As the former director of racial and social justice at the YWCA in Baton Rouge, Roberta Madden has spent her professional career trying to eliminate racism and empower women. Since retiring to Black Mountain in fall 2009, she’s continued to champion these causes. Over the last six years she and group of volunteers have brought the YWCA initiative “Stand Against Racism” to the residents of Western North Carolina.
This Sunday, May 1, at 2:30 p.m. at the White Horse Black Mountain, a panel discussion on overcoming obstacles to end racism will be held by singer Kat Williams, the Rev. Hilario Cisneros of La Capilla de Santa Maria in Hendersonville, noted musician, author and speaker David LaMotte and Mike Czeczot, former senior managing editor of Daytona Beach News. Buncombe County Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger, who was instrumental in creating an online database of slave ownership in the region, will moderate the event.
Madden hopes the two-hour panel will help people better understand the issues surrounding racism. “Some folks think [racism] is not a problem any more. But it is,” she says. “It’s a very serious problem. It’s harder for white people to focus on it. I think black people and other people of color live with it everyday. But for white people, they think, ‘Well, how does this really effect me? I’m not a Klan member; I’m not a bad person. I don’t understand it.’”
Interspersed in the discussion, Williams will sing. Since committing to a musical career in 1998, the Emmy-nominated, Asheville-based singer has been compared to legends Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Coco Taylor, Mavis Staples, Etta James and Tryon’s Nina Simone.
With the addition of Williams’ involvement, Madden views this year’s program as a bit more ambitious than those of previous years. The message, however, remains the same. “As the YWCA says, racism hurts everyone,” Madden explains. “And so we’re going to explore that.”
The event starts at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10/ $8 children.
Advance tickets available online at: www.whitehorseblackmountain.com
I have long believed that truly productive people in our U. S. society who are often accused of racism are in fact only guilty of valuing strong individual effort, meaningful productivity that benefits society, good work ethics, adherence to society’s laws, excellent personal character, and true individual worth. Those people who never try to better themselves and their condition in life through education and with using good skill sets, and who rely on handouts, wealth transfers, and “gimmedats” from the government are often viewed in less than positive terms by the taxpayers who have built and operate our country. It simply recalls the old phrase from many years ago on the frontier that “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” Expecting everyone to pull their own weight is not racism……. it’s realistic common sense.
And he wonders why they’re accused of racism! After writing that!?
So now racism is just ‘common sense’!
@Rick – well said and reasonable. Problem is: you are too realistic and rational for America in 2016. We’ve become a country of excuse-makers and enablers (see Huhsure comment below, right on cue).
Rather than engaging in the ultimate respect toward another person by encouraging, requiring and helping people become skilled and self-reliant, there is an ever larger group who prefer to see them dependent and unable. It is pathetic and truly un-American.
But, thank you for speaking up because what you’re saying is important and we need to hear more of it before the inmates take over this asylum.
Yes, “common sense.” There has never been a negative influence on the economic advancement of any particular race of people in the United States of America. All races have always had equal access to every common advantage for upward mobility. It has never been shown that certain economic advantages have been structurally withheld or diminished for members of a certain race or skin color. All claims to the contrary are obviously based on a desire to acquire undeserved advantage over other neutral, completely innocent and non-previously- advantaged race groups. We’ve all started from the same starting line in this country, and any attempts to claim otherwise are simply sore-loserism.
The End.
Rick is correct! Government teat suckers are UNSUSTAINABLE (in greenie terms!) ! ! ! ‘Entitlements’ are running us BROKE and must be phased out! Thankfully programs are being trimmed but not enough. A taxpayer dependent society is deadly.
oh, and remember keeping their ‘stand against racism’ programs presented is another way to keep their agenda propagated, because the left will NEVER EVER be happy. Have you ever met a happy liberal ?
No, but I’ve heard tell. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-are-happier-liberals-or-conservatives/.
Racism has largely been eliminated in the United States. Our first half-white president for example was elected twice thanks to a large amount of all-white people voting for him. Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthiest women in America and has for almost three decades had an audience of largely white people who care about what she has to say and follow accordingly. No one says the n-word anymore (except rappers). But despite all of this evidence, racism can’t go away because it’s a money-making business for race hustlers like the fake reverend Al Sharpton, the other fake reverend Jesse Jackson, and the Democrat Party who hustle racist fear to get the votes of people they do not care one iota about. As long as racism continues to be a business for the far left in America, racism will never go away. It’s all pretty astonishing when you consider that all the segregationists in the Jim Crow days were Democrats.
“Racism has largely been eliminated in the United States.”
That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. It’s not necessary to point out how that isn’t true – you’d never acknowledge it anyway.
I agree. It’s best to let that be the James Monument and leave it to slowly crumble unattended.
“No one says the n-word anymore”
I remember my first beer
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!
I find it comforting that according to some, racism has largely been eliminated her in ‘Merica.
I’m sure all those far right hate groups with members with swastikas tattooed on their necks have suddenly re-evaluated their lives.
I also find it comforting that it only exists as a money making venture, according to some.
Because whenever a young black unarmed make is gunned down by corrupt cops, I’m sure he just sees dollar signs.
I also find it comforting that any discussion can be hijacked into how the teatsuckers are bankrupting us.
I’m sure every Baby Boomer Social Security recipient and 5 star general who sucks the teat of the Military Industrial Complex are weeping openly whenever they cash their checks from the gob’ment which are bankrupting us.
Wow. When exactly did this comments board become 4chan?
Black unarmed male that is-
My typo was caused by liberals, whatever those are. I’ve been told Jesus was one, but I guess there are more than one of those.
Jesus was a typo? You’re going straight to hello for that.
Institutional and systematic racism. To this ” Stand against racism ” production, there is no defense to such claims as there is no evidence. Interestingly enough is the NAACP is the antiquated leader in race grievance and it’s very survival depends on perpetual racism and perceived victimhood. The “packed house ” of Lyndon B Johnson liberals who claim to combat racism over a bottle of wine and cheese from the comfort of their homes in Caucasianville is laughable! What scares these purveyors of hate is that we American citizens are not being passive and bamboozled anymore by bullies and their shenanigans any longer. It’s the most primal divisionary tactic used by Democrats when LBJ proclaimed, ” With the passage of the Civil Rights Act, we’ll have blacks voting Democrat for 200 years. “. I think most free thinking Americans see who really practices institutional and systemic racism, The NAACP.