February 10, 2020
One of the most important but least understood aspects of the Y’s mission and capacity is our ability to bring a diverse group of people together to build community and a sense of shared purpose. This “convening” focus of the Y was on vivid display last Thursday evening when approximately 400 people from neighborhoods across Baltimore City came together at the Weinberg Y in Waverly for a Town Hall discussion about the challenges and potential solutions confronting the City and its citizens. Hosted by Fox 45 TV and convened at the Y, the panelists included four of the Mayoral candidates: Thiru Vignarajah, Sheila Dixon, Mary Washington and T.J. Smith, as well as Reverend Al Hathaway of the Union Baptist Church in Druid Hill. Questions submitted from the live audience as well as those following on Facebook Live focused, not surprisingly, on crime, education and ethics in politics.
Though ideas and potential solutions of course varied, what was really on display was the most essential thing that any democracy must have to sustain itself: a civilized debate and a commitment to community engagement. Clearly in short supply on the national stage today, the capacity to debate ideas rather than the instinct for personal attacks is core to what democracy is all about and is certainly central to what the Y is all about: respect for all, and the need to build an inclusive, functioning community.
We clearly have many challenges in our city and state, and finding solutions to those challenges will require the kind of innovative, thoughtful and effective solutions and leadership that has seemingly been in short supply in the recent past. I don't know which candidate will win. I’m a faithful voting resident of Baltimore City with a personal point of view which I plan to express at the ballot box in late April. However, as the leader of the Y it’s not my job to publicly promote any one candidate over another but rather to ensure that the Y is a place in which all voices are heard and in which a community can convene to gain understanding. Last Thursday’s Town Hall meeting was a great example of that.
Hats off to the team at the Weinberg Y, including the indefatigable Alexis Perkins along with Heather Wilson, Ashley Funk, Kurt White and many others for all the hard work it took to make the night a success and to convey what the Y is all about.
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland