This was another letter submitted to us that we feel we need to post. This is just how it was sent to us, header and all. Read on:
We need to embrace “The Outsiders”
People seem to be drawn to our great city. Selma has become a melting pot like Washington, D.C. Our citizens are from all across this country. Although I am not sure of the statistics, but, I truly believe that the bulk of our citizens were not born here. We cannot control who move to our city but we can control how we treat them. I would be the first to say that some outsiders need to leave because they came here to stir up trouble. But we know that after giving that person a chance. But, I am saddened by the story of one young lady who no one gave a chance to. I am writing to plea with the citizens of Selma to judge people by the content of their character and not where they come from. She is from a city known as the party capital of the world and was automatically labeled as a whore and party animal.
She and her twenty-three family members moved to Selma because their homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina last year. After finding an apartment and trying to get back to normalcy, she went searching for a job. Although having a Masters degree over-qualified her for a position as a secretary, she humbly accepted a position in city government. Thinking her traumatic days were over after losing four family members, sleeping in shelters and losing everything she own, she was in for a rude awakening.
Days after starting her new job, she was told to “dress like other people.” Wearing a business suit everyday to work was intimidating to other people. She was also told that proper speech is frown upon because it is viewed as her trying to be white; her confidence looks like arrogance; she smiled too much; her friends had to be approved; certain people were forbidden to talk to; her walk looks seductive; wearing hair weave and make-up made her look untrustworthy like a fake person; she was ordered to be extra nice to certain people, or else and was told that her bubbly personality was over the top. Ever other day she was being ridiculed about superficial stuff unrelated to the job but not about her performance. According to most people (even the perpetrators) she was an excellent worker.
She endured the whispers in the halls, the constant charter assassinations, the nasty attitudes and the go back to New Orleans calls. Finally, the nail in the coffin came when her family decided to celebrate her by posting a picture of her and a sign which read “Happy 35th Birthday” on a Broad Street billboard. That billboard sent some city government employees in a frenzy. One director, who was not her superior scolded the young lady telling her that Selma people don’t do that and went on to say she looks like a whore soliciting business. I had know idea who the young lady was when I saw the billboard. I can say that I thought it was a nice gesture and nothing perverse ever crossed my mind. She was eventually fired because of the aforementioned things.
I am outraged that people would be so cruel to another person for no good reason. The bible tells us to be careful who we entertain because we might be entertaining an angel. Their behavior has caused that family to regret coming to Selma. Now we are losing twenty-four citizens because of their ignorance and stupidity. Wake up people! Selma is a beautiful place and people will continue to migrate here. Let’s embrace, not chase away.
