Michigan: The State of Hate?

When it comes to racial matters, people in general view the South and urban cities as bastions where there is high racial tension. Let's drop the urban side of this concept and talk about the South. Much of what is thought about the racist South is largely shaped by slavery and the Civil War. The North gets a pass because it was the base of the abolition movement, the escape of slave to the North, and it was the Yanks of the north that defeated the Confederate South. I admit, that I thought that the North was probably the best place to be if you were a person of color. Not true.

I honestly believe that Michigan is one of the most racist states in the Union. Despite it being part of the Yankee North, the self-segregation here is just amazing. Many people are aware of Detroit's blacks and the race riots that occured there. After 9-11, attention went to Dearborn and its high density of Arab/Muslims. But you don't have to go to Metro Michigan to see it. Here in my own county of Berrien, I see the racial divide. There's White St. Joseph, MI sitting across the river from Black Benton Harbor, MI. I still remember the night I was in the Philippines, when over the local news, they were talking about Benton Harbor's latest riot. It was a bit humiliating to admit to my fellow Filipinos that I live in a country that is still has a problem with race.

According to this article:

Michigan ranks third in the nation in the number of reported hate crimes.

The FBI says the state had 638 hate crimes in 2004, putting it behind only New Jersey and California.