Racial Justice

In the late 1860s Nathan Bedford Forrest began an association with the newly formed Ku Klux Klan, a secret society that terrorized blacks and opposed Reconstruction efforts. Forrest is believed to have served as the Klan’s first grand wizard upon its formation in 1866, though he would later deny any association with the group when called before the Joint Congressional Committee in 1871. Forrest’s financial situation later became desperate following the failure of his railroad business in 1874. Forced to sell off many of his assets, he spent his later years overseeing a prison labor camp near Memphis.  I am originally from Memphis and appalled a statue of this man remains in the center of a park in my hometown. It needs to be removed NOW!

Worcester is a Gateway city with an increasingly diverse population and a historical legacy of being welcoming to immigrants. Because of this history: People of color make up 38% of our population Worcester Public Schools are home to students who speak 85 languages Despite this, our city has struggled with addressing institutional racism and years of policies and practices that have led to disparate outcomes across key quality of life indicators that include health, education and economics and under representation in city government. The city’s Charter was changed in 1986 to establish a Citizen’s Advisory Council (CAC). The purpose of the CAC is to publicize and recruit candidates for vacancies on the city’s volunteer boards, and to advise the City Manager of candidates for those positions. The Charter specifically addresses inclusion and diversity goals in filling those vacancies. Unfortunately, the process for selection of candidates onto these boards and commissions does not prioritize goals for racial diversity, equity and inclusion. This opens the city up to the potential threat of selecting candidates, including local professionals, whose actions are in direct contradiction to the goals of equity and inclusion to fill these positions. City Manager Ed Augustus has demonstrated a commitment to improving citizen access to city services by establishing a city diversity and inclusion office and hiring a strong candidate to fill it. He has made public statements in support of inclusion and diversity, and has made attempts to engage the community in discussions of racial inequity in the city. We’re calling on Mr. Augustus to follow up on those steps and commitments by ensuring that all citizens who serve on city boards and commissions recognize and are committed to the city’s stated goals for racial diversity, equity and inclusion. Instructions given to the Citizen’s Advisory Council in interviewing applicants should include directives to address those goals with candidates. Furthermore, to support the city’s goals of being a safe and welcoming city and to prevent future blind spots that could cause potential harm to our community, it is recommended that the City’s Diversity Director report directly to the City Manager to help our city government prioritize those goals. *Photo credit: MassLandlords & Paul Nguyen

Have another constitution convention similar to 1787.  Revise or dispose of the current U.S. constitution using Ideals we believe in today.  Let everyone vote on the  Bill of Rights and even the wording of the document.  We need to restructure this Historic piece of paperwork.  There are too many groups that were not considered when constructing the original.  Now we see different views from today's people on race, religion, and other social issues. The Constitution needs to created by the people, for the people. Through this revision we can also tackle other political issues such as the 2nd amendment  and even our current election processes and terms.  Our four fathers point of view are so different from where our country is today.

A mural in the Baker County, Florida Courthouse shows horse-backed, hooded members of the Ku Klux Klan as a part of the "Baker County historical perspective.” It stands larger than life as the first thing you see in the county's halls of justice. It even has its own “sign in” book, which includes supportive statements for the KKK.  We want it removed. There are depictions of blacks as naked and aboriginal with spears (imagery that never existed in Baker County), as well as demeaning stereotyped images of the Native American.  Most notoriously, there is the scene of the three hooded Klansmen on horseback. Even the artist’s own description of the scene shows his denial of the true horror inflicted by the KKK: "Lawlessness among ex-slaves and troublesome whites was the rule of the day. No relief was given by the carpetbag and scalawag government or by the Union troops. The result was the emergence of secret societies claiming to bring law and order to the county. One of these groups was the Ku Klux Klan, an organization that sometimes took vigilante justice to extremes but was sometimes the only control the county knew over those outside the law. The Klan faded from view at the end of Reconstruction. It had minor come-backs in the 1920’s and mid 1950’s. Since then it has become the subject of legend rather than a cause of fear.” Legend? No. Horror? Yes. This mural is not a historic relic -- it was only painted in 2001.  It only stands to fuel an "us" versus "them" story of whites versus non-whites in Baker County.  A story locals say still exists.  It's time to remove it. Baker County has a history of violence against blacks. On October 5, 1920, four black men were jailed as possible witnesses or suspects in the death of a prominent young white farmer named John Harvey. Instead of lawfulness and justice, the Klan and what was described as 50 white men overtook the jail and seized the men from their cells, dragging their bodies across the county, then shooting and lynching them.  And then there is the story of J.E. Fraser, a reported Grand Wizard from Baker County, who threatened that if a "fellow sells his house to a n-----," they will spread the word and that "boy better just get out of the state." The “Baxter Rebellion” is also heavily featured. According to the artist himself, it started in blacks boarded a train headed back home to Baker County. The whites "fingered their long bladed knives hoping for an opportunity to use them” resenting the blacks traveling by train. A black traveler was eventually taunted and a white man, "slashed his throat, almost decapitating him.” Then, "The violence mounted, becoming an orgy of blood as by-stander blacks and some members of the Macon team were indiscrimately (sic) slashed.” The violence didn’t stop on the train and the county erupted in violence with those who helped blacks on one side and those who didn't on the other. Even the Deputy was killed by the white mob while trying to restore the rule of law, and “there was not an unbroken bone in his body when it was dragged from beneath the building.”  When it came time for the trial of the men responsible, the (pro-white) Altman-Dowling-Harvey clans, "surround(ed) the courthouse on the day of the trial. All were armed." No jury would convict out of fear. This mural helps keep that mentality alive, which is entirely inappropriate in a courthouse. It is a hallmark of the past that contains many emotionally damaging, harmful and insulting images. Here are a few other parts of the mural: A young black child amongst Union soldiers next to injured Confederate whites, depicting the “us” versus “them"; The Confederate Battle Flag waves opposite the American flag as soldiers fight; A prominent woodpecker next to the KKK which was notoriously adopted by white supremacist groups; The Camellia flower, which is the official flower of the Klan; The Story of the Baxter Rebellion, which entails the gory slaughter of black men on a train, resulting lawlessness and an inability to get a conviction of the murderers because of intimidation by whites including armed family members standing on the courthouse lawn during trial; Many burned and burning houses; A man making alcohol from a still; and more either illegal or separatist images. This one-sided, insensitive history and lawlessness should not be condoned or memorialized in the very halls of justice which are supposed to hold all men equally accountable. The great people of Baker County are not honored by this mural. They are not lawless. And even their own judges and citizens have asked for this painting to be removed in the past.  It is time.