Editor, The Smithfield Times:

My family and others moved to Surry County for what it IS: quiet, rural, peaceful and friendly.  Some dream of what it CAN BE with industry, a bridge and booming population — and they are not “wrong” for wanting that.  

The Board of Supervisors’ majority has pushed effectively for development and tax revenue from industries that are inconsistent with what Surry’s Comprehensive Plan calls our “rural character,” but they and citizens who see solar farms, big tech and development as “progress” to better their families are no more wrong than people who flee larger cities for a quiet, simple, country way of life. They’re BOTH right, though in conflict or at least tension.

Surry County has a slogan: “Unity in the community.” Unity requires active listening and tolerance. Leadership that leverages us against each other is not leadership at its best.  

Our county administrator framed dissent as anti-Black racism — and confirmation bias (which is a human trait we all battle) makes it hard for her to accept evidence contrary to that lens. The Bacon’s Castle supervisor declared, “We will never have unity in the community with people like you who fight against not only racial equality but for the betterment of the entire community.”  Can’t we “better” the community AND preserve our community character? And can’t “people like (me/us)” make our homes here too, without being tagged as racists for seeking our own quiet version of peace and joy?

It’s time we recognized the elephant in the room: racial distrust. It’s being used as a wedge.  Supervisor Walter Hardy’s visionary uncle Thomas, gazing back in time to the 1970 Surry County elections, said, “We (had) 3 districts that’s predominantly Black… we’ve got enough voters to take over this County.” In 1970 those words represented a quest for equality; but 55 years later, our power structure still recognizes race as the primary identifier of which team you play for. 

It’s time for that to change. It’s time for a new year, a new togetherness.

“Imagine all the people, living life in peace,” sang John Lennon. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” wrote Dr. King.  

Do YOU dare to imagine? Do YOU dare to dream? I do. And I’m not the only one.

 

Dr. Daniel Shaye

Surry