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Above, left to right: Mark Meadows, Alex Hosey, and Dorinda Carter Andrews
Following up on the request of East Lansing High School student Alex Hosey, the City of East Lansing will be hosting an inaugural “community conversation about race.” The event is set to take place on Wednesday, April 25, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Hannah Community Center and is open to everyone.
Hosey’s call to the City to confront its history of racist discrimination in housing came in the form of an essay he wrote to explain to his basketball coach why he sits out the National Anthem. Hosey followed up his essay by coming to City Council on January 17, along with his father, Sam Hosey, whose parents were subject to housing discrimination here.
Subsequent to Alex Hosey’s call, City Council passed a formal resolution in February “acknowledging, apologizing for, and condemning racial discrimination.” Council also “acknowledged the need for an annual discussion about race in the community,” according to a press release about next week’s event.
Plans for Wednesday’s event are as follows:
“[Alex] Hosey will read his essay during the April 25 program. Additionally, East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows will make remarks and several panelists will be in attendance to share their experiences and stories of racism in the East Lansing community and beyond.”
The City indicates that “The conversation will be facilitated by Dr. Dorinda Carter Andrews – the Assistant Dean of Equity Outreach Initiatives for the College of Education and Associate Professor of Race, Culture and Equity in the Department of Teacher Education at MSU.”
The event is being organized in conjunction with East Lansing’s Human Relations Commission. That commission “protects and promotes human dignity and respect for the rights of all individuals and groups.” It also “reviews and makes recommendations regarding the status of social services provided to East Lansing residents.”
The idea of the community “conversation” on race, according to Meadows, “is to make this an annual community event, at which we raise awareness about our history and discuss how we, as a community, can continue to combat racial discrimination in both the present day and future.”
The Hannah Community Center is located at 819 Abbot Road in East Lansing.
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