(Chelsea Update would like to thank Bob Milbrodt for the information in this story.)
Last Monday, the Chelsea Kiwanis Club heard from One World One Family President Joanne Ladio and Secretary Carolyn Stilwell. We partnered with their group this year on Chelsea’s MLK, Jr. Days of Service and Social Action with an essay/poem contest with prizes for school children. We asked what the national holiday commemorating Dr. King and his works means to them.
OWOF was founded in 2001 after the tragedy of 9-11. Their mission is committed to justice and equity for all. They work to be anti-racist and to oppose discrimination in any form. They engage and empower people to have an impact and change systems to ensure everyone can participate fully in a diverse society. They and other groups had noticed that Chelsea has a fairly homogeneous population, that racist attitudes were evident, and that our children were growing up without the tools to live in a diverse world. Chelsea had never acknowledged MLK, Jr. Day even though it had been a Federal holiday since 1983.
The first MLK, Jr. Day in Chelsea happened in 2002 with 500 people attending. Since then, the group has become a 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation with a 9-member board of directors who meet once a month. They hope to partner with many local groups and individuals to achieve their mission.
They partner with Chelsea District Library on Chelsea’s Community Reads. In 2003 the book “Warriors Don’t Cry” by Melba Patillo Beals was selected. Beals was one of the Little Rock Nine. In 1957, nine black students were temporarily unable to attend Central High School by Governor Orval Faubus until President Eisenhower nationalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army to protect the students. Even with the protection, students suffered physical and verbal abuse by many of the white students.
Beals had acid thrown into her eyes, and was trapped in a stall in the girl’s washroom by a group of white girls who dropped flaming pieces of paper on her from above.
Carolyn Stilwell recounted how when she was a little girl her family had to leave Ohio because her mother, who is of Bolivian descent, was not accepted in the community. The family suffered the loss of their dog due to poisoning.
One World One Family believes that when LGBTQ youth notice people displaying a pride flag, it may prevent suicide. Unfortunately, some flags have recently been stolen from homes. The group works to eliminate violence from people misusing guns, not guns themselves.
Please visit the web site www.owofchelsea.org to learn more.
