DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY BOOK GROUP

DIVERSITY BOOK CLUB FIELD TRIP: ISABEL WILKERSON IN CLEVELAND 

–Submitted by Kristie Thomsen 

“July 4, 2022, is the first time the United States will have been a nation for as long as slavery lasted on US soil. It will be 2111 before Africans will have been free in this country for as long as they were enslaved.” 

left to right: Kristi Thomsen, Robin Hawkins, Jeannine Murray, and Anne Bruno.

The crowd at the Maltz Performing Arts Center in Cleveland on June 23 audibly gasped in response to this observation by author Isabel Wilkerson. Among those fortunate enough to be there were three members of the Medina AAUW Diversity Book Club and a friend. 

Ms. Wilkerson wrote The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. The latter was a recent book club selection. She was hosted by the William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage Series, presented by the Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation and Case Western Reserve University. 

Along with observations from her two books, Ms. Wilkerson’s hour-plus conversation included references to the modern consequences of 246 years of black slavery followed by decades of Jim Crow abuse. More than once, she noted the need for a better grasp among Americans of our own history.

“If we knew our full history then we’d know our country is like a patient with heart disease,” she said, noting that once heart disease is diagnosed, we act quickly to fix the damage and prevent it from getting worse. She used similar metaphors in Caste, comparing our country to an old house. 

“In an old house, the work is never done. We choose not to look at the basement, the gutters, or the roof at our own peril. But we did not build the house, just as we did not build the country the way it is now. We didn’t build the frayed wires and the rusting pipes. But once we take possession, we’re responsible for maintenance and repairs. In the United States, there have been decades of inattention to this old home.” 

She added that not enough of us know our history, which is the foundation of our social and political order. 

“Slavery in the United States lasted for 12 generations,” she said. Because the vast majority of black Americans were never able to live out their dreams and talents, the country was unable to make the most of its population. It represents a massive loss to people, the country, and the world. 

Revisiting the language of hierarchy that she used in Caste, she said, “If a distinction can be made, humans will find it. Who can be bought, sold, or mortgaged are the metrics of what we now see as race. Enslaved people were assigned to an industrial role in the hierarchy before they even got to America.” 

Her event ended with a question-and-answer session moderated by Margaret Bernstein of WKYC Studios. Among the highlights: 

A question about the commercialization of the Juneteenth holiday prompted a revealing story about the symbolism of watermelon in black culture. Enslaved people worked in fields under relentless sun for long days with no pay, no relief, and no water; they ate watermelon to stay hydrated. 

“It was a survival mechanism,” said Ms. Wilkerson. Watermelon salad, as featured on an Indiana museum menu on Juneteenth weekend, ridicules this survival strategy, as do many offensive depictions of black people eating watermelon. 

In response to a question about reparation, Ms. Wilkerson said that if people really knew our country’s history, they would demand reparations, which would be part of our legal system. 

“Redlining was a response to the great migration,” she said. Blacks were excluded from the economy and the American dream. While white families were paying off mortgages and building equity, black families were denied access to the ability to build wealth. 

“Every other group in this country that has been harmed has received reparations,” she said, including Jewish people compensated for atrocities related to the Holocaust and Indians driven from their tribal land. Reparations, which of course do not reverse the damage that has been done, should focus on the harm done by Jim Crow. 

Regarding restrictive voting laws, Ms. Wilkerson implored the audience to work with what they know. “Warmth of Other Suns demonstrated that people literally lived the serenity prayer,” she said. “That is, recognize what you can change, and change it. We all need to take inventory of our lives, our strengths, people we know, our spheres of influence. In whatever group you are in, it is your responsibility to work there. We’re in a space of existential crisis. We need to come together, not as a country but as a species.”

The evening ended with a standing ovation from an appreciative crowd. 

By Jeannine Murray

ENVIRONMENTAL INTEREST GROUP

During the pandemic human trafficking flourished. The Medina County Coalition Against Human Trafficking has been very active and has even more plans to be seen and heard. 

• In November 2023, the Coalition will join radio personality Linn Caliver in holding a fundraising activity to raise scholarships for low income students and human traffic survivors. There will be bands! The cost for a table to the Coalition is $100. 
• In June 2022, a reporter from the Medina Weekly published an article about the Coalition and its work in Medina. 
• Jasmine M.(human trafficking survivor and member of Coalition) and Beth E. (Executive Board Member of Coalition) joined the Survivors’ Advisory Council. The consensus of the Advisor Council is that all nonprofits providing services or advocating for laws or decision making that affect traffic victims need to have survivors involved in all levels of those services and in all levels of law and decision making. 
• The Coalition has agreed to join the Red Line Project. At an agreed upon time, everyone will draw a red sand line to show they stand up for the fight against human trafficking. 
• The Human Trafficking Institute is keeping a nationwide registry of coalitions and is making a concerted effort to include small town coalitions. MCCAHT, with contact information and phone numbers for emergencies, is now included in the registry. 
• Mary Roe is working with Ohio parole offices and local human trafficking groups to assist human trafficked women prisoners as they come out of prison. 
• The summer event hosted by the Coalition to take place of the January event, which was postponed due to COVID concerns, went very well. Two survivors spoke to the attendees. 
• The Coalition is seeking ideas for its January event. It will be a family event followed by a separate adults’ event held most likely in partnership with a local church. 
• Anamarie F. with Hope and Healing reported that the Summit County Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence Court is at full capacity. Also, Medina County still provides case management and all services and judicial oversight. She wanted everyone to know that there is a rapid rehousing program in Medina. 

There was no more new or old business discussed. 

SOAP

Our four SOAP teams are making regular monthly hotel visits. Please consider joining a team. Approximately less than one hour of on-line training is required. Teams need subs and/or members who will share the routes and go out only every second or third month. Our mission is to help find missing children and to be a part of the effort to eliminate human trafficking. Contact Carol Thombs to learn more: cgthombs98@gmail.com or 330-421-1932.

Another possibility for you to help is to serve as a SOAP ambassador. This person speaks to groups sharing what the SOAP project does and recruiting more volunteers. Church groups may be especially interested. Again, contact Carol Thombs, cgthombs98@gmail.com or 330-421-1932.