Update: Zahn town hall meeting tonight in Beaumont


Beaumont has had its own racial tensions as shown by this telegram to Gov. Coke Stevenson concerning a race riot.

A town hall meeting on CNN’s “Paula Zahn Now” will be held this evening in Beaumont, Texas, to discuss the issue of race. The meeting stems from a report on past racial problems in nearby Vidor.

Vidor city officials have chosen not to attend the meeting as they feel they are being picked on just because of the city’s racist past.

It is unfortunate that Vidor officials are too defeatist or for whatever reasons to attend the forum. They would have the chance to make their case a positive one before a national audience.

Beaumont seems like a good place for the forum as the town has had its problems with race over time (of course what city hasn’t?) The telegram above was sent to then Gov. Coke Stevenson about the Beaumont race riot in 1943. Attempts to find out exactly what the role was of the person sending the telegram were not successful. One reference found Baker, at one time, being chairman of the now-defunct Texas State Board of Control which was responsible for state buildings and supplies. Perhaps it doesn’t matter all that much, eh?

After extensive (a couple of minutes) research it was determined that Coke Stevenson was not named for Coca Cola or cocaine. According to Wikipedia, he was named for a Methodist bishop. Stevenson’s larger claim to fame was his loss by a margin of 87 votes to Lyndon B. Johnson for the U.S. Senate in the 1948 election in which Johnson carried the deceased vote.

As for Beaumont, it isn’t perfect but they no longer have race riots there and this writer kind of misses the place.

The Zahn town hall meeting will air at 7 p.m. Central time this evening.

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