Beck Center, emails and race cards

Apparently if you criticize the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, then you’re a bigot.

Whatever.

I guess some people can’t get past race. They forgot to get on that plane. You know, the one that flew (most of) the rest of us into a place called the 21st Century.

I figured it would come to this. I hoped it wouldn’t. But it did.

Last week, Sentinel reporter Rebecca Ferrar wrote a story that said county commission Chairman Mike Hammond will ask his fellow dais mates to consider auditing the Beck Center. Because the organization's accounting just isn’t adding up. That and folks have a heck of a lot of questions about how some county money the center got was spent. Or reported.

Anyhoo, in the story, Rebecca cited an email from Mrs. Terry Caruthers – a library worker who was assigned to the center when it operated under the auspices of the county library system – to the county commission.

Caruthers, who is white, had some fairly damning accusations about the center.

(The story is right smack here. And yeah, I know this is last week’s news, but I’m going somewhere. Hold on a second.)

Rebecca asked Beck Center Executive Director Avon Rollins, who is black, about his thoughts on Caruthers’ claims.

His response? Let’s say it was really classy.

“Blah, blah, blah,” said Rollins. “Ms. Caruthers is non-African American. I don’t know what her ulterior motives are. She might have a bias.”

Really?

Heh.

Hahahahahahaha.

Apparently Rollins’ ability to understand Caruthers is about as spot-on as the center’s ability to correctly file an IRS 990 tax form.

Cause, er, well, Mr. Caruthers happens to be black.

Here’s Mrs. Caruthers response to Rollins’ remarks in another email she sent to the county commission. (By the way, in the beginning of the email, she wonders how Rebecca got her first email. I gave it to her. And it's public record.)

Anyway, click right smack here for the new email.

And by the way, I have nothing against Rollings. But seriously, the whole race card - or even insinuations of it - is starting to get a little old.