A year ago, the Davis Human Relations Commission hosted its forum Breaking the Silence of Racism. A panel of six leaders from the community sat for a three hours in front of an audience that exceeded 200 people and listened to comments from the public complaining about race relations in the schools and the troubles that mixed race kids have in Davis, complaints about racial profiling and the district attorney’s office.
This Saturday, December 7, once again the City of Davis Human Relations Commission will host an open community forum entitled Breaking the Silence 2: Making Systemic Progress. The forum will take place from 11am to 1pm at the Veterans’ Memorial Center at 14th and B streets. All are welcome to attend.
The public is invited to hear about community social justice progress during 2013. Several institutional representatives, as well as members of local social justice groups, will share information about new programs and initiatives and listen to concerns of community members in a panel facilitated by myself.
Institutional representatives include City Councilmember Lucas Frerichs, UC Davis Associate Executive Vice Chancellor for Campus Community Relations Rahim Reed, Reverend Mahsea Evans, and Assistant Police Chief Darren Pytel. Community groups will include the Davis Phoenix Coalition, Vanguard Court Watch, Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network, Neighborhood Court and a citizen’s presentation by Diane Evans.
Participants are also encouraged to share any recent experiences of hate crimes, bullying and/or racism.
The Commission hopes that Breaking the Silence 2: Making Systemic Progress looks to Build off the successful 2012 Breaking the Silence of Racism event held by the commission, expanding the discussion to include additional forms of discrimination.
It will showcase the initiatives and progress made since the 2012 Breaking the Silence event.
It will allow participants to share their stories of discrimination that continues in the community.
It will pinpoint areas where gaps in policy and/or programs exist.
Finally, it will continue and advance community dialogues on social justice.
From the press release, “The commission understands that the problems we face in this community related to discrimination will not be solved in a single community event or a series of annual events. However, the commission has been, and will continue to be, committed to ensuring that the dialogue surrounding social justice issues, including racism, hate crimes and bullying, is at the forefront of awareness and discussion and that it lends itself toward systemic change in Davis and the surrounding areas.”
