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**CommunityForum on Race Relations in Racine County, Wisconsin**

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**Chapter2**

**Statementof James H. Smith, Mayor, City of Racine**

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�Ibelieve we have made great strides in our civil rights efforts here in the cityof Racine. . . . In 1970, the city of Racine contained 53 percent of thecounty�s white population and 92 percent of its nonwhite population. In 1990,the city of Racine contained 42 percent of the county�s white population and86.8 percent of its nonwhite population. Excluding the city�s population, thebalance of the county is 96.7 percent white, 1.6 percent African American, and1.7 percent of other races. The city�s minority population has increased from18 percent in 1989 to 23.6 percent in 1990. The city�s population, based onthe 1990 census, is 76.4 percent white, 18.4 percent African American, and 5.2percent other races. In 1990, the city contained 75.9 percent of the county�spopulation of Spanish origin.

�Asfar as employment, in 1972 the city of Racine had a population of approximately95,000 and a minority population of 15 to 20 percent. At that time the city ofRacine�s work force was only 2.6 percent African American and 0.5 percentHispanic. As of November 1997, the last time a diversity count was conducted,the city�s work force had increased to 11.2 percent African American and 6.4percent Hispanic for a city with a population of approximately 85,000, of which18.4 percent was African American and 5 percent was Hispanic. I think the cityhas made great strides in its commitment to diversity, but in actuality we alsoput that commitment into practice. 

�Asmayor, I want to emphasize that I will continue my commitment to diversitydespite the de-emphasis on affirmative action posited from some quarters. I feelstrongly about this and believe . . . we have made great strides among ourdiverse populations to bring this community together. When I ran for office in1995 I made that commitment, to bring this community together, and I believe weare working towards that. I certainly do not take credit for all of our progressbecause we have wonderful, caring people in this community. What makes anycommunity is the people that reside in it. I am proud to call many minoritypeople in this community my friends, people with whom I meet on a regular basisto talk about issues in this community, and will continue to do so. 

�WhenI ran for office in 1995, I worked hard in the central city. Generally thecentral city is an area with traditional low voter turnout. Coming home aftercampaigning I told my wife, �Whether I am elected or not, I will never forgetthis experience because many of our residents in the central city feel like theyare forgotten, and that no one cares about them or the kind of homes they livein, or their standards of living or the conditions of their houses.� 

�Wehave turned that around in many of our areas. We have made a commitment. WestSixth Street area is a good example where we have targeted the neighborhood withmillions of dollars in order to make homeownership a reality for those whothought that was just a dream in the past. We have forged strong neighborhoodcoalitions that are working with our police department, our housing department,and our sanitation department to make the conditions much better than they werein the past, and we will continue to do so.

�Dowe have racism in Racine? We do have racism in Racine. I get calls on occasionfrom people, and am just appalled at the conversation. Often I have [followed upon those calls] and offered an invitation to these callers, saying: �Whydon�t you take a walk with me through the neighborhoods of this city and meetthe folks who live there, who have the same hopes and dreams you and I have forour city, dreams of a good job, a community in which their children can grow upwhere there are no gunshots, a place where their children can get a goodeducation.�

�Ibelieve that overall we have made a lot of strides in our community to improveopportunities for all our citizens, and I have made a commitment to continue todo so. I, like many others, think of the diversity in the city of Racine as astrength. I truly believe we must understand that because the minoritypopulation is growing much faster than the white population, we must commit tomake sure those children grow up to be the leaders of tomorrow. And there is alot of effort going on in this community to make that happen.�[1]

[1]    Testimony of James H. Smith before the Wisconsin Advisory Committee to the    U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, community forum, Racine, WI, Sept. 21,    1999, transcript,     pp. 7�15.