Originally posted by extramileman
reply to post by Saurus
I wonder would you say that your local Lodge reflects the local demographic population, and if not what if anything is felt about the issue?
No, it does not. There are members of all races in my local lodge, but certainly not in demographic proportions.
I guess that prior to 1994, there was very little interaction between the different races. After apartheid was abolished, members of non-white races started joining Freemasonry, but since most lodges were predominantly white, and membership in general has not increased much since then, a large percentage of South African Masons consist of those who were already Masons prior to 1994.
I guess that over time, lodges will become more representative of the demographics of the country.
I must add that South African Freemasonry never excluded members of non-white races. It was more social factors (such as government laws of black South Africans not being allowed to travel in "white" areas after dark) that prevented non-white men from joining lodges, which were mainly situated in "white" areas.
