Whenever I read a column by the daily newspaper’s executive editor, Dick Schneider, I’m reminded of the SNL character Stuart Smalley – “I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!”
In his Sunday, May 13 column (Moving beyond those ‘community leaders’ ): Schneider writes about O’Brien and Dogan’s debate over black leaders. Then he somehow ties it back to PNJ being a “good newspaper” by saying his reporters are working to get more sources for their stories.
I agree with Reggie Dogan on the concept of “black leader” being a misnomer. Whites and the media tend to label any outspoken African-American as a “black leader.” We don’t do that for whites. Charles Fairchild was an outspoken opponent of the Community Maritime Park. He did lead a small group of mostly elderly whites.
However, I didn’t see Fairchild as a leader of the entire white community. When he said something, I didn’t see him as speaking for me.
Same thing for W.D. Childers, his indictment and conviction wasn’t seen as an indictment and conviction of the white race.
The problem is we whites want it easy. We only want to have one black person to talk to about the black community, one person we call on to get a vote or support for an issue. It doesn’t work that way in Pensacola or any community any more.
Sorry, we’re just going to have to talk to more people and build support across a large segment of the African-American community…just like we do with the white community.