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Toledo Community Coalition Continues Fight Against Racism
By Tricia Hall
Sojourner’s Truth Reporter
A hundred people gathered to hear highlights and a call to
action during the Toledo Community Coalition (TCC) meeting
on Thursday, February 27. The meeting was held at Warren AME
Church on Collingwood and was focused on the theme of
changing minds and lives, combating racism.
Bishop Robert Culp, pastor of First Church of Christ, opened
the meeting with prayer and Lenora Barry officially
presented a welcome to the audience. “We extend a heartfelt
welcome to each of you. Our challenge today is to keep
moving forward. We must make plans for those who come after
us.”
Attendees stood to their feet and applauded the
accomplishments reached by TCC. “LED Lighting at Frederick
Douglass Center was a victory, but we want to see additional
lights in our community. We’re moving forward with lead
poisoning screening for our homes. The new ordinance was
passed but now we must work with the city and focus on
hiring a coordinator, fundraising, and training of lead
inspectors. We’re going to hold elected and appointed
officials accountable. We will continue to support those
causes,” explained Otis Gordon, TCC chairman and pastor of
Warren AME Church. |
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The meeting publically acknowledged two community partners
who have spent time supporting TCC. Rev. Karen Shepler, who
passed in 2017, attended United Theological Seminary in
Dayton and served as an ordained elder in the United
Methodist Church in Dayton, Columbus and Toledo. She founded
Dialogue to Change which encourages small groups to talk
about race and inequality in the Toledo area. The second
honoree was David Murray, a retired managing editor of The
Blade. Murray organized community forums about racism and
poverty in partnership with Dialogue to Change.
“Karen would be angry that she’s being honored, but she
would understand that we want to honor her. We want to
remember her. She changed minds and lives,” shared Barbara
Coleman.
The meeting concluded with several call to action items:
attendees should participate in the Census, the Census is
hiring, Dialogue to Change needs facilitators and there is a
youth component, and attendees must continue to advocate for
jobs.
“I want to thank everyone who came out tonight. I personally
have learned so much from this coalition, especially the
leadership. It is great to be in this community, because so
many of us work so hard for this community,” explained Ray
Wood, TCC coalition member and NAACP Toledo president.
TCC Steering Committee: Lenora Barry, Reentry Coalition;
Rev. Beverly Bingle, Holy Spirit Catholic Community; Robert
Cole, ABLE; Bernard Culp; Bishop Robert Culp; Juanita Green,
First Church of God; Rev. Otis Gordon, Warren AME Church;
Don Fothergill, Toledo Together; Marilyn Jacobs, State of
Ohio; Marriah Kornowa, Buckeye Health Plan; David Longacre,
Multifaith Council; Lisa McDuffie, YWCA; Doni Miller,
Neighborhood Health Services; David Murray, retired The
Blade; Gloria Smith, Toledo Lucas County Health Department;
Darlene Newbern, Ohio Civil Rights Commission; Jennifer
Teschner, The Fair Housing Center; Kelley Webb, Dialogue to
Change; Eric Williams, YMCA; Ray Woods, NAACP.
The mission and vision of TCC is to promote collaboration
among groups and organizations dedicated to improvement and
empowerment for African Americans and other underserved of
Toledo. They strive to eliminate racism in all forms and to
educate, empower and act as the support base to form
collaborations in the areas of education, health,
employment, housing, and cultural awareness in order to
improve the quality of life in the Toledo community.
Toledo’s African American community will be a dynamic and
safe model of a collaborative community where open
communication, partnership, love and second and third
chances are no longer the dream but the reality of life.
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