In addition to publishing thoughts from our program directors in the 26 Knight communities, we’re also reaching out to other local civic leaders. These remarks come from an email interview with James Bennett, Executive Vice President and Director of Public Affairs for the First Citizens Bank in Columbia.
What jumped out at you from the results of the study?
I was pleasantly surprised to see education and social offerings as our strengths. However, after I peeled back the onion, I discovered that the strength of education was with the colleges and universities, and K-12 scored much lower. Another indicator was that colleges and universities scored very well, but after graduation, a large percentage of our young folk leave the state. Social offerings was another pleasant surprise. I think that the Vista, the entertainment center of the city, really paid off with the addition of the new baseball stadium, home of the Colonial Center and fabulous restaurants.
What do you consider to be the key takeaways from the findings?
I was interested in the comparisons of African-American views vs. Whites. Again, I was pleasantly surprised as to how closely related the views were. In many instances, African Americans were more positive about their community than Whites. For example, African-American perception of openness of the community to different groups was higher among African Americans than Whites. Civic involvement was higher among African Americans than Whites, including voting in the last election and leadership. However, when the question was asked if this is a good place for racial and ethnic minorities, the response was lower among African Americans. This is a real positive for our community. It is hard to find strong positive engagement across racial lines.
Do the findings reinforce the value of any local initiatives?
I would have to give credit to the local leadership over the years that had the vision to create an environment that was conducive for all people to have a good quality of life. This community has had organizations like The Luncheon Club, Community Relation Council, Seven-Thirty Breakfast Club and Columbia Urban League. We fought side by side to pass a plan to get African Americans elected to the city council. African Americans empowered themselves by voting in the capital city and getting elected to the school board. The school board appointed one of the first African-American superintendents. We continue to improve today with programs like Project Blue Print and Leadership Columbia. The colleges and universities play a major role. Education goes a long way to tear down barriers.
What questions does the study raise for you?
I was a little disappointed, but not surprised, to see the low Civic Involvement scores. As I mentioned earlier, African American scores are higher than Whites. What I also know is that our city government is composed of 3 White council members, 3 African Americans and a Mayor who is White but votes the majority of the time with the African-American members. We also for the first time in the history of the city have a great opportunity to elect the first African-American mayor. I hope that these signs of progress do not create a wedge of racial divide!
Tags: local perspectives
