A Must Have in Rochester - Building Trust, Promoting Equity, Addressing Discrimination, and Succeeding Together

Walé Elegbede is President of the Rochester Branch of the NAACP, TED Talk Speaker, Healthcare Director of Strategy Management Services, Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, and co-founder of the RISE for Youth Program. A keynote speaker on leadership, strategic execution, community, social justice issues, diversity, equity and inclusion and project management, Elegbede is recognized as an innovative thinker and a strategy-to-execution expert by the Project Management Institute, serves on global advisory council of the International Institute of Medical Project Management, and board member of Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health (FAITH). You can connect with Walé Elegbede at www.waleelegbede.com

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When people think about trust, several words may come to mind such as having confidence in another person's intentions, motives and sincerity, or having a firm belief in the reliability or ability of someone or something. The topic of trust has been studied for a long time and scholarly research on it now spans over 64 years. In the context of society or social terms, social trust is the belief in honesty, integrity and people in society can be generally trusted. It is a psychological state where positive expectations of the intentions or behavior of others is expected. Emphasis of this social trust is placed on behavior, relationships and expectation of positive outcomes such as participation in civic organizations, inclusion of minorities, and that things are fair. When that trust is broken, it takes a longer time to regain trust than to maintain it. Trust and distrust are on a continuum, and trusting someone, an organization or institution does not necessarily mean you distrust it. It is also very possible for both trustful and distrustful attitudes to coexist, and when it does, it creates ambivalence, a state of having mixed feelings and simultaneously holding at least two juxtaposed attitudes toward the same thing.

Ambivalence is about getting stuck, and the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King noted the perils of ambivalence in an interview he conducted at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, eleven months prior to his assassination. Dr. King mentioned “One during this period of transition has to be very honest with America, and honesty impels me to admit that America has broad racist elements still alive. Racism is still existing in American society, in many areas of the society, North and South, and the other thing is that there has never been a single, solid, determined commitment of large segments of white America on the whole question of racial equality. I think that we have to see that vacillation has always existed. Ambivalence has always existed and this to me is the so-called White backlash.” He continued, “Many of the people who supported us in Selma, in Birmingham,  were really outraged about the extremist behavior towards Negros, but they were not at that moment, and they are not now committed to genuine equality for Black people[sic].”

We have made great strides in our nation since Dr. King’s speech, but a lot of work still remains including Rochester, Minnesota and Olmsted County. Structural racism is a public health crisis, and the underlying condition that has fueled disparities in economic opportunity, education, housing, public safety, criminal justice, and racial health disparities. Ongoing structural inequalities persist in nearly all aspects of life, from the economy to housing to health care. It is these inequalities, rather than any cultural or individual differences or behaviors, which contribute most dramatically to the disparity and deadly outcomes for Black and underrepresented communities.

When it comes to building trust in society, numerous studies have also shared social trust determinants that we need to look out for. For example, individuals who lack the necessary economic resources experience lower levels of social trust when compared to those with more economic income. Makes sense: the more you have legitimate access to opportunities that will translate to more economic income, the more social trust you have. The same goes for the quality of education received: the higher the education, the higher the social trust. In communities where people don’t have access to economic opportunities, affordable healthcare, quality housing, equity and inclusion in schools and organizations OR intentional efforts are present which aim to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion, refraining honesty from being taught in education and overlooking discrimination by few law enforcement who deteriorate social trust when they do not follow the honored police officer’s creed. Even the physical appearance of neighborhoods has an effect on social trust, and places that are dirty, noisy, run down, or public parks that don’t have adequate restroom facilities negatively affect the social trust for people that live in those communities.

The late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King mentioned “People don’t have to be reminded that they are forced to live in slums in many instances, and they are often rat-infested vermin filled slums. And they didn’t [sic] too hard to see the exploitation that the Negro confronts in the ghetto where he is forced to pay more for less, and constantly trying to make ends meet, but because of either no job or as a result of unemployment, or a job that is so economically unprofitable that the person can’t make ends meet.” The experiences Dr. King mentioned point to one of the multiple of reasons why social trust is low in the African American community. These issues persist, and according to Gallup poll, Black Americans more than any other racial group have been reported to have experienced microaggressions and more negative treatment by others. According to the poll, one in three Black adults (32%) indicated that in the past year, people have acted as if they were "better than you," while one in four (25%) indicated that people have acted as if "you were not smart." Also, roughly one in five Black Americans mentioned they’ve experienced people treating them with less courtesy (22%) and respect (20%) than other groups. Nineteen percent (19%) of Black adults mentioned that people acted as if they were dishonest while 18% mentioned that people acted as if they were afraid of them. Fourteen percent of Black adults also reported that they received worse service than other people at restaurants or stores. A majority of African Americans also feel they are less likely than other groups to be treated respectfully in their interactions with police and are less likely to feel safe in their community.

Building trust is a must-have in our society, and structural racism is not an exemption from what you personally can do to make society fairer and more equitable for your neighbors, friends and co-workers. Yes, it is a time-consuming process but so worth it in the end.  Things you can do include educating yourself on disparities. Few understand what redlining is, and how this contributed to social determinants of health that we are still dealing with today as a country. Few know that Black WWII veterans and other veterans of color were denied the GI Bill which was given to their white service counter parts. You can also engage yourself in personal accountability. You are not responsible for inequities that we as society are grappling with, but how will you ensure that you won’t perpetuate racist harms and inequities? How will you commit yourself to undoing harm and collaborating with diverse groups of people and organizations in the community? How will you be an upstander and be a strong ally to marginalized groups who may not have the privileges that you have? Will you support leaders that encourage social justice, inclusion, equity, and diversity? Organizations should also engage in organizational accountability and be strong proponents for social justice – fairness as it manifests in society- and diversity, equity and inclusion. This means moving beyond public statements, getting their hands dirty and doing the real work to advance opportunities for all their employees and the community in which they live.

