Unity Town Hall Event To Bring Together Residents 'Standing In Solidarity For Equality And Human Dignity'

NORTH FORK, NY — As an uncertain political climate continues to leave many fearful and disenfranchised, angry and threatened, North Fork residents passionate about supporting social justice have been organizing and planning a Unity Town Hall event.

"Solidarity in standing up for equality and human dignity is the principal theme. The agenda will include presentations on such issues as immigration, women’s rights, and the environment," organizers said.

The Unity Town Hall will take place on Sunday, March 26 from 3 p.m. to p.m. at 546 St. John's Place in Riverhead.

"There is a shared sense among the planners of the Unity Town Hall that the current political climate is creating a very threatening situation for many people including women, people of color, immigrants, Muslims, and others," said Carolyn Peabody of the Southold Anti-Bias Task Force, one of the Town Hall event organizers.

"Furthermore, the radical shifts in policy being undertaken by the administration are also threatening to undermine many of the positive steps forward that have occurred over the last half century, such as the clean air and water regulations, voting rights, protection from police profiling, etc.," she said.

The aim is that the Town Hall will serve as an initial gathering of individuals from the North Fork and Riverhead who are members of vulnerable and/or targeted groups; people who are activists or currently involved in organizations that are allies and engaged in progressive action; or people who are feeling unhappy with current trends and want very much to do something but aren’t sure what they can do, she said.

"At this Town Hall, people will have the opportunity to talk with one another, learn about the experiences of one another, be encouraged and inspired by one another and learn about organizations and groups that are already engaged in advocacy. Everyone will be invited to join with one another in committing to stand up against injustice in whatever form it takes by supporting others, developing friendships with others, interrupting or calling attention to hateful, bias or bigoted actions, and engaging in social action in support of equality and human dignity," Peabody said.

In addition, everyone who attends or expresses interest in attending will have the opportunity to join together in a unity action committee in their communities.

Those local unity action committees, Peabody said, "will serve as a local hub for people to learn about the impact of the current administration’s policies on people in any of the various targeted communities or significant social, political, cultural, or environmental areas that goes against the public good."

In addition, she said, the committee will convey information from any of the significant activist organizations or groups about possible advocacy strategies in order to coordinate actions, maximizing the impact of such strategies.

"We will also do our own strategizing for action as it makes sense in our communities," Peabody said. "Furthermore, the unity action committees will gather information from members about any incidents that occur in our neighborhoods or larger communities in order to both document these incidents and notify other unity action committees about what is happening in our neck of the woods."

Peabody stressed that it's critical that the committees have representation from each of the local communities and villages as well as different constituent groups and issue-based organizations.

"The idea is that we are here to fight for one another and not just for our own interests or those of our own social issues," she said. "We believe we must take a stand for the values and principles we believe in such as human dignity, equality, free and strong press and environmental protection."

The mission statement for the event added, "In solidarity, there is hope and the possibility for social justice."

Dinni Gordon of Greenport, also involved with the Unity Town Hall planning, said, "We are hoping this event and bringing people into its planning in a participatory way will lead to other long term commitments to the issues that people care about. It's a way of bringing people together from the North Fork, not just in their own hamlets and village but broadly as people who really an important part of Long Island and the 1st Congressional district."

The event will feature presentations, with tables set up offering resources on various issues, Gordon said.

"One of the most important aspects of this is that it's an invitation to activism for people who have not been activists. People can get involved who want to Do Something, with a capital 'D' and a capital 'S', but don't know what to do."

Solidarity, Gordon said, is also key.

Another goal could be finding in-roads into groups who may have voted for Donald Trump, expanding the group of vocal anti-Trump individuals to include those who "may be anti-Trump but haven't found a way to express it or to get involved, so they can counter what he's saying," Gordon said. "Some people who voted for Trump were really voting against Hillary Clinton, and not really voting for Trump. Some were voting just out of a frustration with what they've seen as a declining economy for them and for their neighbors. There are a lot of reasons people may have voted for Trump and by getting into some of these reasons, maybe we can peel off some of these Trump voters."

And, Gordon said, while all answers may not be found in the Town Hall meeting, that gathering can spark subsequent commitment to critical issues such as the environment, immigration and climate change.

The goal, Gordon said, is continuing to build awareness and solidarity in both the long and short terms.