Byline withheld at the request of the author.
So now we're calling it an "ill-conceived political prank." Sorry, but hanging an African-American man in effigy in Kentucky goes far beyond a prank. It goes far beyond the profound hurt that so many people feel. It goes far beyond the political, cultural and historic ramifications. Hate and ignorance like this has a substantial, long-term economic impact on our community.
The simple truth is this: Kentucky's economy will go only as far as its workforce will take it, and right now Kentucky's workforce needs a lot of help. While our state's civic and business leadership talks regularly (and rightly) about "retaining home-grown talent," Kentucky's economy won't move beyond the bottom few states without enormous help from high-skilled, creative-class workers we successfully recruit to the Bluegrass.
Those workers are in high demand and can choose to live and work just about anywhere. Today, they're scratching Lexington off their lists of places to visit. While no city in the world is immune from racism or ignorance, there aren't many other places that have recently sported "Obama hung in effigy" headlines.
Don't think for a minute that this will just blow over with out-of-state educated workers, either. Yes, this story has been immersed in a sea of larger, more historic headlines - - indeed, it has already faded from the national media. But this is the kind of story that sticks in the back of your head for a long time. The president of the local university and the mayor can make all the speeches and hold all the forums they want, but the damage is essentially done. While many people are willing to overlook our politics, educated workers won't think Lexington is "a great place to raise a family" if they have to explain incidents like this to their kids.
This incident sends a clear message that Kentucky isn't simply struggling with a racist past; it's struggling with an ignorant present. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a leading civil rights organization that has tracked organized and active hate groups since 1981, reports there are currently two active hate groups operating in Greater Lexington and 13 throughout the commonwealth. Exit polls from the recent Democratic presidential primary revealed that 17 percent of Kentucky Democrats voted for Hillary Clinton at least in part because of president-elect Barack Obama's race.
The economic impacts of hate have not been measured to the exact percentage point, but they are obvious to anyone who takes the time to look. It is no coincidence that the most intolerant and dogmatic places on earth are also among the least economically developed. As governments and societies assign restrictions and affix stigma based on what people are as opposed to what people do, educated and creative workers evacuate. Those communities then grow even more resentful of educated "elites." They work to restrict speech and limit disclosure of information. They move to define people by their race, religion, or nation of origin and work to deny them rights. They adopt divisive rhetoric and grow even more nationalistic.
Does any of this sound familiar?
This incident makes it abundantly clear our community is at a crossroads. While much of the country seems to make tremendous progress on issues of race and politics, we seem to be lagging behind. We can continue to resist national and global trends of progress in tolerance, education and development, or we can embrace the positive changes taking place all around us and reap some of the benefits. We can explain away a "childish prank" and pass up an opportunity to show the world we're not "that" Kentucky anymore, or we can take concrete steps to enhance our standing with high-skill workers.
Some suggestions, both symbolic and substantive:
Add some teeth to Kentucky's hate crime laws. Kentucky has laws on the books, but for years they've been criticized as weak, especially when compared to laws of neighboring states. They focus on issues of probation or parole, but not on longer sentences or higher fines for hate-inspired crimes. In recent years, prosecutors have been forced to find ways to invoke federal hate crimes laws in cross-burning cases because Kentucky statutes were embarrassingly lenient. Let's take a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to this. If we don't go to the legislature and demand tougher laws, the "forum" our community held in response to recent events was just talk.
Create more opportunities for minority workers and entrepreneurs, and publicize those opportunities. While many area businesses and organizations are reaching out to minority communities, we can strengthen our commitment and our efforts. Enough of the false, divisive rhetoric about "taking jobs away" from others - - creating opportunities for minorities helps everyone in the long term. Furthermore, the local media should focus some attention on the efforts our business and civic leadership is making in this area. Central Kentucky companies have historically placed a great deal of emphasis on marketing and promotion - - they should be talking about these outreach efforts with equal vigor.
Replace symbols of fear with symbols of hope. Wouldn't it be poetic justice if a statue of Barack Obama and his family stood on the site where he once hung in effigy? If not Obama, perhaps reserve the spot for a statue of the first African-American voted to statewide office in Kentucky, or a civil rights leader from our past. How about James Bond, the man who was born into slavery in Kentucky but was also one of the founders of the Lincoln Institute in Shelby County and whose grandson, Julian, is now chairman of the NAACP? And wouldn't it be even more powerful if the statue were unveiled along with the announcement of a new lecture series designed to discuss more civil alternatives to political discourse? Lexington can send a message to all that would scar our landscape with hateful symbols that their actions will all but guarantee a response with twice the hope.