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January 24, 2008
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January 24, 2008 |
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Editorial In a cold week, hopeful steps Monday morning dawned, as the weather guy said, brisk and frigid, but that didn’t stop about 150 people, black and white, young and old, from marching through town to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And the crowd that gathered afterwards in the First Baptist Church was larger still, with hundreds of folks crowding into pews and standing against walls for an hour of song, talk and a celebration of diversity. Many of those who attended Monday’s King Day celebration were youngsters and high school students. I tried to imagine what it would have been like, in my childhood, to attend such an event in my town, to look around and see from grownups’ faces the value they placed in coming together with people of different races and backgrounds. I felt proud to live in a town that says to its children, this unity matters. We are unique among small midwestern towns in having such a rich heritage of African-American culture. But we have also, in recent decades, lost some of that richness due to a decline in our population of African-Americans. It will take more than an annual march to turn that trend around. But there are hopeful signs. A newly organized group, the 365 Project, will sponsor events all year long that celebrate African-American culture, beginning next month with the first Elaine Comegys Black Film Festival. And this week Village Council made as a 2008 goal a call for the Village to be a “welcoming community of opportunity for people of diverse race, culture and income.” Having such a clear statement keeps the goal of strengthening diversity always in mind when Council addresses related issues such as affordable housing and job development. I’m also proud to live in one of the few Ohio communities that, as of Council’s Tuesday night meeting, voted against signing up for 50 more years of coal-fired energy, a major contributor to global warming. As many pointed out Tuesday evening, this choice comes with some risk, since it’s not clear exactly what future alternative energy sources will be and how much they will cost. But the majority of Council, with the support of a majority of the villagers who spoke out, put their trust in human creativity and our own problem-solving abilities, voting with their hearts and minds for the good of the planet. This vote followed four months of intense public engagement on this complex issue, during which Council members and villagers researched energy options and took part in passionate but respectful dialogue. All Council members clearly cared deeply and had the village’s best interest in mind. This process felt like small-town democracy at its best, and it happened right here in our village.
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