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<br />sentiments. It's impossible to imagine the people that I see and work with every day,
<br />people like Bob Hodous, Sherri Lewis, Jon Bright, or any of the other wonderful people
<br />whom I know uttering, opening their mouths to utter such vile sentences, even opening
<br />their minds to think such thoughts. But at the same time, when a Councilor at the other
<br />end of the dais casts himself as the only Councilor who cares about the African-American
<br />community, I have to stop and say time-out. When that Councilor using the classic
<br />campaign tactics of the national party, using the politics of fear, to sow division and
<br />distrust, I have to question his purposes. The fact of the matter is that the current letter
<br />seeking Justice Department pre-clearance permits the City to nothing beyond the May
<br />election. In fact, it is the opposite move, seeking a Charter change now, that locks the
<br />City into a course of action after only one public hearing. You can't ask the General
<br />Assembly for a Charter change and then come back six months later and say, oops, we've
<br />rethought that, we want to do it differently. I'd like to read an e-mail that I received from
<br />someone who wasn't able to be here tonight, someone who served on the Elections Task
<br />Force and who plans to run for the School Board. She received the e-mail, the
<br />inflammatory, frightening e-mail that went out today, and this was her response. "I have
<br />an out of town meeting tonight so I can't come to the hearing. My thoughts on the issue
<br />are that we should have the first election in May on an at large basis since that's how we
<br />will be electing Councilors. If and when you decide to move to a ward or mixed ward
<br />system, then we would logically change the School Board election too. I assume you are
<br />intending to deal with the issue in a timely manner. And since it will clearly take some
<br />time for such a change to occur, you should not be closing off any avenues for changes in
<br />the future vis a vis Justice Department approval. It will take some time after a change is
<br />approved for the wards to be drawn properly, and a decision made about expanding the
<br />Council to match the number of School Board members should be made at the same time.
<br />I look forward to reading about the hearing in tomorrow's paper." I mean this is a person
<br />who is educated and sophisticated about the issues, she's not freaked out, but most people
<br />who are not as cognizant, who have not worked as closely with the issues, do not know
<br />enough to not be fearful and not be panicked. The fact of the matter is this woman might
<br />as well have read my mind. This is exactly the course of action that I am interested in
<br />following and the reason is simple. The reason is that there are at least two people on
<br />Council, possibly three, who already know what they want to do. I do not, nor do the
<br />people that I talk to on a daily basis. Now, I never thought that I, as a black woman,
<br />would be reduced to explaining to a group of white people, the black people that I talk to
<br />on a daily basis, so that you would believe that I know what I'm talking about. But, I'm
<br />going to go through that exercise. I live in a black neighborhood. I work closely with
<br />low income mothers and for the interest of the low income community as Chair of the
<br />Housing Authority. I'm part of a network of black women at the University known as the
<br />Sister Circle. I'm a member of a black fraternal organization. I work with
<br />Charlottesville's old guard, people who's roots in the Charlottesville community go back
<br />seven generations on the preservation of Jefferson School. I work for a diversity
<br />publication. I write about the issues of black people and people of color on a daily basis.
<br />I'm also a member of the NAACP, not a member of the group that voted unanimously to
<br />support the elected School Board, and I know at least two other people in this room who
<br />are members of the NAACP who didn't vote for it either. But, as someone who is in
<br />constant contact with all of these communities, I know that there is a great deal of
<br />confusion about exactly what has happened, what it all means, what people want to do
<br />about it, and I'm not willing to be rushed into a decision before I feel that my people are
<br />informed and equipped with all the tools that they need to compete in this new
<br />environment that is unfolding. So, I want to close with a plea, I want us all to stop, take a
<br />deep breath, stop spinning the conspiracy theories. Now that this measure has passed, it
<br />has the potential to bring tremendous change, but only if we reject fear, only if we do
<br />what we do what we have done here tonight, what all of you who came here tonight with
<br />all of your ideas did, and we sit down together and hammer out these issues together in a
<br />thoughtful and serious manner. So thank you very much for allowing me to take all of
<br />this time."
<br />
<br /> Mr. Schilling said he never said a word about the Democratic Party and he stands
<br />by every word of his e-mail. He said he was offended by what was said.
<br />
<br /> Mr. Caravati said that much of what has been said at the public hearing is very
<br />relevant. He said he is very interested in pursuing, over the coming year, a very
<br />enlivened community discussion on the issue. He said diversity is his number one
<br />
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