Participants agree race forum will be a success

By Alicia Petska

Published: April 14, 2008

Stuart Jones says he’s well aware there’s still some skepticism about the Community Dialogue on Race and Racism. At the same time, there’s not a doubt in his mind that this unprecedented effort will succeed.

“We can’t go through this dialogue and not change,” said Jones, a pastor at First Baptist Church. “The people who participated in this aren’t going to sit by and allow nothing to happen.”

Transitioning from talk to action is the next task for the citywide race dialogue, which announced its final “action plan” Monday night.

Six of the program’s participants recently sat down with The News & Advance to discuss their experience and vision for the future. Each played a part in forming different recommendations for inciting change in the community, but all agreed on one central point: They’re not going to let dialogue die.

“I didn’t put this much time in just to hope somebody else does something,” said Cosette Conaway, a minister at Foursquare Gospel Lighthouse. “(The people in my dialogue group) care about the community and care about the people in this community. We want to see change for the better.”

Conaway, 50, described the dialogue as an opportunity to break down stereotypes by introducing people who may otherwise never have met.

“Once you meet people face to face, it’s hard to have that thing that makes us lump people together,” she explained. “I think if people could do that more often, they’d have different mindsets.”

Over the coming months and years, volunteers will work to translate their individual experiences into something the entire community can share.

Jones, who felt he came out of the dialogue more open to new ideas and values, said his group tackled that mission by examining Lynchburg’s “pluses” rather than its “minuses.”

“I think that was the great thing about our group,” Jones, 47, said. “The focus was on what could move this city forward.”

Close to 60 dialogue groups saw the process through to the end, each submitting two final recommendations for change.

Some circles sought to strengthen local race relations by improving opportunities for the children in the city schools. Others felt the path was to target change within Lynchburg law enforcement or to recruit the help of area churches.

A total of 117 ideas were formed, enough to ensure something resonates with each member of the community, said Romeo Rosado, youth supervisor for the Department of Parks & Recreation.

“In the end, if you reach one person, it has a domino effect,” he reflected. “That person effects another person and it starts to spread.”

Rosado, 32, described the dialogue as “one of the better experiences” of his own life. Like other participants, he was now focused on the future, calling on all residents to get involved.

“I’m not saying (racism) can be fixed completely, but it can be helped by getting involved and promoting interaction between people,” he said.

“That’s where it needs to happen. And I think (the dialogue) is a good place for that momentum to start.”