Record Tallies for Race Talks a Credit to City

When Lynchburg residents recognized there was something less than harmonious in the relationships between blacks and whites, they did something about it — something positive.
They organized the Community Dialogue on Race and Racism. The citywide talks that resulted are aimed at improving race relations. Those talks have drawn more than 500 participants and more than 100 volunteer facilitators.
And that’s the most involvement ever seen by Everyday Democracy, a Connecticut-based group that has worked on similar efforts with hundreds of communities across the country.
It’s a credit to the people of Lynchburg for stepping forward to help resolve a problem that had been simmering under the surface for way too long. The dialogue was initiated by the city last year in part because of the death in 2006 of Clarence Beard Jr., a black man who died during a struggle with two police officers.
“Lynchburg has the distinction of having recruited more people in a single round (of talks) than we’ve ever seen in our almost 18 years of history,” said program liaison Molly Barrett.
Barrett, who is based in Maine, has worked with city officials to coordinate the local dialogue. Earlier this year, Everyday Democracy awarded Lynchburg one of eight national grants that gives the city access to extensive support services. Among those services are facilitator training and spots at a national conference where they can share ideas with other communities conducting similar discussion forums.
So why has Lynchburg surpassed other communities of its size or larger in generating interest in the talks on race and racism?
Barrett credited the program’s success to the “grassroots energy and commitment” of the people involved. “It certainly gives me hope,” she said, adding that when “people mumble and grumble about the state we’re in — and we certainly have some problems — I wish they could go to places like Lynchburg and see what everyday people can accomplish.”
In the local dialogue, 60 small study circles have been meeting weekly since early February to pinpoint efforts to improve race relations. That effort will wrap up this week with each group offering suggestions for implementing change in the community. A public forum will be held in April over the course of several days to select a final list of recommendations to strengthen race relations in the community.
Leslie King, assistant coordinator of the dialogue, said she believes the dialogue has succeeded thus far because it is a community and not purely a government program. She said dialogue organizers are now focused on the wrap-up forum and helping volunteers implement the final list of suggestions.
“This is the part where we have to do more than talk,” King said. “And it will take some time. We didn’t get into this situation over night.”
She’s right. The number of people involved in dialogue on race and racism speaks well for the city and its residents who clearly see the importance of everyone in the city working together for a better community. That they are doing so in record numbers makes the effort even better.