HENRY MCKOY, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR of entrepreneurship at North Carolina Central University, says research shows Black people are worse off in cities led by white progressives. It is what led McKoy to organize a virtual conversations regarding race, equity and equality.
The discussion takes place on Tuesday, April 27 beginning at 6:00 p.m.
“Durham spends a great deal of time professing its leadership in racial equity and its desire to progress to be more racially equitable as a community. But we can't cherry pick the issues we think should be addressed,” said McKoy. “I felt that it was important that the community have an open dialogue about a situation that was happening in real time and see how people respond to it.”
McKoy says Durham is modeling what is happening across the country in municipalities led by white people who promote a strong progressive agenda. The tension between Durham County Manager Wendal Davis and white members of the Board of County Commissioners serves as a teachable moment for both Durham and communities across the country.
“I thought it important to have someone moderate this conversation who is a bit disconnected from the specific situation going on here in Durham related to the County Manager and County Commission, but also someone who is steeped in this work,” said McKoy. “LaChaun Anderson Banks is an expert in this work and does racial equity work with cities across the United States and world through her work at Harvard Kennedy School. But she is also a former member of UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan Institute.”
McKoy invited Antonio Jones, chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and Shelia Huggins, chair of Friends of Durham, to participate in “Black Public Leadership and White Liberalism: The Case for or Against Wendell Davis,” the discussion moderated by Anderson Banks. When initially approached to join the panel, representatives from People’s Alliance, Durham’s other political action committee, declined.
On March 8, 2021, People's Alliance wrote a statement encouraging “elected officials to appoint a manager whose governing philosophy and leadership style most aligns with their own”. McKoy told IndyWeek reporter Thomasai McDonald the statement is a “professional lynching” driven by race and no merit.
“You can't go back from this,” McKoy told the INDY. “You can't say our values are about racial equity and simultaneously do things that reek of racist bias and intent.”
McKoy offers the virtual conversation as a tool to help Durham mend after over a year of rigid race relations.
“I think race relations overall are very good in Durham. I think that is true in both absolute and relative terms to other communities. However, it only takes one situation to divide a community and to strain relationships,” said McKoy. “More importantly, having good race relations is not the same as having a racially equitable community. And that is where Durham still has a lot of room to make up.”
To register to attend “Durham Racial Equity Talks,” visit: Racial Equity Talks
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