By Diane Smith
Record-Courier religion editor
When the Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, first moved to Ohio, one of the first questions she asked was where the anti-racism groups were in her new hometown.
After years of "silence," she believes she finally has an answer.
The "Sacred Conversations" on racism are growing. After a recent successful forum on the issue, another is planned for March 22 " and participants hope it will be the start of many good things to come.
The meeting will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. at First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) at 266 S. Chestnut St. in Ravenna. The forum will begin promptly at 3 p.m. and end at 5 p.m.
Those interested in attending are asked to register in advance by calling the church at 330-297-1461 by Friday.
The "Sacred Conversations" curriculum was developed by the United Church of Christ and a resource guide can be downloaded from the denomination's Web site.
Carvill-Ziemer, who is white, attended the forum, as did many members of her congregation. She had mentioned the upcoming event while teaching "The White Curriculum" at her church. The curriculum, written by William Gardner, teaches people about white history, white power and racism.
"White people created racism, and white people have to take an active rule in undoing it," she said.
Racial graffiti at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent caused a committee addressing racism to be created. Carvill-Ziemer believes that the "Sacred Conversations" are a step toward community organization.
"In order to bring change, we're going to have to be involved in community organizing that changes the system," she said.
Eddie Mae Prisby of Ravenna said she has witnessed segregation and the end of segregation over a lifetime of living in Portage County.
Prisby, an African-American who grew up in Kent, said at one time no black residents lived north of Summit Street in Kent, and there was no housing on the Kent State University campus for black students. While the university eventually established a residence for black female students, there was still no place for black male students to live. Many ended up living with black families in Kent.
"My parents talked about it," she said. "We prayed about it, in a peaceful way, not a radical way."
She said she liked the first "Sacred Conversations" forum because, while everyone had different experiences, all opinions were respected. The Rev. Pamela Canzater Cheney, who led the conversation, did a good job of getting everyone's attention, she said.
"Words weren't used in a negative way. They were used to educate," she said. "I really enjoyed it, more than I thought I would."
Larry and Bev Cole of Kent, members of Carvill-Ziemer's congregation, heard about the event in church and read about it in the Record-Courier.
"I think we have a lot of work to do, and I think a lot of people will be surprised to hear us say that," Bev Cole said. "I'm very excited about this group."
Cole, who is white, is a former high school teacher. She said she is surprised by the racism of the current generation.
All four of her grandchildren are bi-racial, she said, and while three of them live in Arkansas, they do not experience the kind of racism that people in Portage County experience. "Nobody should have to put up with that."
Her husband, who is white, said he was pleased with the concept of addressing all varieties of racism, not just against African-Americans but also Latinos and people of the Muslim faith.
"I think, through dialogue, we can start to get at some of the root causes of a variety of racism," he said.
Bev Cole said she hopes the conversations will encourage people to take a stand.
"People need to stand up and say, "You can't say that. You can't do that,'" she said. "Out of fear, a lot of people don't do that."
"
Email: dsmith@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-298-1139