Lynchburg race dialogue continues its efforts

The Community Dialogue on Race and Racism will launch a new round of study circles next week as part of its ongoing work to improve local race relations.

The new study circles will be smaller in size than past groups, but will continue to bring people together to explore issues related to race and develop recommendations for change.

Dialogue organizers hope to offer three small rounds of study circles every year. Each round will consist of a handful of circles, compared to the several dozen convened when the program first got under way in 2007 and 2008.

The smaller study circles will help continue the work of the dialogue and serve as a steady source of new project ideas. The first round of 2009 circles has already been held with the resulting recommendations unveiled during a public forum last week.

Forum attendees were allowed to vote on what they felt were the best ideas. The winners, which will now be incorporated into the dialogue’s action plan, were:

w Form more church partnerships/faith-based coalitions

w Launch an “I am Lynchburg” advertising campaign highlighting both the diversity and unity of the community

w Hold monthly forums offering guided discussions about issues of race/ethnicity

w Bring more college students into volunteer/mentoring roles in the area’s middle and high schools

Each idea will be taken up by one of the eight action groups operating within the dialogue. Action groups are made up of government officials and community volunteers. Each oversees a different subject area, such as law enforcement, workforce development or education, youth and family.

The Strengthening Community/Citizen Advocacy action group recently announced its first project: the distribution of a pin bearing the motto, “All Hearts are the same Color.”

Group member Billy McBratney said they felt the pin was a simple yet effective way of sparking conversation in the community.

“I wear mine every day and not a day goes by without someone asking about it,” he said, adding that once pins are distributed they have the power to carry the message beyond the immediate reach of the dialogue itself.

“That’s what was intriguing to us,” he said. “The more people who are wearing the button, the more conversations will be had, and hopefully the more attitudes will change.”

The pins were purchased with community donations. Volunteers have distributed 500 already and ordered 1,000 more. The action group is seeking to give pins to people who will commit to both wearing the pin often and advocating for racial equality and the work being done by the dialogue.

Past projects carried out by other action groups include organizing an Inauguration Day celebration, holding a forum on the achievement gap and convening an interracial meeting of local clergy.

The dialogue is currently seeking volunteers for future study circles — both participants and group facilitators are needed.

The new round of study circles will begin May 11. Registration will remain open until Friday. The third and final round for the year will follow in September.

The Strengthening Community/Citizen Advocacy action group is also seeking donations for the All Hearts are the same Color pin. Contributions should be directed to the Martin Luther King Jr. Lynchburg Community Council, a registered nonprofit that has partnered with the dialogue on the project.

All donations will be tax deductible.

Dialogue circles branch out

In addition to organizing general study circles this year, the Community Dialogue on Race and Racism will also be convening “affinity” study circles made up of people who share some common characteristic.

The first affinity circles were faith-based, bringing together congregants from the predominantly black Unity Christian Fellowship church and the predominantly white St. John’s Episcopal Church.

The churches concluded their work earlier this month and were part of a public forum held last week. Members said they plan to continue working together and are already in discussions about future partnerships.

The two churches had never collaborated on a project before the study circles. Dialogue organizers are now seeking churches interested in participating in future affinity study circles. They are also accepting ideas for new affinity circles.
— Alicia Petska