A Community Conversation On "The Other Wes Moore"

Dr. Ronnie Dunn of CSU.

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To engage the whole community in this year’s choice for Lakewood Reads, "The Other Wes Moore, a Community Conversation," a meeting was held on Wednesday evening, November 14th at The University of Akron Lakewood. The evening was jointly sponsored by the Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission (LCRAC), the Lakewood Family Collaborative, Lakewood Alive, and the University of Akron Lakewood. Four panelists were invited to share their personal and professional experiences relevant to the compelling story of two young men with the same name and similar backgrounds, but whose lives go in very different directions. To leave with a better understanding of the forces at work for and against the youth of Lakewood was the primary objective of the evening.

The discussion was guided by a set of questions presented by Joe Lobozzo, history teacher at Lakewood High School and a member of LCRAC, who moderated the evening. Assisting Mr. Lobozzo were two seniors from Lakewood High School, Rokeishia Smith, who hopes to attend Case Western Reserve University, and Dominique Lee, who is applying to Cleveland State University. Both Rokeishia and Dominique had been involved in the week of activities at the school centered on hearing Mr. Moore live, and interacting with him through Skype.

Panelist Dr. Ronnie Dunn, Associate Professor of Urban Studies at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Levin College of Urban Affairs, received his Ph.D. from Cleveland State in 2004. His research and teaching interests include racial and social justice, crime and the criminal justice system, diversity and issues affecting minorities and the urban poor. Dr. Dunn said that Ohio has no law regarding racial profiling, and that we have in place a system that acts like a funnel, driving people into a system of private, for-profit prisons, with large numbers of sentence inequities. At the same time there is a code of the street that tells young people not to trust the police and not to snitch. He cited the recent book by Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, as addressing the policies, laws, and history that have created a large group relegated to second class citizenship through incarceration. He also cited SB 337, which took effect in September, as a step in the right direction in removing barriers for ex-offenders to become rehabilitated and gainfully employed.

Panelist Michael J. Ryan, Cleveland Municipal Judge and newly elected judge to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division, has worked extensively with the Juvenile Courts Diversion Program. He overcame extreme hardship growing up in the Longwood projects, with challenges much like those of Wes Moore. He acknowledged that he possessed extreme fortitude, but that education was the ticket for him to get away from his environment. School was a refuge--a place where there was food, heat, water, and people who believed in him--the opposite of the chaos that he experienced at home. It was important to have relationships with people he could trust in order to open up about what was going on at home. Without parents from a young age, Judge Ryan talked about a teacher, an ex-marine, who believed in his abilities and made a personal connection, talking with him, attending his games and graduations. He said many have the potential to make a difference, like teachers, coaches, ministers, those in the juvenile justice system and the police. He said it was important that police develop relationships with the local youth, not to be harassing and arresting authority figures, but to be trusted, safe adults. He also wants citizens to be more familiar with who they put on the bench. When it comes to electing judges, it is essential to put qualified people in these positions. Looking at the ratings from Judge4Yourself is one very good way, and he urged people to come to the court to watch judges in action.

Panelist Mark Brauer has served as the Vice President for Youth Services at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM). Next Step is one of LMM’s youth programs operating in Lakewood, providing training in independent living skills to older youth aging out of the foster care system. At a pivotal point in the lives of these young people, it is LMM’s mission to help move them in the right direction. He talked about the problems getting funding for programs such as breakfasts and lunches in schools. This makes it possible for students to learn when they are coming from a home where there may be no food and the utilities are turned off. A program in Minnesota provides backpacks of food for students to take home for the weekend; otherwise, they may have nothing to eat until they return to school on Monday. He also talked about how important it was for students to be taught “soft skills” like interpersonal skills. Without these, students may not be able to successfully navigate their way through life. He said it was so important to have people who can mentor be present in a young person’s life, starting wherever they are and being there over time.

Panelist Mary Hall is the Administrator of the Division of Youth for the City of Lakewood. She has spent many years working with the families of Lakewood. Mary talked about education and the environment. She said that the expectations that others have of you eventually become the expectations you have of yourself. It is essential to start in early childhood, not just with the child, but with the parents, teaching them the skills needed to help their children thrive. Mary wrapped up the session with the following meaningful statement: “We need to create around each child a climate of acceptance, whether it is a child on your street, in your neighborhood, or in your faith community.” The truth is that every child in Lakewood belongs to all of us.

The Lakewood Community Advisory Commission’s mission is to advise, educate and promote community relations, foster participation in the community; to be proactive to promote respectful conversations and collaborative efforts among and between residents and city officials; and to promote equity, respect and diversity within the city.

The Commission's next planned event is the annual Diversity Potluck, planned for Thursday evening January 24, 2013. Watch for further details about this very fun and delicious event.