“Cease building walls, begin building bridges”

Some people think that it is naïve to be optimistic about the future of the South. Some think that it is unrealistic. I disagree. I am optimistic about the South primarily because it makes sense.

Twenty-five years ago the South was not nearly as prosperous as it is today, and the racial and class divisions were so sharp that one could be easily lacerated by rubbing against either in the effort to moderate the divisions. Indeed, class and race were blurred largely because if one didn’t work to one’s advantage, the other just might. And one of them just had to!

That is what so many of us believed with all our hearts. But that was not so, and it need not be so. I believe that in the last 25 years, we have learned some things that are proving to be invaluable as we face another quarter of a century.

First, we have learned that political equality for all Americans — and all Southerners — is a healthy, nourishing practice, because it moves us closer to democracy, which we have always touted but never really practiced. Secondly, we have learned that prosperity and economic well-being create a healthy living space for all, if enjoyed by all. And pockets of poverty and areas where institutions are dysfunctional create conditions that can easily cross racial and class lines and bring sub-standard conditions from which no group can be safely insulated.

Finally, we have learned that one community is vulnerable to the same malpractices, the same social ills, and the same dreadful dislocations as any other community. There is no foolproof way to avoid the contaminations that infect our neighbors, far and near.

These lessons urge us to cease building walls and begin building bridges, to cease glorifying our differences and begin celebrating the things that we have in common. They also call on all of us to engage in the simple ritual of extending to others — of whatever race, class, creed, or other persuasion — the same dignity and respect we have for ourselves.

Tell about the South and about Southerners — and rejoice in their move toward a new, wholesome, healthy millennium!