Washtenaw County public invited to community forum to discuss racial disparaties

The Juneteenth March for Change drew hundreds to the Diag on the University of Michigan's downtown Ann Arbor campus. (Sarah M. Parlette)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – On Saturday, Oct. 17, a forum will take place at South Lillie Park addressing disparities among the Black community in Washtenaw County.

At the “Getting Real About Race” community forum, activists and public officials will discuss issues in five different areas including education, housing, healthcare, employment and the criminal justice system.

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The forum is scheduled to take place from 2-6 p.m.

Anticipated speakers include U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, Ypsilanti Mayor Lori Richardson, Washtenaw County Prosecutor-Elect Eli Savit and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, among many others according to the event page.

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“It is important that we take a serious look at racism and the effects of it in our community and that is the community of African Americans and people of color in Washtenaw County,” Survivors Speak CEO and founder Trische' Duckworth said in a release.

“I am hoping that this forum will ignite and inspire individuals, leaders in Washtenaw County and community members to acknowledge that racism exists and work towards actual solutions that can be implemented to make change in our entire community.”

The event is free but tickets are limited. Registration ends on Friday.

Register here.

South Lillie Park is at 4365 Platt Rd, Ann Arbor.

There are many disparities plaguing the African American Community in Washtenaw County. We are coming together to create...

Posted by Survivors Speak on Thursday, September 24, 2020

About the Author:

Sarah has worked for WDIV since June 2018. She covers community events, good eats and small businesses in Ann Arbor and has a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Grand Valley State University.