culture Book ver final 5 - Flipbook - Page 86
Dƌ͘ůĞdž͘,ĂďĞƌƐŚĂŵ
DĂĐŽŶͲDŝĚĚůĞ'ĞŽƌŐŝĂůĂĐŬWĂŐĞƐ
ϱϵϬ͘d͘tĂůƚŽŶ͕^ƌ͘tĂLJ
DĂĐŽŶ͕'ϯϭϮϬϭ
ĞĂƌ&ĞůůŽǁDĂĐŽŶŝƚĞƐ͕
EĞǁdŽǁŶDĂĐŽŶŝƐƉƌŽƵĚŽĨŽƵƌůŽŶŐͲƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐŚŝƉǁŝƚŚƚŚĞDĂĐŽŶͲDŝĚĚůĞ'ĞŽƌŐŝĂůĂĐŬ
WĂŐĞƐ͘&ŽƌĚĞĐĂĚĞƐ͕ƚŚĞůĂĐŬWĂŐĞƐŚĂƐǁŽƌŬĞĚĞĨĨĞĐƚŝǀĞůLJƚŽĐƌĞĂƚĞ͕ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶ͕ĂŶĚƉƌŽŵŽƚĞďůĂĐŬ
ĐŽŵŵĞƌĐĞŝŶDĂĐŽŶ͘^ƵĚĚĞŶůLJ͕ƚŚĞƌĞƐƚŽĨƚŚĞǁŽƌůĚŝƐĐĂƚĐŚŝŶŐƵƉƚŽƚŚĞůĂĐŬWĂŐĞƐďLJƌĞĂůŝnjŝŶŐ
ƚŚĂƚďůĂĐŬďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐŽǁŶĞƌƐŚŝƉŝƐĨƵŶĚĂŵĞŶƚĂůĨŽƌǀŝďƌĂŶƚĂŶĚĞƋƵŝƚĂďůĞĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ͘EĞǁdŽǁŶ
ĂŶĚĚŽǁŶƚŽǁŶĂƌĞĐĂƚĐŚŝŶŐƵƉ͕ƚŽŽ͕ƚŚĂŶŬƐƚŽƚŚĞĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ͕ůĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ͕ĂŶĚƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐŚŝƉŽĨƚŚĞ
ůĂĐŬWĂŐĞƐ͘^ƚƌĂƚĞŐLJϭ͘ϭŝŶƚŚĞDĂĐŽŶĐƚŝŽŶWůĂŶϮ͘Ϭ;ǁǁǁ͘ŵĂĐŽŶĂĐƚŝŽŶƉůĂŶ͘ĐŽŵͿis “Celebrate
Θ'ƌŽǁůĂĐŬͲKǁŶĞĚƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐ,” indicating an important evolution in our perception of what it
ƚĂŬĞƐƚŽƌĞǀŝƚĂůŝnjĞĚŽǁŶƚŽǁŶDĂĐŽŶĂŶĚƚŚĞĐŝƚLJĂƐĂǁŚŽůĞ͘
&ƌŽŵƚŚĂƚƉůĂƚŝƚƵĚĞ͕ǁĞĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚƚŽŵĞĂƐƵƌĞŽƵƌƉƌŽŐƌĞƐƐŝŶĚŝǀĞƌƐŝĨLJŝŶŐƚŚĞĚŽǁŶƚŽǁŶďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ
ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͘dŽƚŚĂƚĞŶĚ͕/ĂŵƉůĞĂƐĞĚƚŽƌĞƉŽƌƚƚŚĂƚǁĞŚĂǀĞŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚƚŚĞƉƌŽƉŽƌƚŝŽŶŽĨďůĂĐŬͲ
