‘More work' awaits this year's diversity forum

County gathering helps close racial divide in community

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010

Racial tension in Charles County is loosening but there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that everyone in the community is treated equally and respected for their ethnic differences, according to county activists.

A forum on diversity that will home in on ways for people to live together in harmony despite their racial backgrounds is set for Jan. 23 at the College of Southern Maryland. The Blue Ribbon Commission for Diversity and Inter-Group Relations, College of Southern Maryland, Charles County commissioners and government agencies will hold the "Building Bridges Through Dialogue and Conversation" diversity forum at the college's La Plata campus.

The forum is designed to spark conversation among the participants about how to ease race relations and wipe out prejudice by respecting and celebrating all of the ethnic groups who live in the community, said commissioners' Vice President Edith J. Patterson (D), who serves as the Charles County commissioners' liaison on the blue ribbon commission that was established in 2007 to identify current or potential racial problems in the community and recommend ways to deal with them in a positive manner with the help of the folks who live in the county.

"The forum will look at racial issues in the county, how people perceive the county and how we can relate to each other," she said, adding that diversity forums were held in 2007 and 2008. "It's a venue for people who normally don't communicate to come together and discuss these issues, share their opinions, voice their concerns and come up with policies and recommendations."

Patterson said ideas that are sparked during the forum will be forwarded to the blue ribbon commission for consideration.

The commission was established following the racially motivated arson fires at the Hunters Brooke community in Indian Head in December 2004 that destroyed more than two dozen homes, Patterson said. Shortly after the fires, a spate of racial graffiti appeared in the South Hampton community in Bryans Road and other areas in the western section of the county.

"The good thing about some of these incidents is that the people were apprehended," she said, adding that although racial incidents occur less often now, people still need to keep the lines of communication open about the issue. "There's still more work to be done. That's why this forum is so important."

William Braxton, president of the Charles County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said that more African-Americans should feel the to become involved in the forum.

"The forums have given people an avenue to have discussions; they really have made a change but I don't understand why we don't have more African-American participation," he said. "It really makes you wonder. There's plenty of work that still needs to be done. I don't know why more people aren't more into getting it accomplished. We need more minority participation in the forum."

So far, there are only about 40 people who have registered for the forum, said Amy Calvin, county government spokeswoman, adding that there is seating capacity for 300 people.

The forum will feature U.S. Reps. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) and John Lewis (D-Ga., 5th), Calvin said. Lewis has been active in the civil rights movement for many years, dedicating his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties and building what he calls "The Beloved Community" in America, she said.

Waldorf author Angela Dion, who penned "Let's Talk About Race," will be the featured speaker at the forum and will lead one of the two groups that will discuss racial problems in the community and ways to combat them.

Dion said she and her husband, Marc, are an interracial couple and they are well acquainted with the myriad issues that still need to be dealt with in the community. The forum is a great opportunity to air concerns and try to come up with some sensible solutions to the problems, she said.

"Conversation is the way to get to know one another and to overcome issues that have previously divided us," she said, adding that everyone should attend the forum. "It's not even an entire day, and it's free. I absolutely feel that people should attend this forum because it's an opportunity to be heard."

More people who live in the community and face racial issues every day should show up for the forum and lend their voices to the discussions, said Sandy Washington, executive director of LifeStyles of Maryland in La Plata.

The nonprofit agency assists needy people in the county with food and clothing, shelter at night during the winter and various programs to help them gain employment and an independent lifestyle.

"Grass-roots folks in the community need to come together to really have some conversations about diversity and how it affects them," she said.

"That's the conversations that we should have at the forum."

Commissioner Reuben B. Collins II (D) said in the past the county did not have any problem getting people to attend the forum.

"The most significant thing about the diversity forums is the input and willingness of the general community to participate in them," he said. "The county didn't really have to work very hard to get a commitment from the private sector. Diversity is a good thing. It's not something that had to be sold."

Collins said he is pleased at how swiftly the Charles County Sheriff's Office has dealt with racially motivated incidents that have occurred in the past.

"The incidents are embarrassing but the good thing is the sheriff's department doesn't take any of those incidents lightly," he said. "They've been fairly successful in arrests and convictions."

Charles County's population is growing fast and more and more people from different ethnic backgrounds are deciding to live and work in the county and people who have lived here for years need to embrace these changes with open arms, Patterson said.

"Charles County isn't just a hamlet of Washington, D.C., anymore," she said. "We have people who have lived here for generations versus new residents who have their own perceptions, needs and values. We've all got to get together and learn how to live and work in a harmonious environment."

nmcconaty@somdnews.com

If you go

The 2010 Unity in Our Community diversity forum, "Building Bridges Through Dialogue and Conversation," will be held from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in the Center for Business and Industry at the College of Southern Maryland's La Plata campus at 8730 Mitchell Road.

The forum is free, but space is limited. The registration, sponsorship and donation deadline is Jan. 15. In the event of inclement weather the forum will be held Jan. 30.

Donations can be sent to Charles County Government, Attention: Fiscal Services/2010 Diversity Forum sponsorship, P.O. Box 2150, La Plata, MD 20646. Checks can be made payable to the Charles County government.

Online registration is available at www.charlescounty.org/unityinourcommunity.

Call Amy Calvin at 301-885-1342 or send an e-mail to calvina@charlescounty.org.