by Shawn Nowlin
Partaking in an honest dialogue without judgment has proven to be a remarkably effective tactic when it comes to discussing sensitive topics. Too often people shy away from broaching certain subject matters out of ignorance or fear that they’ll make a mistake.
Fran Ferguson, executive director of the Salem Museum, understands that discussing racism and race can be difficult for some, but it is a conversation undoubtedly worth having.
George Floyd senselessly died on May 25 in Minneapolis police custody after an officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. When Ferguson was made aware of the news, she says she was sick to her stomach. After recording her son’s reaction to Floyd’s death and posting it online, Iris Park, a member on the Salem Museum Board, felt compelled to initiate an uncomfortable conversation.
Spearheaded by Park, the Harrison Museum of African American Culture and the Salem Museum recently partnered together to host an open forum about racism and its impact on children and parenting. The event, titled ‘Children are the Bridge to our Future,’ was held on June 28 at the Harrison Museum.
The panel consisted of six community leaders: Ferguson, Eboni Harrington, a Lucy Addison Middle School Math Teacher; Brandon McCall, Personal Development Mentor; James Pennix, Higher Educational Professional; Eric Beasley, Regional Director of Business Development; and Kianna Price, TV host for Living Local on WFXR who served as moderator.
The event, which was live-streamed, primarily passed along advice the panelists learned from raising their own children. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the panelists adhered to social distancing guidelines.
“Even before the current Black Lives Matter movement, my son, who goes to a predominately white school, was called the N-word by a classmate. I built my son up to know what he is and who he is, so when he was confronted with this racist statement, he was able to take it in and move on,” McCall said. “What happened beyond that was his principal calling me and saying he was acting uncontrollably. I knew then that there is this system that we need to address.”
“I am the only Black educator on my hallway, said Harrington. I’ve had teachers tell me that even though Black history is something they want to teach, they are just not comfortable doing so because they feel they are not qualified. For the two years that I was a teacher in North Carolina, Black History was a requirement.”
When Price asked the panel what role parents should play in ensuring that anti-racism is part of the school culture, Pennix replied, “personal finance has been added to the school curriculum. It’s now required for you to graduate high school and even some colleges. People understand that it’s important to teach students how to handle their money. Well, why not teach them African American history at every level? My youngest son has been in the Salem City Schools his whole life and he can’t recall ever being taught an African American history lesson.”
All of the panelists agreed that children need to learn about inequality sooner rather than later, because “it will affect them even before they become adults.”
Park has been married to her husband Joseph since 2012 and together they have two children. “As parents, we must have confidence in ourselves and our children to handle difficult topics and situations, especially when confronted with racial injustice. In my 33 years, race relations have shifted dramatically. Although there is an increase in diversity, there is still simultaneously a divide due to class, gender, region, religion and ideology,” she said.
Interested individuals can visit https://www.facebook.com/HarrisonMuseum/videos/642422776619944/ to see the panel discussion in its entirety.
“It was really important to me to partner with the Harrison Museum, to listen to the panelists and develop a better understanding about the Black experience in our community. It was a really productive session,” Ferguson said.
