Racism is a subject not normally discussed during meetings of Mount Airy’s elected leaders — but then again, these aren’t normal times.
In recent days, the issue of race relations has come front and center in the city, where a Black Lives Matter march was held Saturday and a unity march and prayer vigil was held Sunday afternoon downtown in the wake of an African-American man’s killing by police in Minnesota.
Leading up to those gatherings, and in their aftermath, the topic has been much on the minds of municipal officials. They include two councilmen with a unique perspective on the matter due to being members of a Hope for the City Committee formed in February 2017: Mayor David Rowe and Commissioner Jon Cawley.
The 20-member group contains representatives of different ethnic backgrounds and walks of life who reflect a cross-section of local residents, including its African-American and Latino populations. They have met regularly with the goal of building a better understanding among the diverse cultures.
Both Rowe and Cawley said during a meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners last Thursday night that they have gained a greater perspective regarding concerns of African-Americans due to their involvement with the group.
This matter wasn’t scheduled for discussion, being broached at the end of the meeting when city officials could offer general remarks.
“Some of the greatest people we know are on that committee,” the mayor said.
Rowe acknowledged that racial issues were not at the forefront in Mount Airy in earlier years, which he attributed to the fact that its black population historically has been low, less than 10%.
“You were sort of raised that way,” the mayor said of not really paying attention to minority residents or devoting thought to their concerns — “until you talk to them.”
Rowe indicated that the openness and candor promoted among the Hope for the City members has allowed him to have many frank conversations and learn much about such issues.
One example involves a question he posed to an African-American woman about how she would like to see society change to enhance racial understanding.
She said simply, “I just want to be known as a person,” the mayor related.
The problems also run deeper in ways that influence economic and other key considerations, according to Commissioner Cawley.
He cited the example of a young African-American student he knows who wants to become a teacher. But she has no plans to return to Surry County as a member of the educational profession because she didn’t have one black teacher during her time as a local elementary and high school student, Cawley said.
The city commissioner added that one rarely, if ever, sees African-Americans working as bank tellers or in other positions around town.
Cawley implied that such inequities need to be addressed by those in charge of companies or institutions if race relations are ever to improve locally.
“Black people didn’t create this institutionalized racism and they can’t stop it,” he said.
The practice of hiring African-Americans was at the center of a controversy involving Rowe in early 2017, after he told a Washington Post reporter that he wouldn’t let a young black man wearing sagging pants work at his construction company.
Rowe made that statement as part of an overall commentary in which he expressed a belief that African-Americans sometimes bring problems on themselves.
Afterward, some community members called for the mayor’s resignation, leading to him publicly apologizing.
That controversy also was the catalyst for his launching of the Hope for the City Committee.
“Our very first strategy is open and honest dialogue about who we are by sharing some ‘good and bad’ experiences that have made us who we are,” Rowe said at the time, adding that gains had been made in early discussions among committee members.
“We have talked about things that have happened over the years and why we feel the way we do,” he said. “We are prepared to put forth the effort to address the concerns that have remained dormant over the years.”
Fast-forwarding to the present, much remains to be done — as events surrounding the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have shown.
That includes more work toward a better understanding of race relations in Mount Airy, Cawley believes, and to the same degree as another recent crisis.
“I hope we give this the same kind of compassion we have given COVID-19.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com