District 4 Candidate Simonds Reviews Race and Diversity

District 4 Candidate Simonds Discusses Diversity and Race

From Clive McFarland's column -

Meeting should have looked issues head-on
One of the most revealing discussions on race relations in Worcester took place Thursday evening at the Worcester Public Library, where board members of the Worcester Youth Center and members of the community faced off over the use of the “N” word by the center’s executive director, Denise Calderwood. The key revelation wasn’t that the meeting confirmed, if ever there were any doubts, that race still matters and that people still have a difficult time talking about it. It was that community members were so busy feeling slighted and board members feeling so unappreciated that both sides passed up opportunities to start the frank dialogue on race that so many feel is needed in the city.


“The subject of race and diversity needs to be discussed,” Lynne Simonds, credited as a founder of the youth center, said that evening. “We have to talk about these things in the community.” Yet, the evening was generally spent talking around, instead of about, the issue of race and diversity. Yes, community members were absolutely right in demanding better accountability from the Worcester Youth Center’s board, and yes, board members were egregiously wrong in putting up a defensive front when their lack of urgency in investigating the incident was questioned. But what, for example, would have been the tone of the meeting had board members, instead of becoming combative, taken the time to introduce Ms. Calderwood to the community members, as her husband did in an e-mail he sent me. “She created and ran a youth center in Florida for years, a community resource that served the same diverse population the Worcester Youth Center does,” he wrote. “To this day, the several generations of teenagers who belonged to the Flagler Teen Center in Palm Coast, Florida, still refer to her as ‘Miss Denise,’ a term used as a sign of respect and love for someone who always treated each of them as valuable human beings entitled to respect. “Denise was respected by everyone in the African American community of Palm Coast and Bunnell, Florida, was a member of the NAACP and was recognized for her civic contributions as woman of the year by the Flagler County African American Cultural Society.” What would have been the tone of the meeting had more community members coalesced around speaker Al Chavis’ contention that the widespread use of the “N” word by African-American youths was because “they are uneducated about the word.” The “N” word incident at the center was precipitated by a group of young people using it on a music track they were recording. “We didn’t pass on the struggle to the next generation,” Mr. Chavis said of how the word still cuts him deeply, and how he had fought to erase it from the public vernacular. Yes, it is important that we demand accountability of the individuals who are helping to mold the lives of our children, but all too often we forget that the accountability begins with the young people and with the people in their inner circles — their parents, friends and neighbors. Charles Luster, a member of Concerned Black Men, understands this level of accountability. The faith-based group, which consists of educators, businessmen, clergy and other community members, is undertaking a number of initiatives to, among other things, help young people become more accountable. The group, which petitioned the City Council recently to rename Central Street the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, has launched a basketball league, which so far has drawn the interest of some 30 young people. The league, which plays at the YMCA on Main Street every Saturday at 9 a.m., has received support from community organizations such as the Sheriff’s Department, the district attorney’s office and Emmanuel Baptist Church, and a member of the Masons. In addition to playing ball, the young people will learn valuable lessons in respect for themselves, their community and their history, Mr. Luster said. “Sometimes we are our worst enemies,” he said of the prevalent use of the “N” word. “For many of our youths, the term is just a way to make money. They don’t care what effects it has on people. Their job is to spread ignorance. We have to redirect our youth, tell them that they don’t have to do what some fools are doing.” Yes, Thursday’s meeting was an opportunity to have a real dialogue about race and diversity; instead it may become what School Committee member Ogretta McNeil, an attendee of the meeting, feared it would. “Race matters, and there are a lot of things going on in the community that we should discuss,” she said. “Unfortunately, you tend to get energized for a moment about one thing, and then you forget about it.” Contact Clive McFarlane by e-mail at cmcfarlane@telegram.com.

Lynne Simonds for District Four
http://www.lynne4district4.blogspot.com/