YWCA hosts anti-racism event at YSU

By Bruce Walton

bwalton@vindy.com

Youngstown

The Youngstown community isn’t new to racism, and many people gathered Friday at the fourth annual Stand Against Racism to not only address but seek to rectify the issue.

Students and community members gathered at the Ohio Room in Kilcawley Center on the campus of Youngstown State University for the open panel discussion. The panel was a diverse group of law enforcement, justicial and educational representatives.

YSU President Jim Tressel welcomed everyone and introduced Leah Merritt, president and CEO of the YWCA, which organized the event.

Merritt said she believes Youngstown needs to talk about racism.

“I think there’s a lot of initiatives going on and people are concerned about the issue,” she said. “Racism is a huge issue. How do you put your arms around it, when you have systems and structures that are inherently racist?”

Moderator Carla Baldwin, an assistant Mahoning County prosecutor and adjunct instructor at YSU in criminal law, spoke about the great lack of reason behind racism or sexism.

The panel included Delphine Baldwin-Casey, a retired Youngstown police sergeant; Precious Brown, a junior at Youngstown Early College; Magistrate Anthony D’Apolito; Youngstown Police Chief Robin Lees; and Yulanda Harris, director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX coordinator at Cleveland State University.

The panel answered questions about their experiences with racism, what is affected by racism, and how to improve society. The panelists offered their own understanding of what must be done to help address racism and sexism in the community. They said the most important thing is to speak up when there are acts of injustice and racism, and to stay active in the discussion. But they also agreed the community needs to educate and understand the system through engaging in social policies and government.

Where the creation of social policies really happens “is in here,” Harris said. “Not in D.C., not in any other state. It happens right here in Youngstown, Ohio.”