Wilmington council members seek common ground in Rise Together Initiative
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For three months this summer, Wilmington residents gathered nightly on the steps of city hall to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and to fight for equality and change in their own city.
Those calls for social justice and equality have resulted in an effort supported by Black and white city council members.
Wilmington’s Rise Together Initiative aims “to better understand the City’s progress in responding to challenges of equity and civic inclusion, and to facilitate an actionable plan for our ongoing response to these challenges.”
Mayor Bill Saffo, who is white, kicked off the initiative with a series of conversations with influential Black and white community leaders.
“(Depending on where you live) you may not have interactions with people who may be struggling in this world and may not understand what other folks are going through,” Saffo said. “But having an opportunity to talk with people in a reasonable manner without yelling at each other is an important part of this process.”
One community leader, Frankie Roberts, told the mayor recent protests have "forced our community to discuss race in a more authentic manner."
Roberts, who serves as executive director of Leading Into New Communities (LINC) Inc., a non-profit agency that provides shelter and services for men and women returning from prison, also said he believes progress toward racial equality is being made in Wilmington, but he also feels historical context is an important part of the conversation.
"When people say All Lives Matter, they try to dismiss that context," he said. "There was a time that most white people don't want to discuss when our lives didn't matter."
The city council unanimously adopted the resolution to form the Rise Together Initiative in August and directed city staff to create a report identifying policy changes, investments, community partnerships and engagement that have been effective while pointing out the work that needs to be done. This process will help identify the programs and initiatives that could use more funding.
The goal is to also identify the challenges the city is not currently addressing and develop a strategy to accomplish measurable improvements in those lacking areas.
Councilman Kevin Spears, who is Black, said he expects “local legislation to equal the playing field for Black citizens.”
“I want this initiative to be as tangible as possible,” said Spears, who was elected to the city council 2019. “I don’t want just another talking point. I want to say that in this year we’ve done a lot of historical things.”
Saffo, who has been mayor since 2007, said some of these areas of improvement include addressing barriers to affordable housing, job training and job creation.
Spears also said the initiative sends a message of solidarity to citizens, and Saffo agreed.
While there is a time for protesting, Saffo said, the city also has to come together to create concrete steps “to address the issues that have been identified by (protestors) and also people who’ve been working on these issues for a number of years.”
Noah Johnson can be reached at 910-343-2364 or njohnson1@gannett.com
The Hidden Common Ground project is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Ipsos conducted the public opinion research and the Kettering Foundation is a research partner for the initiative.