I believe that in order to get rid of, or reduce discrimination and prejudice, we need to go from a state of "not my business" to "everyone's business". "Not my business" means we're too busy worrying about our own stuff or group and are not speaking out against racism or taking intentional action. “Everyone's business" means we are in this together, we’re assuming positive intent, we’re digging deep, actively listening to one another, literally working together on shared goals, not yelling at each other, and using positive energy to collectively address issues in a constructive and positive manner. Everyone's business means standing up for each other and each other’s’ children. When community members are committed to each other, amazing things happen and social trust builds.

There can also be no mincing of words when it comes to hate crimes, hate speech, and discrimination including Islamophobia (check out my TED Talk “It takes a community to eradicate hate”) or anti-Semitism. Case in point is the La Crosse Interfaith Shoulder to Shoulder Network (LISSN), which I am a founding member, and was established in 2016 to empower people of all faiths (Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhism) or people of no faith to work together to end anti- Muslim sentiment and hatred towards any targeted group. Many of us did not know each other when we started the group, but it didn’t matter. Our group was diverse and consisted of members of different religious beliefs (Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists). We also had ethnic and age diversity and one of members was a former missionary who was 95 years at the time. We became family as we worked together and have built bonds that will last a lifetime. Some of my LISSN family members have passed away like my dear 82-year-old Christian brother, Vincent Joseph (Vince) Hatt  and Irving A. (Irv) Balto, my dear 73-year-old Jewish brother. They both lived meaningful lives and worked tirelessly to make our world and community a better place than how they met it. The recent antisemitic and deplorable comments by Kanye (Ye) West are unacceptable and I stand with my Jewish brothers and sisters. This is on the heels of his repugnant attempt to discount the inhumane death and modern-day lynching of George Floyd at the knee of former police offer Derek Chauvin, who has since been convicted. His comments were hurtful to the Black and African American community. All forms of discrimination are unacceptable and need to be called out for what they are.

Walé Elegbede (Middle) and his Jewish brother late Irv Balto (left)

Organizations like the NAACP where I serve as President of the Rochester Branch have been around for a long time, and the NAACP is the largest and preeminent civil rights organization in the nation. Our work is a noble one, and we are comprised of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The NAACP was instrumental in ensuring all branches of the United States military became desegregated and as a result of NAACP’s intervention, President Roosevelt established black organizations in every major branch of the armed services. The NAACP led the fight for ensuring schools became desegregated so that all children regardless of race could get a good education in the United States. The NAACP spearheaded and led the conference of civil rights organizations that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Acts, Voting Rights Act and Fair Housing Act. Our successes are long, and our mettle is strong. This week at the national level, the NAACP met with Elon Musk to express grave concerns following the dangerous, life-threatening hate and conspiracies that have proliferated Twitter under his watch. According to a report, hate speech increased by approximately 500% in the first 12 hours following Musk acquisition.

As those shocking numbers are sinking in, here in Rochester, we need to work hard at building social trust so that hateful racist, Nazi, Islamophobic and antisemitic behaviors have no place in our society. The Rochester Branch of the NAACP established in 1965 continues to fight for social justice for all Americans. Our vision is a society where all people have equal rights, and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination - through equity and social justice. We are focused on economic equity, health equity, education, public safety and criminal justice, voting rights and political representation and expansion of youth and young adult engagement. We also host important community forums.  Last year, for example, as critical race theory dominated headlines and school board meetings across the nation — and in Rochester, despite repeated declarations that it is not being taught in Rochester Public schools —  we sought to share the truth in an education forum titled “NAACP Forum on honesty in education: A clarification of critical race theory, what it is, what it isn't, what our schools ought to teach”. Experts on the panel touched on the false perception that some students at the undergraduate level get when they attend their first ethnic and racial courses, but as they learn, they get it and realize 'Wow, this is actually empowering”, “it’s not about making me feel bad”, or “blaming me for things that I didn’t personally cause”, “it’s about acknowledging the systems and power components at play”, and the realization that if we as individuals operate and interact within these systems, what can we do to change the system so that we have a fairer society?

This year, on Saturday, November 19th at the Rochester Art Center, the Rochester Branch of the NAACP will be re-engaging our community with the Freedom Fund Banquet; where we will highlight and recognize black businesses in our local Rochester community. The Freedom Fund Dinners were founded in a period of renewed national hope and determination among Black Americans, even in the face of ongoing and vicious racial violence and tragedy. At that time, to combat the violence through nonviolent direct action, Dr. Channing H. Tobias, National Chairman of the NAACP, called for the establishment of a one million dollar fighting fund for freedom. This year our Rochester Freedom Fund banquet will feature a wonderful dinner, amazing soulful entertainment, important NAACP leadership messages, roll call of black businesses and inaugural awards. Keynote is Mr. Harold T. Epps, a long-time corporate and municipal executive who has a storied history of promoting small businesses, entrepreneurs, economic and workforce development, positioning organizations for sustained growth, and successfully managing change. I encourage you to support us by purchasing a ticket and also donating to our important worthy cause.

Rochester, Minnesota is a bastion of opportunities, but those opportunities are not reaching everyone. It is time we recommit to each other, advance social justice, promote diversity-equity-inclusion, address discrimination. It is time we make this work everyone’s business, commit to dig deep and work collaboratively so that we can succeed and build a better future for everyone.