It was a small, but earnest group of people on the Harrison County Courthouse plaza the other day. They were there to continue the dialogue against racism in our community. With the unwelcome visit from the KKK last year, Clarksburg Mayor David Kates and Councilman Jim Hunt not only helped to organize a unity rally, but they have kept the dialogue going. We applaud them for that.
"Undoing Rasicm Day" was part of a nationwide observance sponsored by the National League of Cities. Clarksburg was one of 300 cities across the country to join hands in fighting discrimination.
"Our goal," said Hunt, "is to improve the awareness of the efforts to undo racism and to open up community dialogue so people can discuss racism."
"Clarksburg is one of the lead cities in our state to take a stand (against racism)," said Mayor Kates. "This is a great thing."
Both Kates and Hunt have been recognized nationally for the creation of the Unity Project. Thankfully, their efforts did not stop once the KKK left town. Racism is something that is not going to magically go away. It will take an effort from all of us to rid our community of bigotry.
Some may sniff and say it can't be done. We'll never know if we don't try.
We hope Kates, Hunt and others will continue to keep the Unity Project on the front burner. If we hope to prosper economically, Clarksburg must show the nation that its people are unified and that this is a great place to live because of it.
Today's editorial reflects the opinion of the Exponent editorial board, which is comprised of James G. Logue, Kevin S. Courtney, Patrick M. Martin, Matt Harvey, Nora Edinger and J. Cecil Jarvis.