists just because we are white. Oh please, give me a break...I have to go and find a blood pressure pill now!!! By the way, Im moving to a place where people respect each other as human beings and the history lessons don't include how to hate modern day white people for something they weren't a part of. Im just saying.....