Reading Leaders Listen, Learn, and Update Community

Leaders from every corner of the Reading community turned out at the Endslow Performing Arts Center Tuesday night and the message was just as clear as the writing on the red and blue signs that dot local streets: Hate has no home here.

Despite a colorful acronym, RED, and a creative event title, "A Night of Listening and Learning," no one can answer the most important question. Did it work? Did Tuesday night's message get through to the individuals responsible for the recent incidents of racist and anti-semitic graffiti? Were they even in the audience? Or was it just a well-meaning night in which the 300-or-so in attendance left feeling better about the town, but nothing really changed? Time will tell.

"It was a great first step," said Jamie Michaels, the Senior Pastor at the Old South United Methodist Church and the organizer of the first Reading Embraces Diversity event. "I was really pleased with how everyone came out and was really respectful of one another's questions and stories. I thought our panelists did a fantastic job. Dr. [Anna] Ornstein did an amazing job setting the tone for this evening. It helped us put into context the situation were in right now."

That situation started with the discovery of a swastika at Reading Memorial High School last spring and continued with other racist and anti-semitic graffiti over the following months. Maybe it's the tone often heard on social media or events in other parts of the country but Michaels was concerned the discussion could get unpleasant, even nasty. At the very least, she didn't know what to expect.

"I can't tell you with what motivations people might have come here tonight. But it's the first time we've openly discussed the incidents of racist and anti-semitic graffiti in town. I honestly didn't know with what motivations or intentions people were going to come tonight. We had seen backlash in social media. So we were prepared for folks to maybe respond in not such a nice manner. But Reading stepped up and I have every confidence they're going to continue to do that."

There was no discord in the room, right down to the end as residents held hands and joined with the Reading choir in singing "We Shall Overcome." It may have been a little over the top, but it was certainly the theme of the evening.

The event began with holocaust survivor Dr. Anna Ornstein's opening remarks. On a stage with a town manager, a police chief, and a school superintendent, the diminutive Ornstein was a giant presence, connecting recent events in Reading to national politics, then to her family's experiences in Nazi Germany. She said, "the greatest danger is doing nothing," and compared swastikas to matches that ignite hate. She thanked organizers for inviting her and said, "I am so greatful you are doing what you're doing."

She also commanded the question-and-answer session. If the graffiti at the school was actually caused by students with a sharpie, Ornstein sounded a sympathetic cord by talking about the "mixed messages that high school kids hear" and the "variety of influences that kids are exposed to."

Town Manager Bob LeLacheur was followed by School Superintendent John Doherty and each spoke of their reaction when the swastikas were first discovered and actions taken since then.

"The conversations we are having this evening began in April with the swastikas, the star of David, unfortunately with a slash through it, and the racist graffiti," said Doherty. "But it does not end there. The conversations need to go beyond and focus on how we as a school community can create those safe and supportive schools, and subsequently a safe and supportive community for all.

"We are at a time when we are witnessing significant events in our country, in our state and in our region which impact our students and our classrooms. The violence that we have seen over the last several months is just more of those events. The swastikas and other graffiti we have witnessed in our community is a symptom of what is happening nationally."

The words were backed up by event participant Norman Abbott, the Assistant Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League. Abbott said that in 2016 there were 63 incidents in the state that involved swastikas, up from 22 the previous year.

With approximately 25,000 residents, Tuesday's turnout represented a tiny fraction of the town. But Michaels and the folks at Reading Embraces Diversity aren't discouraged, in truth they're energized by their first event and ready to take the next steps. What are they? Check out Facebook.com/Readingembracesdiversity and see for yourself. There's much to come.

Photo by Bob Holmes