A lot can happen in a city during the course of a week. At IfYouWereMayor.com we’ve been taking a bit of inventory at this psychological milestone of Passover and Easter in the “holy city.” Waking up from the region’s relative slumber of winter is a heady, dusty, and sneezy time. The seasonal changes bring farmers’ markets, baseball, and a groundswell of tourists for the area’s home and garden tours and the beach.
But, the typical shift from winter’s timid grip in Charleston has been rocked by the events of the past few days. The shock of an eyewitness video capturing the shooting of an unarmed African American by a North Charleston police officer has thrust the region into the national spotlight. The world is watching to see if the tension brought to the region will result in violence or widespread protest, just as has been seen in other cities in recent months following incidents involving law enforcement in pre-dominantly African American communities and neighborhoods.
Decisive action by North Charleston’s leadership appears to have defused the situation for now, but the coming weeks will underscore the need for our community to heal, to reach an understanding, and to appreciate all the contributions made by often neglected populations.
The diversity of the Charleston region is one aspect of its livability that fosters the exchange of ideas and cultivates a climate of innovation. This vibrant spirit can lead to economic opportunities that reach every segment of the region’s population. But the invigorating climate of diversity only works when everyone feels that their contributions can count. Maria Popova’s blog Brain Pickings provides these thoughtful remarks on hope v. cynicism, and it seems particularly apropos for the Charleston region this spring.
“Finding fault and feeling hopeless about improving the situation produces resignation — cynicism is both resignation’s symptom and a futile self-protection mechanism against it. Blindly believing that everything will work out just fine also produces resignation, for we have no motive to apply ourselves toward making things better. But in order to survive — both as individuals and as a civilization — and especially in order to thrive, we need the right balance of critical thinking and hope.”
