The letter a lot of folks are reading

Judging from the names on the email list, this is making the rounds among Cincinnati's movers and shakers.

We're trying to verify and talk to Ms. Perkins-Ball; there is indeed a Michelle Perkins-Ball listed as working at Archbishop Romero school in Toronto.

Here is the letter. What do you think of it?


Dear colleagues at The National Underground Railroad Freedom Centre,
>
> Thank you for your great work at the museum. Here is a copy of the
>letter I wrote with my husband which I sent to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
>We thought you may find it helpful to read:
>
>
>
> Dear editors and staff of the Enquirer,
>
>
>
> I am a secondary school teacher in Toronto, Canada. My husband and I
>have just returned from a three day trip to your city. I was planning
>on bringing my students to visit the National Freedom Centre in the
>fall. I came to check out the city ahead of time to see, outside of the
>Museum, what sites and experiences the city would have to offer my
>students and me. I will not be returning to Cincinnati with my
>students. Here's why:
>
>
>
> From the moment we walked into the streets we sensed a tension. At
>first we could not put our finger on it. We had arrived at 5p.m. and
>the city already seemed to be closing down. There were a lot of people
>looking like they were going somewhere, leaving the city, it appeared.
>After 6p.m. these people were gone and there was a very different group
>of people who remained. It is obvious there are two separate worlds in
>Cincinnati.
>
>
>
> We decided to watch the local news each day. From doing so, one might
>never know that Cincinnati's population is 47% Black, as we learned on
>the internet before choosing to visit. We saw one Black reporter on
>each of two stations, but watched many reports on Black people being
>arrested for drugs in a place called OTR. We saw snippets of happy
>white children splashing in swimming pools, but read of other pools
>being closed in English Woods such that Black children in nearby
>projects don't have a place to cool off.
>
>
>
> Not one person had initiated any conversation with us in the city so
>by the second day I decided to step out and tried to talk to people. A
>friendly individual who responded was an African-American woman named
>Diane. She actually lives in Kentucky. She took it upon herself to give
>us a walking tour of the downtown core. After this and coming to the
>realization that it would be a challenge to find a reasonably
>affordable sit-down restaurant downtown where I could eat with my class
>as a group, I commented that the Cincinnati does not seem
>teen-friendly. I asked about this and the conversation evolved onto the
>subject of race.
>
>
>
> I had forgotten about the riots of 2001, which, back then, were only a
>brief spot on the news in Toronto. I don't know why this didn't click
>with me when I was initially thinking about bringing my students there.
>However, I now recognize what my husband and I were feeling. It was/is
>the dichotomous nature of the city, I believe. Despite the fact that we
>saw barely a hint of garbage or graffiti on the face of Cincinnati,
>below there seems to lie a deep-seated anxiety and simmering anger
>waiting to resurface.
>
>
>
> On the morning we were to visit the National Freedom Centre we
>happened to pick up "The Downtowner". In it a columnist calls the
>museum a "Welfare Centre". (She might be interested to know that it was
>the only place in the city during our visit where we actually witnessed
>Black and White people interacting on a truly engaging, respectful and
>positive level, in our opinion.) Another columnist (the owner and
>publisher of this paper) writes what seems to be a "call to arms" to
>police to "kick butt". In Canada we don't call our police force a
>"posse". This alone was quite informative. Another paper included a
>caricature of a Cincinnati Bengal's player breaking into a liquor
>store. In addition there were pictures and a list of the Black players
>in trouble with the law.
>
>
>
> I stood by the restored slave pen in the National Freedom Centre and
>looked out the window. "Great American" says the building across the
>street. I was struck by the irony of the situation. Does the average
>American understand this history, I wonder? Can one even think about
>the development of the United States without discussing this past? A
>little Black girl sitting beside me moaned as we watched a film on
>humans escaping across the Ohio River being chased by dogs and bounty
>hunters. This sad and horrible sound represents for me the ongoing
>legacy of slavery, racism and poverty that leads in great part to the
>divisions and social breakdown that you are living out daily in your
>city, that even we in Toronto are experiencing more as of late.
>However, I am convinced that solutions can't be found in the
>"sanitizing" or desertion of a city.
>
>
>
> Upon returning home my husband and I looked up the background, events
>and aftermath of the 2001 riots. It is clear that much is left
>unfinished and that many are willing to abandon, even punish,
>Cincinnati and its people. In commenting, I do recognize that the
>social issues are complex and that every citizen has the responsibility
>to contribute to their community in a positive manner, and that police
>as well as other groups and members of society have a role to play.
>However, until the issue of racism and the related beliefs and
>behaviours on all sides are truly acknowledged, I believe, much will
>remain the same or even grow worse. Thus, at this point in time,
>although I do believe my class of diverse students would be safe in
>downtown Cincinnati, I do not think they would be welcomed by many.
>
>
>
> In conclusion, I want to be hopeful for Cincinnati. I am encouraged by
>people like Diane and those I met in the Freedom Centre, who symbolize
>for me the roots upon which reconciliation and true community building
>are founded. I wish for them and for others who work for change,
>courage amidst the voices of opposition and fear who would rather
>scream "kick butt", it appears, than reach out, redress and reform. I
>hope this reflection will stimulate open and honest discussion and that
>the next time I visit Cincinnati I might sense a different vibe, a
>spirit of hope in the city.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Michelle Perkins-Ball