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Thriving with diversity

By JAMES JORDAN
Traveler Editor
news@arkcity.net

Diversity should mean more than co-existing. It should mean working together for a better community, Charles Edward Watson told the Arkansas City Human Relations Commission Monday night.

Watson, a Wichita attorney and 1983 graduate of Arkansas City High School, was the keynote speaker at Monday evening's annual Arkansas City Human Relations Commission banquet.

"When I was growing up in Arkansas City, the city was a center for diversity," he said.

He encouraged the group of about 35 people to work toward building bridges between people and communities.

"Each individual has a stake in the community, and every individual should have the same opportunity to have a good life," he added.

He said when he was growing up in Arkansas City, the city was sealed off from the rest of the world in a sense.

"It seemed like Wichita or Oklahoma CIty was a world away. Today the city has changed," he said. He noted that now Arkansas City may have the same problems other large cities have.

"Building bridges does not mean you have to agree with people," he said.

"But people can learn from each other. We should all have the attitude that 'I could be wrong,' Diverse ideas are often a way of finding a solution," he said. "If the only idea I know is my own, I might start thinking that a bad idea is a good idea."

He also encouraged those at the banquet to build bridges before there is a crisis.

"We need to have relationships. It is not very efficient to talk when everyone is angry," he said.

The banquet ended Booker Jennings' term as chairman and began the term of Charles Jennings.

Charles Jennings said after the banquet that he would like for the Commission to "grow the pool of dialogue" in Arkansas City.

"I would like to find a place in the downtown area for more community dialogue," he said. "I would also like to give the faith community a voice in the community."

Also at the meeting was Gordon Crestwell from the state organization of human relations councils.

He met with city officials earlier in the day, as well as with the human relations council.

"We all want the same thing - a thriving community," Crestwell said after the banquet.

He said human relations councils can bridge the gap between city commissions and people. They can also help to solve problems between people before the problems reach the crisis stage.

"Human relations councils are not just about black and white anymore. We have to expand the definition of diversity," he said.

He said race isn't always the issue, and that there are many other issues that need to be worked on in communities.

Below: Charles E. Watson talks about diversity at the Human Relations Council Monday.