I think a bit of education needs to happen here. Since Harley-Davidson has pulled out of North Myrtle Beach Bike Week I do believe North Myrtle Beach is where Atlantic Beach is located; supposedly the black side. We seem to continue to patronize a state that blatantly has shown bikers they don’t want our business. There may be some residents that are cool with bikers but however there are more that aren’t okay with us.
Myrtle Beach made the decision at the end of 2008 that they would no longer welcome any bike rallies again. So the only other city for bikers to continue visiting for bike week was North Myrtle Beach; yes Atlantic Beach. Well now with Harley-Davidson declining to have the event in North Myrtle Beach because of the rigid requests and limitations; what more will it take for African American Bikers and Motorcycle Clubs to realize we too aren’t welcome.
The H-D rally is much bigger then our Black Bike Week and if you want to throw the race card in; their participants are mostly white bikers. That should tell you something if white bikers feel they’re not welcome by the residents in North Myrtle Beach, why the hell do you think we are.
Here is the history of Atlantic Beach: Atlantic Beach is located right in the middle of North Myrtle Beach. It has been called “the Black Pearl” of the grand strand. Gullah/Geechee people settled the area. They are descendants of African slaves who came from the barrier islands that run from Wilmington, NC to Jacksonville, FL. It has a rich culture and has had more prosperous times. During the 1930’s the south had segregation laws that designated Atlantic Beach as a “black only” beach. Rich and poor blacks alike, from up and down the Atlantic coast came to Atlantic Beach to vacation each summer. In 1966, the town incorporated. In the early 70’s, the segregation laws were struck down, and no longer were African Americans restricted to a few beaches. They began to go places they could never vacation before.
My reason for posting these videos was to let you know if they are giving Mayor Retha Pierce of Atlantic Beach who is African American hell and locked her ass up, what do you think they will do to your black butts if you continue to visit a state who has shown no love for us.
I went to a luncheon in Atlanta that Abate of GA had in February. Needless to say I was the only person of color there. I met some wonderful people and we had a rather candid conversation of why black bikers think it’s a color thing with bikers, when it isn’t. People draw their bias on bikers not due to color. They don’t give a damn about your skin color. They see bikers and the bad images they’ve concocted in their minds whether it came from television or some asshole biker that they had a bad experience with.
So when laws, ordinances, rules, discrimination and rights of bikers are affected it isn’t toward Whites, Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, male or female; it affects all of us who live to ride. If you have a vest on or any leather and ride motorcycles you are one of us. It’s high time we put racism, sexism, legalism…all those damn “isms” that keep us from uniting and supporting each other to the side. There’s power in numbers.
I long for the day when black bikers will take a stance and stand up and say no we too aren’t supporting North Myrtle Beach “Atlantic Beach” and keep our butts home or find another coastal town to support; like New Orleans, Mississippi, North Carolina some where other then Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
News flash for those who didn’t know on MSNBC: Senator of South Carolina cites blacks as a disadvantage for his state. Senator Robert Graham said, I quote, “Blacks are a disadvantage for my state. I have 12 percent unemployment in South Carolina. My state’s on its knees. I have 31 percent African-American population in South Carolina. “We’ve got it tough,” he adds. We’re on our knees. 12 percent of our people are unemployed and 31 percent of our people are black.”
Senator Graham is a Republican that didn’t vote for health care reform also said, “My state, with 30 percent African-American citizens, a lot of low income people in South Carolina is going to cost my state a billion dollars, that’s the same old stuff that I object to. That’s not change we can believe in. That’s sleazy.”
So my brothers and sisters why do you want to spend your hard earned money in a state that doesn’t hide its discord, prejudice and racial beliefs toward bikers and African Americans. In this case justice isn’t blind. Stand for something or continue to fall for anything.
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