Bloomington leaders examined issues facing the Monroe County black population during a State of the Black Community address Tuesday at City Hall.
The Bloomington Black Strategic Alliance partnered with the city’s Black History Month Committee to organize the event. William Hosea, president of the Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus, said the address began in 2018 to give the black community insight on where they are and where they are headed.
“We need to know this information so that some of the community groups will know where we can best focus our resources and our efforts,” he said.
Each speaker provided testimony of ways the black community has been affected by Monroe County in the past year. They offered possible solutions to create a better environment. Following the speakers, members of the community asked questions and voiced additional concerns.
Hosea spoke about local housing and jobs with data from the Census Bureau and the Bloomington Housing Authority.
He compared county demographic employment data, too. He said the unemployment rate is higher in the black community than for any other race in Monroe County.
William Morris, an attorney with Indiana Legal Services, Inc., assessed the black community’s relationship with the criminal justice system.
He said 15.3 percent of marijuana charges and 15.8 percent of theft and conversion charges in 2017 were filed against black individuals, even though they make up 3.6 percent of the county’s population, according to reports from the Monroe County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Racial Justice Task Force of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington.
Stephanie Power-Carter, associate professor of African-American and African Diaspora Studies in IU’s School of Education, discussed challenges facing the black population in the Monroe County Community School Corporation.
She explained ways MCCSC worked to address those challenges in 2018, including communication with parents, curriculum guidance and professional development among staff.
She also recognized ways local organizations are helping the young black community through homework help, after-school care and scholarships.
Students from Bloomington schools shared their experiences in MCCSC, noting both positives and negatives within the school system. They said they appreciate faculty support toward minority students and diversity-related education offered at the high school levels, but they hope for more black teachers in the schools and more discipline against those who make racial slurs.
Power-Carter finished by urging both students and community members to get involved in local and educational programs.
“Each of us has an opportunity to make a difference,” she said.
