PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia, like most major cities, tends to be pretty segregated, with people mostly staying within their own communities and communicating only with people they know and who look like them.
The Black and Gold Series is about building bridges, exposing biases and fostering important and sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
City officials and community leaders recently participated in the final of three sessions of Philadelphia’s Black and Gold Series Leadership Boot Camp, which was designed to help strengthen Black and Asian relations in the city and featured experiential learning.
The Black and Gold events and cultural showcases launched at the start of the year. The boot camp incorporated more intimate tools called “breaking bread and breaking barriers,” where deep discussions about race and experiences were conducted.
“These discussions are for people to be able to better relate to each other, to be able to listen more deeply, and to be able to just take a minute to feel what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes,” said Romana Lee-Akiyama, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement.
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She said they're happy with the results, and that the plan was to equip people with the skills that everyone needs as human beings.
Kia Ghee, executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, said that during the sessions where they broke bread together, tough questions were asked such as, “Have you ever invited someone outside of your race to your home?’ Many said no.
“I don't think it's unique to our participants. In general, people stay with the community they know and that they understand," said Ghee.
“But sometimes there are thought processes that don't get expanded because you haven't had the opportunity to invite others you know or communicate with others outside of your race. So for us with this series, you heard a commitment from our participants who want to continue meeting with folks that didn't look like them.”
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Lee-Akiyama said they also spoke about the immigrant experience and systemic racism, which she says was an eye-opening discussion.
“As an immigrant you come with a different experience. You come with a different mindset. Having grown up in a different place, maybe you're not as aware of the historic and systemic racism that is the foundation of America. You might come with a different level of what is ideal and what is possible to achieve,” Lee-Akiyama said.
“With that experience and with those who have struggles in the reality of our systemic and institutionalized racism here, there's a disconnect, and there's this misunderstanding of why it's so hard for certain folks and why others have a perception of this idealism that might exist in some communities.”
The Black and Gold Series dialogue and events with the community will continue through the end of the year.
