Sacred Conversations on Racism was Sunday at St. Edward Catholic Church
YOUNGSTOWN
The new racism is to deny that racism exists, said Dr. Anne Romanoff, a speaker at Sunday’s Sacred Conversations On Racism at St. Edward Church.
Racism is both institutional and structural, said Romanoff, a retired Youngstown State University professor.
Institutional racism occurs within institutions and systems of power in the form of unfair policies and discriminatory practices in places such as the workplace and schools that can produce racially inequitable outcomes for people of color and advantages for white people, she said.
An example is a school system that concentrates people of color in the most overcrowded schools, the least challenging classes, and the least qualified teachers, resulting in higher dropout rates and disciplinary rates compared with that of white students, Romanoff said.
Structural racism is racial bias among institutions and across society.
It involves the cumulative and compounding effects of societal factors, including the history, culture, ideology and interactions of institutions and policies, which systematically privilege white people and disadvantage people of color.
An example is the overwhelming number of depictions of people of color as criminals in the mainstream media, which can influence how various institutions treat people of color when they are shopping, traveling or seeking housing and employment, all of which can result in discriminatory and unequal outcomes, she said.
“You can deny or rewrite history and deny that being white affords privilege, but that doesn’t change the truth that white supremacy is the foundation of racism,” Romanoff said.
“Structural racism has to be nipped in the bud. It’s time to stop talking and take action,” she urged.
The second featured speaker at the Sacred Conversations on Racism, sponsored by the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods (ACTION), was Elder Guy Burney, who talked about personal and interpersonal racism.
Interpersonal racism is a component of individual-level racism defined as “directly perceived discriminatory interactions between individuals whether in their institutional roles or as public and private individuals,” said Burney, coordinator of the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence.
“Racism is a choice. It comes from an imprint a person receives consciously or unconsciously. We have to face it. Tolerance is not enough. We have to take action. It affects us all,” Burney said.
“People are not lying when they say they don’t see racism. Fear makes you act out of character. We have to focus to face the issue we are dealing with,” he said.
The road to mutual respect involves engaging people from all backgrounds with the intent of increasing awareness, Burney said.
“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship,” said Burney, quoting Dr. James Comer.
After the presentations, the estimated 200 people in attendance broke into discussion groups of six or seven to answer questions about ways they have intentionally sought out experiences to learn more about racially different people; how to discuss race and racism in their churches; and what issues of structural and institutional racism are particularly urgent in the Mahoning Valley.
Table leaders provided a synopsis of what was discussed.
At the start of the event, Monsignor Robert Siffrin, pastor of St. Edward Church and ACTION president, led a tribute to the late Father Joseph Fata, who was pastor at St. Luke Church in Boardman and former president of ACTION. Monsignor Siffrin said Father Fata described racism as “the elephant in the room” and often said that “love works better than hate.” Fathers Edward Noga and Gerald DeLucia also participated in the tribute.