CBS 19 - The Eye of East Texas News - Tyler Organization Holds Discussion on Race

Tyler Organization Holds Discussion on Race

By Anthony Austin

Imagine a room where people of all races and religions gather to discuss their differences. It's a reality for one Tyler organization.

"Mom, why do they say this is white water and this is colored water, because the water looks the same out of both fountains," A young Mary Ransom asked her mother.

Mary Ransom didn't realize it wasn't the water's color that mattered, but the color of her skin.

"They had separate water fountains, seperate bathrooms," Ransom added.

After Linda Streeter marched in the Martin Luther King parade this year, she visited a Tyler business.

"I literally drove away from their with pains in my gut," Linda Streetor told CBS 19.

Streeter said she'll never forget what the man behind the counter said.

"He said the only way I would go to that parade is in a hood and sheet," Streeter remembered.

For more than 15 years, East Texans have been coming to the Tyler Together Race Relations forum to discuss why race matters. The forum gives members a chance to voice their opinions about race relations in the Tyler community.

"They think it's an opportunity to talk about things they may not have the opportunity to talk about in a normal venue," Coordinator John Sims said.

But, the lunch time gathering is more than a discussion, it's a chance to learn about each other.

"Once you really find out who they are, then the stereotypes don't matter," Streeter commented.

In this room, stereotypes have been broken, and friends have been made. Most of all, hope is nurtured.

"If everybody is coming to the table in honesty and in truth, you know we can put these differences aside and move forward," Ransom said.

The forum was one of seven task forces formed in 1991 to address a variety of community issues.   The group is also involved with Tyler Independent School District, to further multicultural understanding in the classroom.

For more information:

John Sims, (903) 593-2519, EXT. 219, johnsims71852@yahoo.com, or www.tylertogether.org