Pelham Together Fights Racism
Racism is wrong and causes so much pain. And the events of this past week have brought that to light, yet again. After the brutal murder of George Floyd, communities across the country, including Pelham, have come together to express sorrow and solidarity with one another—unity around the message that racism exists; that it is wrong; and that we all have to do something to change that.
Racism has no place in Pelham. Pelham Together stands for a community inclusive of everyone, and that our diversity should be celebrated. We believe in a shared sense of responsibility for one another, and we are only as strong as our most vulnerable. We promote individual and collective action to purposefully build and maintain connections with one another and stand together with those who feel marginalized and overlooked—across differences, age, race, neighborhood, and circumstance, in good times and in bad. We support our young people in using their voice to promote compassion and understanding.
As we’ve seen during Covid-19, Pelham knows how to come together. Racism is another pandemic that requires our collective action. All week, the young people in our town have organized opportunities for our community to come together and reflect on the murder of George Floyd, providing on-going opportunities for the community to gather at 8 pm in a safe and responsible way. Our young people have organized an Instagram series to promote anti-racism. Pelham Together will continue to provide resources that promote understanding and support families in having conversations with their children, such as this NPR piece: "Talking Race With Young Children." You can join us in encouraging and supporting our teens’ ideas for expressing their thoughts and feelings, and stay tuned for our plans to host discussions with our young people using books and film. Please check our website often for other ways to help, as we build out more resources. We are always open to ideas from the community as well; please reach out to lcaruso@pelhamtogether.org with your thoughts and suggestions.
In an interview given a few years ago on Minnesota Public Radio, Beverly Daniel Tatum, psychologist and author said, “We have to be intentional in helping young people connect across lines of difference.” At Pelham Together, we believe in this intentionality and in the need for an entire community to act together to make it happen. Pelham is a place that has a track record of acting with compassion and unity in times of need. Our children are watching, and they need us to keep the example strong. Pelham can do that—together.