Dear editor,

In her Wednesday letter to The Selma Times-Journal, Mrs. Faya Rose Toure nee Sanders once again demonstrated that the only thing which rivals her contempt for those who oppose her is her contempt for truth.

Rose would have you believe the word “picnic” refers to some form of afternoon lynching just for the heck of it. “Picnic” has absolutely nothing to do with any racist connotations. Picnic comes from the French “pique-nique,” first showing itself in print in 1692 and referring to guests bringing their own wine with them to a restaurant. Our Anglicized “picnic” is simply a change in that spelling and a simple evolution to referring to bringing your own food to a pleasant and usually outdoor meal.

She and Cecil Williamson waged their wars years ago. Cecil is finishing his term as city council president and leaving public life. He has basically said as much and a young energetic man has filled his council seat. And even if he wanted to run for council president, Cecil knows that would be a fruitless venture. Rose needs to let Cecil quietly and efficiently fulfill his term and limit her objections to his actions on the council.

It is such a shame that someone of such fine intellect as Rose views the world from such a twisted perspective to see hatred in everything. Truly, our city (and by “our” I mean the black and white citizens who are willing to cooperate for the common good) would be much better off without her fouling rhetoric. However, she can only reign if she has followers.

I encourage any and all still listening to her to open your hearts, ears and minds and search for the truth yourselves. We have so many wonderful things here to build upon, and if we work together we can create a bright future for our community.

Jay Minter

Selma