Kenny Hardin, Salisbury City Councilman
♦ Ms. Cook, thank you for the article, but I want to offer a few additional points. I didn’t go into the interview seeking sympathy or approval from anyone. I was forthcoming and unapologetic about my thoughts, words and feelings during the interview on how racism is so prevalent here and how divided this City is. But missing were many of the strong views, examples and quotes I shared about its prevalence. Absent was how people of color feel they are not woven into the fabric of this City nor do their thoughts and opinions matter. This is evident by a quote that was shared with me recently by a city leader, “People are happy and things are good here, but some people only want to dredge up and focus on the negative.” No, there are people in this City suffering and not everyone is happy and skipping down the streets.
As I stated during our conversation last week, I care little about how I’m perceived or whether I’m accepted by anyone. I will not expend any amount of time or energy trying to make White people really know who I am and/or feel comfortable with me. I will not try to appeal to or wait for anyone’s moral compass to align to give me a sense of respect and inclusiveness. This was what I meant in the example I shared with you of why I don’t sing the song, We Shall Overcome. I believe in the fierce urgency of now.
I’m not naïve to think these issues just came up since I’ve been on Council or during a honeymoon period. They are deeply rooted in this City and have been going on for a long time, but as I said; there is a level of cowardice by our leaders to address them.
My weariness comes from the examples I shared of the racist, hateful comments and disrespectful actions I’ve endured over the last 30 years in my professional life, personal life, during the campaign and since I’ve been on the Council. My weariness comes from being expected to suffer in silence, move on and being told to stop focusing on the negative. My weariness comes from having been taken to breakfast and lunch so many times over the last four months and being told I was nothing like the angry and radical person they thought I was. My weariness comes from my Colleagues on the Council as well as some in the White Community who have said they don’t know how to deal with me. Stop trying to control and deal with me and just work with me.
My weariness comes from the ridiculous allegations I’ve heard from Whites who said I was trying to bring violence to the Country Club, blow up the City as a terrorist, trying to bring Sharia Law here, being told I was responsible for the gun violence and wanting to take all the money from the Country Club and give it to the poor. My weariness comes from the disrespect I spoke of that I and many other Blacks feel in this City and even at times from my Colleagues on the Council.
I’m weary of allowing people who really care nothing about the Black community and have nothing but a financial interest coming in and controlling the economics and politics while erasing the history and heritage. I’m weary of the Culture Hustlers who care nothing about finding solutions, but instead only want to raise their profile, increase church membership, get invited to the Trolley Barn or receive a MLK King award. I’m weary of the worn out playbook move that the City uses of going to the same safe bought and paid for Black people to cosign nonsense they want to push on the Black Community. As I shared with you, I see no difference between a Black or White snake.
Before I work to build a rainbow, I want to get one color right first. I’m committed to working on the problems plaguing the Black Community like murders, gun violence, teen pregnancy, and drugs. I could not imagine the pain my grandfather had to endure just to be viewed as a man and to feed his family. I don’t have that level of tolerance.
Again Elizabeth, thank you.
