The meeting will take place at 6:00 p.m. at Love Elementary School and is open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.

This is the second of two communities meeting held in the south county by the Coalition. Last month, over 70 people attended a meeting to discuss issues faced by the Black/African American community.

I.D.E.A. Project Director Bishop Leecroft Clarke said the meeting is meant to provide “opportunities to engage directly with members of marginalized populations to understand the barriers that keep them from feeling fully part of our community.”

Input from the community meetings will help determine and prioritize next steps toward the I.D.E.A. Coalition membership’s ultimate goal of providing solutions to address identified barriers and concerns

The I.D.E.A. Coalition, which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility, was founded in 2022 with the goal of making Chautauqua County a place where everyone belongs and has opportunities to thrive, especially those who have been historically marginalized.

For more information, visit https://www.uwayscc.org/ideacoalition

Chautauqua County I.D.E.A. Coalition Community Engagement Liaison Patricia Graves speaks at Black/African American Community Meeting (January 26, 2023)

Frustrations over being under-represented and experiences of racism were top concerns expressed by members of the Black and African American community at a meeting Thursday night.

Over 70 people attended the meeting hosted by the Chautauqua County I.D.E.A. Coalition. It is one of several being held in Chautauqua County with the Black and African American community as well as the Latino-Hispanic community.

I.D.E.A. Project Director Bishop Leecroft Clarke said the event went very well and that this may be one of the first times the community has really heard the Black community and how they feel, “Focusing on a lot of different segments, whether it’s elected officials, politicians, school system, housing, law enforcement, racism was another big topic that was talked about, discrimination, the underlying factor that germinates the conversation.”

Clarke said the coalition is holding the meetings as a way to understand the barriers that keep those from feeling fully part of the community.

He said the next step is to prioritize all the concerns by the community into categories that will be taken to a focus group of 10 to 15 individuals, “And then we’re going to do a physical interview with each of those candidates and get their stories and more details. And then we’re going to put together all of the concerns relative to that topic, and put together the story, develop some solutions; and then work with some coalition members relative to that topic to see if we can utilize the solution that we’re giving them in the system to better serve the community.”

The I.D.E.A. Coalition will hold another public meeting April 20 to begin the prioritization steps. Clarke said this is a 12 month process that will start all over again in 2024.

The I.D.E.A. Coalition, which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility, was founded in 2022 with the goal of making Chautauqua County a place where everyone belongs and has opportunities to thrive, especially those who have been historically marginalized.

The next south county community meeting will be for the Latino/Hispanic Community and will take place at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, March 2 at Love Elementary School.

For more information, visit https://www.uwayscc.org/ideacoalition

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

The meeting will take place at 6:00 p.m. at Love Elementary School and is open to the public.

I.D.E.A. Project Director Bishop Leecroft Clarke said the meeting is one of several being held in Chautauqua County to provide “opportunities to engage directly with members of marginalized populations to understand the barriers that keep them from feeling fully part of our community.”

The Coalition has chosen to focus its attention initially on issues specific to the Black/African American and Latino/Hispanic communities. