Faith, community leaders open discussion tonight on racism in Valley

YOUNGSTOWN

Many people remain squeamish about discussing race relations and racism, but continual dialogue is a critical first step for building one and tackling the other, several faith-based and community leaders contend.

That was a main theme coursing through a planning session Tuesday at St. Edward Church, 240 Tod Lane, on the city’s North Side.

About 25 clergy members, neighborhood block-watch leaders, community activists and others attended the one-hour task-force meeting, “Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation.” Organizers described it as the first step in a process to bring together small, diverse groups of people to try to develop strategies aimed at confronting racial problems in the Mahoning Valley.

Hosting the gathering were the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods and the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches.

“We don’t want to talk about [racism], but it’s something we must talk about,” said Rose Carter, ACTION’s executive director. “It’s in our government and in our churches.”

Too often, many places of worship are segregated, so it’s imperative that black and white churches are brought together to work with one another to address the problem, noted the Rev. Ed Weisheimer, who retired as pastor at the former Central Christian Church in Youngstown.

Read more of the discussion in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.