The Citizen Newspaper, June 24, 2020, written by David Wilcox
Protesters gather around the Harriet Tubman statue to listen to speakers during a demonstration of solidarity for racial justice at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn June 6.
Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen
A social justice town hall will take place Saturday in Auburn, the third community event to address institutional racism since the death of George Floyd during an arrest by Minneapolis police May 25.
However, the purpose of this event will be turning the talk of the previous two into action.
Taking place from 2 to 4 p.m. at the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center, the event will be structured like a town hall meeting. A series of speakers, each with two minutes, will be asked to offer ideas for achieving social justice in the community. Those ideas will be used to develop a plan to help dismantle institutional racism on a local level, including the unconscious bias and microaggressions that perpetuate it. People can sign up to speak by emailing htcjpauburn@gmail.com. (Face masks, social distancing and other COVID-19 precautions will be required.)
The event is being organized by the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace and the Auburn/Cayuga branch of the NAACP. Bill Berry Jr., chair of the center, said the ideas that are offered will be collected by a social justice task force consisting of members of that organization and the NAACP, as well as the city's Human Rights Commission, Booker T. Washington Community Center, Celebrate! Diverse Auburn and more. The task force was formed after the May 31 protest in downtown Auburn, Berry said, and it sponsored the June 6 demonstration at the heritage center.
Social justice town hall planned for auburn
David Wilcox, features editor, The Citizen 6/24/2020