Social Justice By Ed Conn Two weeks after moving to Toledo, our downstairs neighbor Lorna Gonsalves (Goo d Troubles as a Strategy for Addressing Injustices page 9) asked if I would join a protest downtown. Someone she knew was on death row convicted on charges that were less than credible. We loaded up the protest signs and headed for Lucas County Courthouse. A small group of around ten people were waiting and gave us a generous greeting. Five minutes later, after receiving instructions on what we can and cannot do legally we began to march around the court house. Two policemen kept an eye on us, admonishing one of our members when he stepped on the courthouse grounds. We continued to circle the courthouse, singing and chanting along the way for another 45 minutes. At 1 pm we stopped, hugged one another, and retreated back to our vehicles, agreeing to gather again for another cause. Admittedly, I am not the activist in our family. That honor went to my older brother Andy, who worked diligently until his dying day to fi ght the injustices of economic inequality, police brutality, and public water rights in California. I have always admired the Andys and Lornas for carrying the torch of activism. As our country becomes more toxic with political, cultural, and racial divisiveness, I am fi nding it harder to stand by and watch as others hit the streets. I am far from woke but will admit I am trying harder to make my voice heard. Thom Hartmann, the radio commentator on Sirrus Progressive Radio, ends his broadcast each day with this message: “Democracy is not a spectator sport.” It is time for all of us to stand up for what is right. Issue 110 of Toledo Streets is themed Social Justice. Connie Huse-Boyle (Looking at Bias in the Mirror page 4) writes about her fi rst hand account of unconscious bias as a school teacher. Students and founders of Teens Against Racial Injustice, Zoe Reid and Isabelle Whitehurst, ask Who are the Change Makers? on page 4. I explore the history of violence against the Asian American Community on page 6. Our good friend and librarian Franco Vitella offers up 5 book titles on social justice available at the Toledo Lucas County Public Libraries (page 7). Scott Carpenter, Director of Public Relations of Metroparks Toledo, weaves the fascinating tale on how the country estate of Champion Spark Plug co-founder, R.A. Stranahan, became a public park (Land as Good as Gold: The Wildwood Story page 8). A Warning from History page 11 tells the story of theTulsa Massacre 100 years ago which all but destroyed a vibrant prosperous black community by an angry white mob. We close our issue with a word of thanks from our Executive Director Arika Michaelis for the generousity and kindness of the people of Toledo in helping us get through this past year. Buy a Paper Get Informed Take Action Toledo Streets and its vendors are a powerful, community driven solution to the problem of homelessness. Our vendors earn their way out of their individual situations through a collaboration of journalism, local business partners and their own hard work. Use these four steps to be a part of the solution. Meet Vendors • Vendors -- the people who sell the paper -- are at the core of Toledo Streets' mission. Each year more than 70 indiviuals work as vendors with Toledo Streets. At any given time, more than 25 vendors are at work, in the rain, snow, or heat. Vendors play an active role in the management of TS, meeting regularly to discuss issues of concern and even serving on our board. • With the money made selling the newspaper, vendors are able to secure basic needs, independence and dignity, and work toward obtaining housing. Vendors buy papers for a quarter and sell them for a $1, keeping all income and tips for each sale. Toledo Streets tries to tie its editorial to three basic principals: • Inspiring Hope, Fostering Community, and Cultivating Change. We are a member of INSP, our global organization of street papers around the world which provides us with content relevent to social justice, homelessness, and street community around the world. • Donate to the organization and give vendors experiencing homelessness and poverty a hand up. It supports not only the paper but also issues throughout NW Ohio. • Volunteer your time and expertise and help the organization grow. • Share Toledo Streets with your network, and tell people about the organization. Page 3 The Buck Starts Here
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