Lincoln community leaders say education is key when working towards equality

Channel 8 caught up with some leaders at the Malone Community Center and they say it is important for adults as well as children to continue to educate themselves to make a difference.

Channel 8 caught up with some leaders at the Malone Community Center and they say it is important for adults as well as children to continue to educate themselves to make a difference.

Martin Luther King Jr,  and Coretta Scott King, Malcolm X, George Washington Carver, at least you know who those people were,” says John Goodwin, executive director. “When you talk to some of the youth now, they don’t even know who those people were.”

The center works with children and teens with schoolwork, instilling self-confidence, and skills for the future. Goodwin says education for all ages is key to implementing change.

“Can’t replace ignorance with ignorance,” says Goodwin. “You have to gain some knowledge and understanding and some wisdom and to teach the young men and the young ladies this is how it was back then. This is how it is right now and this is where it’s going.”

Goodwin and Valenti recommend having conversations with your child, helping them understand, read, and research online to learn more about equality, social justice, and race.

“I think it’s important to continue the message that we have to hold cops accountable and the children to understand that you deserve to feel safe without bias and that if we continue to be proactive we’re going to ensure your safety,” said Ishma Valenti, director of teen programming.

The center is already planning community subcommittees and is glad to be receiving ideas from the community.

“The purpose of us is to represent our community to the fullest and hold not the police but everybody accountable for what we’re doing and that’s good or bad,” says Goodwin.

And the leaders say they are continuing to work with police and the community to continue to be a part of a change.