Summit on racism stresses activism
Sunday, January 27, 2008
By
Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
About 20,000 people marched in Jena, La., last fall to protest the justice system's
treatment of black residents, but only 100 turned out Monday -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- to counter a demonstration there
by white supremacists.
It was an example
of how the battle against racism waxes and wanes, and a sign that activists must become more aggressive, more mobile and better
connected, University of Pittsburgh graduate student Vanessa Wills told aspiring activists yesterday.
Ms. Wills' presentation on student organizing was one of more
than a half-dozen workshops held during the Black & White Reunion's 10th annual Summit Against Racism at East Liberty
Presbyterian Church.
The workshops were intended
to spark ideas for combatting racism wherever it exists, including the construction industry, police departments, neighborhoods,
even churches. With this year's theme, "The Power of One: A Commitment to Individual and Collective Action,"
Ms. Wills and others stressed the need to go beyond meeting rooms and into the streets.
"I don't think the best way to end racism is to sit around talking about
how we feel about racism," said Ms. Wills, who in October helped lead a march to the county courthouse to call attention
to racial strife in Jena.
The reunion, a volunteer
group, and summit were organized after black businessman Jonny Gammage died of asphyxiation during a traffic stop by suburban
police officers in 1995. In some ways, the plight of blacks has worsened since then, said Ms. Wills and Tim Stevens, founder
of the reunion and chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Committee.
"In spite of the losses, we must continue to fight for gains," he said.
About 250 people of various races and ethnic groups attended the
summit.
North Side residents
Edward and Lisa Rhymes led a session on the causes of racism and what audience members could do.
"I want them to move from blame to responsibility,"
Dr. Rhymes said.
In Jena, long-simmering tension boiled over last year. Black residents,
saying white students received slaps on the wrist after hanging nooses from a schoolyard tree, were outraged by the attempted
murder charges later filed against six black students who beat up -- but didn't seriously injure -- a white student.
But it isn't just blacks who encounter discrimination.
Ms. Wills said it's become fashionable in recent years to target
Mexicans and Arabs because of concerns about immigration and terrorism. Students attending her session said some peers attend
off-campus "taco and tequila" parties and other social events lampooning ethnic groups.
Ms. Wills said colleges, once hotbeds of political activism, often
try to clamp down on such activities these days. And Pittsburgh, she said, has a poorly developed infrastructure for combating
racism.
She said she helped organize a group
that marched to the county courthouse to call attention to Jena's situation and wanted to organize another after a series
of racial incidents in East Liberty, Cranberry and O'Hara last fall. But she said she wasn't able to quickly pull
one together.
Ms. Wills and seven people
attending her session spoke about the possibility of developing a network of activists spanning college campuses in the city,
including "rapid response teams" that would react to racial incidents.
They talked about knocking on doors to garner support for their efforts, holding a "teach-in"
to spread information about civil disobedience and tapping the expertise of older civil-rights leaders who aren't active
anymore.
"There are very few serious
activists around, compared to what our tasks are," Ms. Wills said.
Joe Smydo can be reached at jsmydo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1548.
First published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
on January 27, 2008
