To Compete Globally, the U.S. Must End Racism

As it enters the global marketplace, the United States can't afford bigotry and racism. If the country is to remain competitive, it has to release its human capital, remove racial barriers and give everyone a chance to succeed.

Succinct and upbeat, that was the message Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed delivered Wednesday in the 27th Hunter Holmes lecture. The world, and the country, are becoming more diverse, he said, and the U.S. either gets on board and embraces diversity or gets left behind.

In the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, ending racism was a moral decision, but now, Reed said, it's an economic one. If people in America can't get the education and the training they need to fill demanding jobs, the country will lose billions in human productivity.

The lecture brought to the UGA Chapel about 200 people from campus and the community, including the family of Hamilton Holmes. With Charlayne Hunter, Holmes desegregated in 1961.

Among the audience was a group of middle school students. Reed told them they are valuable not only to their parents, but also to him, to UGA and to the country, and they need to become better prepared in these uncertain economic times.

“I need you to care about being prepared more than you’ve ever cared about being prepared,” he said. “You need to work hard to be ready.”

He told a story about Jamaica and Singapore, both former British colonies that became independent 50 years ago. Singapore concentrated on education, while Jamaica focused on tourism. And today, Reed said, the average annual income in Singapore is $32,000 and in Jamaica, it's $4,000.