Tourism, Heritage and Truth by J. A. Davis
"God cannot alter the past, but historians can." --Samuel Butler
"History is the ship carrying living memories into the future." --Stephen Spender
Recently there has been a well organized and coordinated campaign in
the media promoting what is titled as "heritage tourism." When you get to
the substance the articles all are directed at black tourism and its
growth in recent years.
We at the Georgia Heritage Council have long believed heritage belongs
to all Georgians and we have never considered ethnic origins as a qualifying factor.
The very same Constitutional freedoms we extol in virtually every
commentary and satire at GHC apply to all Americans equally. With that in mind, we're glad to see economic progress and a
greater awareness of black heritage.
Atlanta has suffered greatly in their quest to establish a convention
and tourism market. Much of this effort has come at the expense of all Georgia taxpayers as efforts
to break even on investments are still about two million short this year on just one facility.
We fear the total losses are more drastic.
They have now shifted their tourism and convention strategy toward
several niche markets, most notably, black conventions. If that is their choice, so be it. For the sake of Georgia taxpayers,
we wish them well. (It may be unfair to mention the Freaknik fiasco of the 1990's,
but for the sake of Atlanta residents, we hope they learned their lesson on the 'party animal' crowd.)
As one with a little experience in marketing, I pass on this little
tidbit. When you put all your revenue expectations in one narrow basket you risk the
loss of the mainstream revenue from all other sources. You become stereotyped as a
niche marketer.
In this case, there are other cities who will pick up
those conventions and meetings which seek a well-balanced community that honors all heritage and works at fairness
in representing the wonderful culture of all Georgians. To me, balance represents not only more economic sense, it
also shows a civic recognition of the realities toward welcome fairness and hospitality to all.
Atlanta and Augusta have chosen the narrow path that is so remindful of
a segregated society. They have each made it plain that they do NOT seek balance in
history or heritage or hospitality. They, and some other cities have or are considering eliminating the parks, monuments and memories of all
the heroes and builders of their own society.
What is heritage? Very simply it is the acceptance of the inheritance
of your ancestors. But it is more, it is the obligation to pass that inheritance on to
those who follow you. It doesn't need cleansing, it doesn't need apologies, it doesn't need excuses or reasons. It does
need to be truthful lest we fool ourselves and misrepresent those who gave us our greatest inheritance, thereby robbing our
descendants of their rightful inheritance earned by blood and toil.
In this regard it would be nice to see a level playing field in the area
of tourism and heritage. All over the South, we see bigots who want to change or tear down every street, building, highway, bridge,
school, park or monument dedicated to those who bequeathed their heritage to the future generations. Name me any of those who
have received this inheritance who want to tear down or remove the names or memories of those black leaders who have also passed on an
inheritance? So...Where is the fairness or the truth?
Atlanta and Augusta will do as they please as long as they're lawful.
Augusta now faces a law suit over tearing down memorials. This opens
great opportunities for those cities nearby and throughout the state who
recognize not only economic opportunity but also the fairness and
genuine Georgia hospitality to tourists and conventioneers regardless of
their preferences from their own rich heritage.
The truth is, there is a vast contrast between building and tearing down.
Many years ago Jess Kenner summed it up like this:
I watched them tearing a building down,
a gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave ho and lusty yell
they swung a beam and a whole sidewall fell;
I asked the foreman "are these men skilled,
The kind you'd hire if you're going to build?"
He laughed and said "no indeed, common labor is all I need;
Why I can easily wreck in a day or two what builders
have taken years to do."
I thought to myself as I went on my way,
"Which of these roles have I tried to play?"
Am I the builder who works with care,
measuring life by the rule and the square?
Am I shaping my deed to a well made plan,
patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I that wrecker I saw in the town,
content with the labor of tearing down?
Frank
Conner's recent commentary induces the question, "Why do those who have been tearing down for so long and justifying the effort as elimination
of 'painful reminders'...why do they go to such lengths to build and fund slavery museums, to force
slavery discussions
into National Park Service battlefield parks and to re-enact lynchings from a half century ago?" Could it be that they do, in fact, want 'painful
reminders'....they just want to control the spin and revise history for their own selfish purposes?
"They have every right to hide from history if they want to, but they are trying to hide history
from us, and that is wrong!" --Shelby Foote
"A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know where it is today..." --Gen. Robert E. Lee
"People separated from their history are easily persuaded." --Karl Marx
Blacks fill gaps in city's schedule of conventions - AJC.com
Jeff Davis is a retired radio-TV journalist living in Gainesville, GA. Active in civic and political affairs,
he is past president of the Georgia Jaycees, former vice president of the US and the world Jaycees, former campaign chairman of the Georgia Republican party. He
voluntarily serves as chairman of the Georgia Heritage Council.
He is a collateral descendant of President Jefferson Davis.
Related Links
Augusta In Review
ALERT: Memphis City Council to consider desecrating graves and re-writing history
Tyrone Brooks: A Dangerous Anachronism - Frank Conner
This Ain't Your Father's National Park Service - Bill Valante
Atlanta: There They Go Again! - J.A. Davis
Yet Another Atlanta Economic Revelation - J.A. Davis
Atlanta's Economic Stupidity Continues - J.A. Davis
Rename it 'Blank Dome' - Randy Phillips
Georgia vs. Atlanta
Contact: Telephone 770 297-4788 P-6, 2363 North Cliff Colony Drive Gainesvlle,
GA 30501