Dear editor:

It’s called “freedom of choice.” What do you know about the 50’s and 60’s unless you are my age or close to it, then you would understand. If not, you are living on the blood, sweat and tears of the African American men and women who died so that we could have the rights that black people are enjoying today.

I am a 68-year-old African American female who has attended football games at Mack Tharpe Stadium all of my life. Except for the little time I was away at college, I have sat on the east side of the stadium. Do I or do I not have the freedom of choice to sit wherever I choose to sit? The only ones worrying about the sitting arrangements are you and a few others who are trying to decide for a small group of people what we should and should not do.

A large number of people sitting on the east side of the stadium know about segregation because we lived it and marched and went to jail right here in Colquitt County in 1965 for racial equality, that’s why we can sit where we choose to sit and not worry about what anybody says or thinks. Ranter you have the choice to sit where you want to sit, but don’t try and choose for a whole group of people because you are concerned about how it looks to outsiders.

Oh, and by the way, not all of the people who sit in that section are African American and they are not visitors, but it is their choice also.

The Packers have won two state championships and had a great year this season, and we were sitting in the same place, so where is the division. So “YOU” take your head out of the sand and stop worrying about what outsiders think. The citizens of Moultrie and Colquitt County understand that as African American people we sit where we want to sit, it has nothing to do with segregation, it has to do with  freedom of “CHOICE,” a privilege people fought and died for. Now what you need to do is rant about elementary schools that are predominately black and failing. So how does that look to outsiders?

Let’s look at the situation in another way and ask ourselves these questions: Can the home side accommodate  all the people that sit in that section? How many people would not come because they cannot afford reserve seats? How many of the players have complained, does the whole stadium not belong to the Packer fans? How many kids are on the team whose parents sit in that section?  Let us stop being negative and turn the situation into a positive. There are a whole group of people that happens to be sitting on the east side of the stadium that are there to support our children in their efforts. If it would make you feel any better, put up a sign that says “12th Man’, because that’s how we see ourselves … not as black people or white people but as “PACKER FANS”.

If we put as much time and energy into what’s going on with African American children in public education in this community instead of worrying about where a group of people sit at a football game, there would be no failing schools, and we can go about the business of rearing productive citizens of all races.

Judy Holton

Moultrie