My Keloland colleague, Professor David Newquist, has some provocative things to say about our home town.
Only in in the grips of complete absurdity can one be in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and contemplate Martin Luther King, Jr., Day in terms of how much progress we have made toward social justice. No question, we have made some progress, but that progress reveals deeper, chronic social pathologies in the human psyche which are institutionalized in new forms, in new expressions.
Aberdeen had a racist fest this spring. When plans for a beef packing plant were announced for the town, an outcry rose over the "kind" of people it would attract as workers. Groups organized to oppose rezoning and financial assistance for the plant on environmental and public nuisance grounds, but the arguments also included a disclaimer of racial motives, and invariably concluded with the observation that certain ethnic groups have a propensity for criminality. The local newspaper discussion board was widely cited among civil rights groiups for its virulent and demented expressions of racist propaganda.
Now I certainly agree with Professor Newquist that some of the opposition to the proposed beef plant in Aberdeen was motivated by a fear of the immigrant workers that it might attract. I wrote a piece for the American News in favor of the beef plant, and I pointed out the prejudice that was behind some of the opposition. But hardly all of it.
Not everyone who opposed the beef plant did so out of illegitimate motives. Professor Newquist should know, as he has raised environmental objections. Some conservatives I know object to the very idea of TIFs. Others were concerned about property values, and other quality of life issues.
But for all of the objections, the vote for the beef plant (TIF) passed by a very large margin. Contrary to what my colleague says, Aberdeen is a great place from which to contemplate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. We chose the general prosperity and future growth of our community over prejudice and fear. We have every right to celebrate Martin Luther King day.
I grew up in Craighead County, Arkansas. The schools in Jonesboro were only desegregated when I was in third grade. I remember when I was a boy scout, I rode to summer camp with a friend of mine and his parents. At some point along the way, my friend's father started taking about "those niggers." I was shocked. No one in my family talked that way. My father was scrupulously polite to everyone, regardless of color. I had learned from school about the evils of racial prejudice. I scolded my friends father. He became defensive, and directed a torrent of abuse at me. It was a very uncomfortable ride. It was no big deal. Its just something that I remember.
I know what racism looks like. It is a very ugly thing. Aberdeen is not free from it, because no place is free from it. It is like original sin. But Aberdeen is a much better place in that respect that most places on planet Earth. We have no particular reason to be ashamed, and every reason to celebrate Martin Luther King and his achievement.
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