News-Record.com

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Greyson Kuhn

Regarding the article, "Hey, Greensboro! How do you want to be perceived?" (Sept. 13), I found the answer in two other items published the very same day.

Ronnie Dotson's Second Opinion piece, "City just isn't 'vibrant' after 8 p.m." bemoaned our downtown's unrealistic vision of itself as a bustling hotbed of economic progress and nightlife. He suggested that what we need is a real "tourist element to support the local foot traffic."

In the Triad section, I read that Moses Cone has donated $250,000 to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.

Right there, we've got it.

Why not brand ourselves "Greensboro, City of Goodwill" (or "Brotherhood," or any other description that denotes generosity of spirit)?

A slogan tied to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum would position our city as an ideal place to live, do business and visit. It also would encourage the donation of additional monies needed to fund our unique and worthy cause of honoring Greensboro's heroic civil rights advocates.

We can offer a compelling downtown tourist attraction to enliven the scene and enrich our economy while also symbolizing what we as a city should aspire to be. And, unlike the city's previous campaign, "Greensboro connects," which failed to arouse enthusiasm, a slogan of goodwill not only portrays our diversity of connections (the emphasis of "Greensboro connects") but also speaks more profoundly about the attitude that allows us to do it.

And to all the cynics, sure, we've had our low points with the constant bickering about racial bias and inequality in our city, but there's much in the power of suggestion.

If we brand ourselves as the City of Goodwill with the slogan ever present and oft-repeated, then perhaps we'll try to live up to its standards -- standards of love, compassion and, most of all, tolerance.

The writer lives in Greensboro.