Teach-in on race leads to calls for action
CANTON Lisa Johnson worries that the momentum for change spurred by the death of George Floyd is slowing.
She doesn’t see the enthusiasm or chatter surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement in traditional media or on social media like there had been in the weeks following the murder of Floyd, a Black man who died at the hands of Minnesota police officers in May.
“It seems like, ‘Oh, this is all over and we can go back and revert to our old ways,’ ” said Johnson, the diversity inclusion and employee relations director at Aultman Hospital. “But old ways mean old systems remain in place. And that is not something that we want to happen (because) these disparities and these fragmented systems will continue.”
Johnson was one of the eight community leaders who facilitated a discussion Saturday about issues of racism and reform as part of a Teach-In on Racial Justice. The outdoor event, which attracted roughly 30 people, asked the attendees to join small groups to develop steps for reform to address police brutality, the justice system, education disparities, health care disparities, economic inclusion and political inclusion.
Why a teach-in?
Saturday’s teach-in was held on Central Plaza in downtown Canton, near the site of multiple demonstrations that have focused on police reform.
Kylee Cheatwood, one of the event’s organizers, said the organizers decided to host a teach-in instead of a rally or protest because it brings more people into the conversation and they can get answers from experts in that subject area.
“Instead of being lectured to, you get to be a part of that dialogue, you get to answer questions and respond back to that expert,” said Cheatwood, who works at the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame. “And you can get involved in the area that you are interested in. A lot of people don’t ask (questions) because they don’t really know how to go about it.”
Cheatwood, who is a recent graduate of Kent State University at Stark, and Sarah Schmidt, the assistant director of global education initiatives at Kent State Stark, developed the idea of creating the teach-in roughly six weeks ago when they met at a Black Lives Matter demonstration.
“We kept coming back to the idea of reform, that we needed reform,” Schmidt said. “And we kept brainstorming about an environment where we could have that conversation.”
They brought in Jaylon Smith of Kent State Stark’s Black Student Union and Student Immigrant Alliance at Kent State Stark, and the three began contacting community leaders.
“All of us agree that you can’t unlearn things,” Schmidt said.
Calls to action
The two-hour event culminated with calls to action.
Corey Minor Smith, an attorney, author and former Canton City council and school board member, encouraged people to support and build up the youth in their neighborhoods.
“Our young people are instrumental in helping us to make the change,” said Minor Smith, who facilitated the breakout group on the justice system. “We can think about the 400 years it took to get us here and unfortunately the death of a man before our eyes, but we are here now. We can’t keep talking about it, it is time to take action. It is time to take action. And the great group to start with are our youth.”
LaFlovia “Flo” Ginanni of the United Way of Greater Stark County encouraged everyone to take part in the 15-Day Unity Challenge to Dismantle Racism. The challenge, hosted by the Dismantling Racism Coalition of Stark County, provides daily activities designed to help residents explore issues of race, power, privilege and leadership.
Participants who register at www.dismantlingracismstarkcounty.org/unitychallenge will be emailed a list of suggested activities, such as reading an article, listening to a podcast and reflecting on personal experience. They can pick one activity to complete or do them all. A start date for the challenge has not been set.
Lisa Hart of Jackson Township was among a group of Kent State Stark employees who attended Saturday’s event. She said some of the statistics that the facilitators revealed, particularly in the education sector, were more stark than what she had anticipated.
“I feel like I personally have learned so much recently and horrified about things I didn’t know,” she said. “I want to continue that learning process.”
Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or email@example.com.