ŽǁŶĞĚƐƚŽƌĞĨƌŽŶƚƐĨƌŽŵϭϴйƚŽϮϱйŝŶƚŚĞƉĂƐƚLJĞĂƌĂůŽŶĞ͊tĞĂƌĞŽŶƚŚĞǁĂLJƚŽĞŶƐƵƌŝŶŐ
ĚŽǁŶƚŽǁŶDĂĐŽŶƌĞĨůĞĐƚƐƚŚĞĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJŽĨŽƵƌĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJĂƐĂǁŚŽůĞ͘
In 1867, Frederick Douglass observed that, “tĞĂƌĞĂĐŽƵŶƚƌLJŽĨĂůůĞdžƚƌĞŵĞƐ—͕ĞŶĚƐĂŶĚ
ŽƉƉŽƐŝƚĞƐ͖ƚŚĞŵŽƐƚĐŽŶƐƉŝĐƵŽƵƐĞdžĂŵƉůĞŽĨĐŽŵƉŽƐŝƚĞŶĂƚŝŽŶĂůŝƚLJŝŶƚŚĞǁŽƌůĚ.”KƵƌŶĂƚŝŽŶĂů
ƐƚƌŝĨĞŝƐŶŽƚŶĞǁ͘ĂĐŚŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶŝŶŚĞƌŝƚƐƚŚĞƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚLJƚŽďƵŝůĚďƌŝĚŐĞƐĂĐƌŽƐƐƌĞĂůĂŶĚ
ƉĞƌĐĞŝǀĞĚĚŝĨĨĞƌĞŶĐĞƐƚŚĂƚĚŝǀŝĚĞƵƐ͘KŶĞŽĨŵLJƉĞƌƐŽŶĂůŚĞƌŽĞƐŽďƐĞƌǀĞĚŶŽƚůŽŶŐĂŐŽƚŚĂƚ͕
“Diversity is never a liability; distrust is a liability.”I have come to believe that Macon’s diversity is
ƋƵŝƚĞƚŚĞŽƉƉŽƐŝƚĞŽĨĂůŝĂďŝůŝƚLJ͘/ƚŚĂƐƚŚĞƉŽƚĞŶƚŝĂůƚŽďĞŽƵƌƐƵƉĞƌƉŽǁĞƌ͘KŶĞŽĨŵLJĐŽůůĞĂŐƵĞƐ
recently dreamed that Macon could swing from the nation’s most redlined city to the nation’ƐŵŽƐƚ
ŝŶƚĞŐƌĂƚĞĚƌĞǀŝƚĂůŝnjĂƚŝŽŶ͘tĞĐŽƵůĚŶŽƚĞǀĞŶĚĂƌĞƚŽĚƌĞĂŵƐŽďŽůĚůLJǁŝƚŚŽƵƚƚŚĞĨŽƵŶĚĂƚŝŽŶďƵŝůƚ
ďLJƚŚĞůĂĐŬWĂŐĞƐ͘
/Ĩyou have an idea about how we can advance this dream for America’s
ŵŽƐƚŝŶƚĞŐƌĂƚĞĚƌĞǀŝƚĂůŝnjĂƚŝŽŶ͕ƉůĞĂƐĞĞŵĂŝůŵĞĂƚ
ũŽƐŚΛŶĞǁƚŽǁŶŵĂĐŽŶ͘ĐŽŵ͊/ůŽŽŬĨŽƌǁĂƌĚƚŽĐŽŶƚŝŶƵŝŶŐƚŽǁŽƌŬǁŝƚŚ
ƚŚĞůĂĐŬWĂŐĞƐĂŶĚŵLJĨĞůůŽǁDĂĐŽŶŝƚĞƐƚŽĞŶƐƵƌĞĞǀĞƌLJŽŶĞŚĂƐƚŚĞ
ĂďŝůŝƚLJƚŽƌĞĂůŝnjĞƚŚĞŝƌǁŝůĚĞƐƚĚƌĞĂŵƐŝŶĚŽǁŶƚŽǁŶDĂĐŽŶ͘
^ŝŶĐĞƌĞůLJ͕
:ŽƐŚZŽŐĞƌƐ
WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚΘK
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