President Creates New Beginning for Akron Race Project

By Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic

December 3, 1997 may have sparked a new beginning for our city, Akron, Ohio. Amidst the din of shoppers and the glow of holiday lights, our city of 220,000 citizens hosted a huge event. It was the most significant visit by a President to Akron in generations. A socially and racially diverse group of 67 university students, business people and civic leaders spent two hours on the stage of the University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall with President Bill Clinton. Nationally televised to an estimated 5 million people, it was the first of his four scheduled national town meetings on race, an integral part of the President's Initiative on Race unveiled nearly six months ago. The President's mission: begin a national dialogue, create a "continuing mechanism," as he put it, for discussion of race issues, and take a courageous stand against the divisiveness of the most difficult social issue we face

In 1993, Akron launched the Coming Together Project in conjunction with an in-depth, Pulitzer Prize-winning series on race relations in the Akron Beacon Journal, entitled "A Question of Color." It was a retelling of the disparity of opportunity and treatment between blacks and whites in housing, jobs, the criminal justice system and education. The stories showed that our community had not continued to progress toward equality and the development of personal relationships in the 30 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights movement. Before the stories were printed, dozens of organizations came forward, seeking ways to bridge the racial divide. Today, more than 200 groups belong to the Coming Together Project.

Since 1993, Akron citizens have been having conversations similar to those witnessed in the town meeting. In churches, civic organizations, schools, businesses, and in government our citizens have initiated frank discussions on the topic of race. That is why President Clinton came to Akron. Since his visit, calls have been coming in from all over America from people interested in getting more information. Many were in the process of establishing similar types of programs as ours. Clearly, the President's town meeting had made an impression across the country. The message is that what Akron has been doing for four years could be done anywhere. We certainly aren't the first city to conduct an initiative such as this. The President selected Akron, in part, because our project has withstood the test of time. It has grown in scope and effectiveness. Coming Together has worked here because, I believe, we not only have good leadership within the program, but because people in our city have traditionally been very receptive when a call to action goes out. When charitable organizations need help, our people give generously of their time and resources. When the Akron Beacon Journal series made it painfully clear that we had much work to do in the area of race relations, citizens were steadfast in their desire to find solutions.

President Clinton's visit here brought about a new beginning for our community dialogue on race relations. He injected new energy into the project and brought people of varied backgrounds together on one day, in one place to discuss the issue before the entire nation. While some, mostly in the national press coverage, said they wished the discussion had been more lively, those who really know Akron understand that because talks on race issues have been going on for a number of years here, much of the anger and contentiousness has subsided. People here do quite well communicating in the manner we witnessed at the town meeting. However, among those who wanted something more akin to the Jerry Springer Show, I'm sure there was great disappointment.

There has been considerable talk since the town meeting about where we go from here. I said during the town meeting that government's role in this should be from a leadership position as an entity that has the power to bring people together to continue the discussion and put words into action. For those who may be frustrated that things aren't moving fast enough toward finding solutions, I say you're not looking closely enough. Progress on a social problem of this magnitude comes slowly. But, it begins with clear and honest communication. The problem didn't develop overnight and it won't be solved overnight. The President's town meeting generated discussion that spilled over into the classroom, workplace, houses of worship and the streets even as Air Force One was taking off for Mr. Clinton's next stop. This has given our community a new comfort level in discussing race issues with each other.

I tire of hearing naysayers complain that we aren't doing enough. We are doing what we can to engage society in a frank discussion that will lead to solutions if we persist in this endeavor. This is a good beginning, and its momentum should move us to attack the problem more aggressively than we have. Most panelists at the town meeting felt education and economic opportunities are where we must focus our attention. I agree. But, to make that happen, we need strong, consistent leadership at every level to take the dialogue to higher ground. Government can't legislate understanding among people. It can, however, provide trenchant, divisive issues -- such as race relations -- a sustained high profile that is difficult to ignore.

It was fitting that half of the town meeting panel consisted of young people. Frankly, I think the most engaging and some of the most articulate discussion came from them.They bring us hope that our efforts to educate young people on these issues can and do work. For example, children today are more conscientious than any previous school-aged generation when it comes to environmental issues. They are also more sensitive to children and adults with disabilities.

These values came from our schools initiating open discussion and creating programs that address these issues. That, in turn, generates talk at home and parental involvement. When schools and parents are on the same page with children, great things happen. If we put the same emphasis on race, we will find this a much more understanding world in the 21st century.