The Rev. Alex Gee shared a secret that churches learned a long time ago, “One of the best ways to bring people together is to eat.” A community potluck dinner was held at James Madison Memorial High School this afternoon as a part of the continuing response to Rev. Gee’s Justified Anger column in the Capital Times about race relations in Madison.
My wife Anne and I set our potato salad on the salad table, filled our plates, and then sat down to a meal in which we had a frank and friendly conversation about race with some new friends that we just met. It was a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Or, as Michael Johnson, one of the other hosts of the potluck put it, “Let’s get beyond the conversation, but first we have to have a conversation.” Johnson is the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County. Gee pastors the Fountain of Life Community Church. Madison School Board President Ed Hughes and Oscar Mireles, Executive Director of Omega School, were the other hosts.
The new friends at our table were a Jewish grandmother originally from New York City, a black grandmother originally from Chicago, a white long time Madison school teacher, and a white young professional and mom. We talked about our interests and our families, including children who have spouses of other races. We learned a lot and we laughed a lot. We agreed that Madison needs to address racial disparities. And at the end we traded email addresses so we could stay in touch.
At the tables around us similar conversations were taking place. About 400 people turned out for the potluck and received some hints that further steps to address Madison’s racial disparities would be announced soon.
“We have to continue to build on what has already been happening,” said Rev. Gee. “We’ve got lots of work to do but it starts with small steps like this.” He thanked those with whom he has been meeting to strategize on further steps and promised some announcements soon.
Johnson praised Gee for his courage in stirring the community conversation. “This is the man who is going to help lead this community through this transition,” Johnson said. “We can’t allow kids to fail; we’re accountable to one another,” he concluded.
The website for the Justified Anger response is: madisonjustifiedanger.com.
A series of talks and a series of workshops aimed at helping develop perspective on racial issues were promoted in a handout distributed at the end of the afternoon. Both series will be held at Fountain of Life Church, 633 W. Badger Rd., in Madison.
The first series is on historical issues:
- “Centuries of Slavery” – May 8, 7pm
- “1st Reconstruction and Deconstruction” – May 22, 7pm
- “2nd Reconstruction (Modern Civil Rights) and Deconstruction – June 5, 7pm
The series of workshops is on the criminal justice system
- “What’s the Problem? Mass Incarceration Defined” – Sept. 4, 7pm
- “The Prison System: Purpose and Programming” – Oct. 2, 7pm
- “Community Corrections: Life after Prison” – Nov. 6, 7pm