The Citizen Newspaper, June 28, 2020, by Kelly Rocheleau, Reporter
HTCJP Vice-Chair, Gilda Brower speaks at the social justice town hall at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Ceter in Auburn, NY on Saturday, June 27, 2020. (Kelly Rocheleau Photos, The Citizen)
People listen at the social justice town hall at the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY on Saturday, June 27, 2020. This event was organized by the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace in partnership with the Auburn/Cayuga NAACP. (photo by Kelly Rocheleau, The Citizen)
AUBURN — After other recent events in Auburn addressed institutional racism, the social justice town hall held in the city Saturday was meant to allow people to suggest ways to address these issues.Various speakers during the event, at the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center, were given two minutes to explain their ideas on social justice change and talk about systemic issues. The forum was organized the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace in partnership with the Auburn/Cayuga branch of the NAACP. Other events, such as a protest in late May through the downtown area and a demonstration earlier this month, have occurred in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis."The town hall's purpose is to hear, listen and enable the community to articulate suggestions for social justice," a flier on the center's website said. "Social justice organizations and governmental bodies need to hear your voice as collaborations are developed to implement planned change that will seek to eradicate institutional-driven racism especially when unconsciously embedded in organizational culture or individual implicit bias or microaggressions."
‘We all can do better’
Kelly Rocheleau, The Citizen 06/28/2020