Community forum on race is Monday

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A community panel discussing “Does Race Matter?” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Union Baptist Church, 528 Lincoln Ave.

About 300 residents are expected to attend the event organized by the church and the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative.

The MVOC, founded in 2008, is a nonprofit organization that brings together neighborhood, labor and faith-based groups in Mahoning and Trumbull counties to initiate change in those counties’ communities.

“The deaths of Michael Brown, John Crawford, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice have provided an opportunity for a meaningful dialogue around race,” said the Rev. Michael Harrison, pastor of Union Baptist. “We need to make a sincere and purposeful effort to understand our diverse perspectives, experiences and aspirations, and look for common ground in order to build a stronger, more-resilient community for all of its residents and families.”

The meeting will feature a panel of representatives from across the Mahoning Valley who will discuss race relations in their communities and be asked to commit to working with the communities to address the issues raised in the meeting.

The scheduled panelists are William Blake, director, Youngstown State University Office of Student Diversity Programs; Jamael Tito Brown, vice chairman of minority affairs, Mahoning County Democratic Party; the Rev. Kenneth Donaldson, pastor, Rising Star Baptist Church; James Hayes, political director, Ohio Student Association; Tom Humphries, president and CEO, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber; city police Chief Robin Lees; Mark Munroe, chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party; Dr. Ben McGee, YSU professor of education and former superintendent of Youngstown City Schools; Mayor John A. McNally; police Chief Jack Nichols, Boardman Police Department; Atty. Patricia Wagner, chairwoman, YSU Department of Criminal Justice; and Pastor Al Yanno, Metro Assembly of God Church.

For information, contact Kim Moses of Union Baptist at 330-746-1217, or email her at kmm5@sbcglobal.net, or Wayne Huggins of the MVOC at 330-333-0957, or email him at wayne@ohorganizing.org.