It has always been a puzzling thing as to why Blacks desire to move around people who actually do not want them anywhere near them. The practice of integration is one in which one race, or culture of people, desires to live within and among another race, in some form of harmony. Though integration is possible, sometimes it is not wanted on the part of the race or culture being intruded upon.

For years Blacks have fought for integration with whites but there has always been a resistance on the part of whites, thus resulting in violent attacks against Black families and even laws prohibiting such integration. However, Blacks and many Black leaders feel that they have as much right to certain standards of living as others, and rightly so. All human being should be given decent resources to live by.

But there is a fine line between demanding and receiving basic resources and getting what you want through forced assimilation. Getting rights as humans is one thing but at the sacrifice of integrity is another. In other words, if I fight for the right to eat in the supervisor's cafeteria because they openly restricted laborers and win, this is a worthy cause. But if they do not want me there why should I want to be there? Why undermine my integrity to sit with people who despise me?

This scenario can be compared to the living arrangements throughout the country regarding Blacks and whites. For many years Blacks have fought to have the right to decent housing and this should be a natural right under the laws of human decency. But if moving to "Whiteville" to prove a point means sacrificing my integrity by living around people who do not want me there, why should I go?

Below is a survey of whites that were asked the following question: "Now I'm going to ask you about different types of contact with various groups of people. In each situation would you please tell me whether you would be very much in favor of it happening, somewhat in favor, neither in favor nor opposed to it happening, somewhat opposed, or very much opposed to it happening?"

Living in a neighborhood where half of your neighbors were blacks?:

 	   		1998 	ALL
		 
Strongly favor 	212	369
Favor 			245	543
Neither 		839	1,851
Oppose 			355	919
Strongly oppose 	182	447
Don't know 		23	49
No answer 		15	34
Not applicable 	961	33,904

Now out of 2832 whites that were asked this question, 457 favored the idea of living in a neighborhood where half their neighbors were blacks whereas 537 opposed. This does not include the majority of whites who answered "neither", which basically means they would rather not even touch the issue because they are probably too shamed to admit it. This assumption is not so improbable seeing that the majority of whites would rather not live among Blacks.

Because this study was conducted in 1998 does not nullify the way whites think today because this type of data only changes over long periods of time, such as the possible survey of slavery and Jim Crow. [When whites were asked] "Do you think Blacks should be kept in slavery," or "Do you think we should give Blacks legal rights?" So this can easily be taken as their thoughts currently, give or take a few of either favored or opposed.

And what about those "not applicable," they must be the whites that are currently living around Blacks so their vote would serve no purpose being they are victims already. However, if they were asked whether they enjoy living around Blacks what does one think their response would be? Guaranteed they would shift their vote toward the opposed because many whites leave the neighborhood as soon as Blacks arrive on the excuse of property values.

What about Blacks? Should Blacks have the benefit of judging rather or not they want to live around whites or is this question a given yes, assuming that all Blacks want to have white neighbors because of some kind of social status. Are we exempt from having certain prejudices based on personal preference or is this benefit only given to whites because of their past racial discrimination practices. You be the judge. Vote in the poll at Afromerica on whether you want to live in a neighborhood where half your neighbors were white.

© 2003 by AfroStaff