Panel: Much work remains to fight racism

For a while, blacks who attended a theatrical show had to sit in the balcony.

By SEAN BARRON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

YOUNGSTOWN — When the Rev. Gena Thornton was in 10th grade in the 1950s, she told her guidance counselor she wanted to be a doctor.

Nevertheless, the counselor in Leavittsburg told the sophomore she had three strikes against her: She wasn’t smart enough, she was a girl, and she was black.

“I believed her,” said the Rev. Mrs. Thornton, pastor at St. Paul AME Church in Cleveland who lives in Youngstown. “She didn’t do that deliberately; she did that unconsciously.”

Mrs. Thornton brought up that recollection during Thursday’s discussion in Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center pertaining to race relations in the city. She was one of six panelists to participate in the program, sponsored by YSU’s Africana Studies Program.

Also on the panel were Sarah Brown-Clark, Youngstown clerk of courts; Atty. Ron Miller, a civil rights and community activist; the Rev. Kenneth Simon, pastor at New Bethel Baptist Church; Dr. William Jenkins, YSU professor emeritus in history; and Ra’Shawd Davis, a YSU sophomore and criminal justice major.

Moderating the session was Kenneth King, a former talk-show host on WGFT-AM 1330 better known as Brother K.

Among the topics put to the panel were their views on race relations in Youngstown, as well as the legacies of racism in the Mahoning Valley and what needs to be done to improve the situation in education.

Blacks have made strides, but locally a disproportionate number still face poverty, unemployment, incarceration, a high drop-out rate and difficulty obtaining loans and decent housing, Miller noted.

Many area black and white people get along superficially, but that’s largely because members of both races generally don’t see a lot of one another, Miller continued, adding that Youngstown remains a segregated city.

In many cases, urban and suburban church leaders get together for fellowship, but some fall short when it comes to addressing jobs and other social problems for minorities, noted the Rev. Mr. Simon. Those well-intentioned leaders want to get involved but don’t know how to improve race relations, he added.

Another problem, Mr. Simon added, has been companies coming here promising to hire minorities but failing to deliver. “Until we’re equal partners at the table, we’re not there yet,” Mr. Simon said.

In the early 20th century, the Ku Klux Klan exemplified the false notion that the nation had to be protected from minorities and immigrants, a premise many in Youngstown bought into, Jenkins noted. To that end, the KKK was a dominant political force here , the professor noted.

An example of such blatant racism was blacks’ having to sit in the balcony whenever they went to a theater, Jenkins added.

The panel acknowledged that many gains have been made in the black community, with one member pointing to Jay Williams as the city’s first black mayor.

The discussion continued until press time Thursday.