By David Gordon, associate editor
Further conversations leading to change in racial inequalities, plus careful planning for policing changes, were emphasized in the community discussion that capped Friday’s online Juneteenth observance here.
Earlier in the day, four news media panelists agreed on the need to encourage a greater diversity of voices and perspectives in their stories and in their newsrooms but had no easy answers on how to bring this about.
The two programs were part of this year’s 20th annual Juneteenth observance in the Chippewa Valley. The daylong programming, held entirely online, was organized by Uniting Bridges.
Racial disparities among topics needing discussion
Leading off the wind-up discussion, State Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) listed a number of topics that should be discussed “with open minds and open hearts.” Among them were large racial disparities in health outcomes, home ownership and income.
She also cited the need for reform in the criminal justice system and said there is a need to “rethink the role of police officers in our schools.”
The broader questions of changes in police roles and what the public sees as appropriate roles also received attention. Prof. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, president of Uniting Bridges and the lead organizer of the day’s programs, said “it goes beyond how are you going to fund the police” to determining the public’s expectations of law enforcement and providing appropriate training.
Police officers are ‘not social workers’
She also noted situations where police officers may be assigned to duties they don’t want to do and are uncomfortable doing – such as acting as a school resource officer. And Emerson picked up on that general theme by noting that “officers say ‘we’re not social workers but we’re asked to do that.’”
In answer to a question, Eau Claire Deputy Police Chief Chad Hoyard said “we have a very good working relationship with the (police) union.” Ducksworth-Lawton, who sits on the city’s Police and Fire Commission, said that “the union here is reasonable” and reflects efforts to hire “people of quality.”
Hoyard, noting that this is a challenging time for police departments, said “we are 100 percent dedicated to sit down at the table and be part of the solution.” He added that there is “a lot of work to do here and we’re not going to stop.”
News media panelists acknowledge tension
In the earlier program, the news media panelists acknowledged the tension between the need for continuing coverage of ongoing protests against police violence while also reporting on other news that’s important to the community. They also agreed on the news media’s responsibility to provide historical context for events they report.
Ovshinsky: broader perspective needed
Noah Ovshinsky of Wisconsin Public Radio said that, without that context, “you can’t possibly understand what’s been happening the past three weeks.”
He noted that WPR newsrooms are now staffed about 70 percent by women but lack journalists of color and can no longer “let the diversity come to us.” Instead, aggressive recruitment tactics are needed to challenge “our very limited white perspective,” he said.
“We have failed to deal enough with the black experience in Wisconsin,” he added.
Emerson: build connections outside comfort zone
Julian Emerson, a long-time Eau Claire Leader-Telegram reporter now working for UpNorthNews, agreed on the importance of getting more women and “more people of color in newsrooms.” This will add new perspectives to the news reporting process and that, in turn, will help push him out of his “comfort zone” as a white male journalist, he said.
Emerson added that he is continually trying to build connections with a wide variety of people who are not like him and who can help him get past his own blind spots. That’s an inexact science, he said, and “it’s a huge struggle.”
Prelutsky: help the unheard be heard
In response to a question posed in a Washington Post article, Zach Prelutsky of WEAU-TV said he thought the voices of Eau Claire protesters were being heard amid the sensational aspects of protests in Minneapolis and elsewhere. Nationally, that may well not be the case, he said.
“It’s about identifying the voices of the movement . . . the people who are participating,” he said, adding that the media need to provide an outlet for those voices that may otherwise go unheard.
Lindquist: space & time limit coverage
Eric Lindquist, a Leader-Telegram reporter who frequently writes in-depth stories, said that people or groups desiring news coverage need to keep journalists in the loop on newsworthy activities and developments. However, he cautioned that space and time limitations will prevent coverage of everything that’s suggested.
The panel, moderated by Ed Hudgins of Converge Radio, was one of many online events on the Juneteenth schedule. Among those on Friday morning was Andrew Sturtevant’s discussion of indigenous history and colonialism, which focused in part on the efforts to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day.
During a Friday afternoon panel discussion of “Hmong People in the Age of George Floyd,” Caitlin Lee noted the stereotypes that have hurt her and her community and added that “I now understand the fears my parents had when I was a child.” She said she remembers being told not to be too loud or to draw attention to herself in other ways.
State Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire), in commenting on that discussion, said he has spent a lifetime failing to understand people who are different from him. He said he wants to learn from them but is finding this to be difficult because many “people of different complexions live their lives in fear of interaction.”
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