By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

Race relations are pretty good in Fayette County, says Ed Johnson, president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

But, he said, they can be better.

“I'm very comfortable with the way the racial climate is in Fayette County, but obviously there are some areas that can be improved upon,” Johnson told The Citizen in a recent interview.

As the NAACP goes into its fall membership drive for 1999, Johnson said it's important to realize that the role of the civil rights organization is evolving.

“We're not in the `60s anymore,” he said. “Our role now is in establishing dialogue... and hyping the awareness of racial sensitivities” in local governments and public life, he added.

Fayette County is in a unique position in that it has become a haven for people moving out of urban areas to get away from crime and other “inner city” problems, Johnson said. And though the county's population is mostly Caucasian now, Johnson said he believes the black population of Fayette will continue to increase.

Census figures bear him out. The latest estimates show that Fayette's minority population is now more than 9 percent of the total after hovering around 5 percent for decades.

“African Americans are looking for the same thing [as whites],” he said. “They want security, a quality education, neighborhoods they can feel safe in.

“In Fayette County, we have a standard we expect from [people of all ethnic backgrounds],” he added. “In any ethnic group there are undesirables.”

The NAACP should be a vehicle for reasonable discourse among races, but not pit one group against another, Johnson said.

Members currently are working to establish contact with all the local governments as well as business and industry organizations to make sure any racial problems are dealt with openly and fairly, Johnson added.

Membership in the organization is open to people of all races, he added.

Meetings are second Saturdays at 4 p.m., and the September meeting will be at the Peachtree City Library. The October meeting may be moved. The place will be announced in The Citizen.

Members are planning a membership/fund event, the annual Freedom Fund Banquet, Oct. 23. In addition to raising funds and awareness, the banquet recognizes people who contribute to NAACP's goals, Johnson said.

More details on the banquet will be in future issues of The Citizen.

For information on the NAACP, phone Johnson at 770-460-9934.board.