Chattanooga has had a hard year, as has our country. But here in the city of many names – the Dynamo of Dixie, Scenic City, Environmental City, Gig City, Best City Ever – we augmented our year of COVID-19 and virus recession with an Easter tornado and a summer of protests.
The dire times stripped away our fantasies about the things we thought we have overcome – especially classism and racism – and showed us how far we still have to go to be the city we’ve claimed to be: You know the one: The city we told ourselves did things “the Chattanooga way.”
This has never been more apparent than in watching and listening to the “please-give-me-your-vote” appeals from our wide field of political candidates. There are 15 of them.
Ordinarily, we’d shake our heads at a number like that. But not this year. This year, that swarm of serious-minded people – the most diverse, well-educated and experienced field of candidates ever – indicates a wealth of aspirational hope, drive and new ideas for the old problems still plaguing us.
* The average Black household in Chattanooga today earns half what the average white household here does. That’s not just a problem for Black Chattanooga. It’s a problem for all of Chattanooga.