2003

Race relations aired in public meeting

Slugline Publication Date Section(s) Page Byline By Margaret J. Stair Daily Times Staff Writer Put 30 people into a room to talk about whether race relations have improved in Wilson since 1997, and a wide range of topics and concerns arise. The Wilson Human Relations Commission did just that Monday night in a meeting called to examine the effect of a list of recommendations that came out of One Wilson, a series of group discussions in 1997 that studied the issue. "Our ultimate aim for this evening is to build a better Wilson together," said Maurice Barnes, city human relations director. People talked about their confusion over the number of different committees studying similar issues. They wanted to know why the Human Relations Commission felt the need to start another group to do the same thing being done by Wilson Works Together. The latter is an initiative to improve community relations under the leadership of former Police Chief Willie Williams. Both groups have the same goal, Barnes said. They just started from different places. "This group started with the One Wilson recommendations," he said. "Chief Williams' group started with the All-America City effort last year." Once the topic of the All-America City competition came up, people questioned the choice of projects for the application and the choice of people to serve on the committee. Some wanted to know if the expected benefits of winning the award would reach the black community. Although individual whites and blacks had become close during the competition last year, the Rev. Danny Ellis questioned the lasting impact on the way things work in Wilson. "It's all right for me to go to lunch with Morgan (Dickerman, publisher of the Wilson Daily Times)," he said. "But would he hire me at the paper? Is there fairness in the way we conduct one wilson meeting Wilson Daily Times May 20, 2003 Local News A2

business? Are we really being fair to all the citizens who live in Wilson?" Ellis raised similar concerns in respect to the Chamber of Commerce and said he did not see diversity in city hiring, in spite of the availability of qualified minority candidates for city jobs. While many questioned the duplication of effort in two groups, others saw the need for both groups to give a broader perspective and work at the problem from different angles. Hattie Ellis, chairman of the U.S. 301 Task Force, which is also studying related issues as part of a broader project, said the groups were complementary. "One group is talking about projects and programs," she said. "This group is people-centered." M.L. Banner called having two groups divisive. Mattie Jones used the phrase "splinter groups." "I think we need an umbrella so that all of us can get some direction," she said. Although the meeting ran 30 minutes over schedule, the group had barely begun to address the actual recommendations from 1997. And there was little agreement on whether there had been progress toward achieving them. People expressed concerns about the east Wilson/west Wilson mentality, economic fairness, including people in decision-making, and educational issues. "Most of my white brothers and sisters have seen progress, and most of my African-American brothers and sisters have not," said Ellis. Barnes said there would be another meeting to continue the discussions. Ellis suggested that the city take a survey of public opinion on the recommendations before having another meeting. "Get a general consensus," he said. "Then you'll know where you are. Then the next time we come together, we'll know where to go." You may reach Margaret J. Stair at margaret@wilsondaily.com or at 265-7878.