Segregation Project
Seeks Nominations

T

he Michigan Roundtable
for Diversity and Inclusion
is kicking off a Race to
Equity project that will work toward
the establishment of Michigan's
only Truth and Reconciliation
Commission to examine hous-
ing segregation, its history and its
continued effects. Members of the
Commission will be seated Nov.
4-5 at a Truth Conference at Cobo
Conference/Exhibition Center in
Detroit. Public nominations are now
being accepted.
"Racism continues to cast a
shadow over Southeast Michigan,
and we are still feeling the impact of
these troubled times," said Thomas
Costello, president and CEO of the
Michigan Roundtable. "Racial seg-
regation is also the segregation of
opportunity and hope for the future.
"An inclusive and prosperous
future can only be ensured by an
inquiry into and understanding of
the structural dynamics of racial seg-
regation, past and present',' he said.
Any resident of the Detroit
metropolitan area can nominate
any individual to serve as a com-
missioner. Nominations should
be accompanied by a brief state-
ment articulating who the nomi-
nee is and why she or he is being
nominated. A selection panel will
then ensure that each nominee
completes a full application. These
applications will guide the panel in
decisions regarding commissioners.
"The establishment of a Truth
and Reconciliation Commission,
inspired by the process that
took place in South Africa and
Greensboro, N.C., will allow an
understanding of past injustices
and to envision constructive reme-
dies to create a new regional culture
of fairness, equal opportunity and
prosperity;' Costello said.
The commission will spend 18-24
months delving deeply into the
history of housing and race in the
region and how it impacts those liv-
ing here today. It will also examine
what can be done to create a new
regional culture in Metro Detroit.
The Michigan Roundtable has
worked for the past 16 months with
members of the Housing Project
Partnership and has established a
charter and a mandate to guide the
Commission.
For additional information, visit
bitly/omMgQ1 or contact Freda
G. Sampson at (313) 870-1500 or
fsampson@miroundtable.org . I I

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July 21 2011

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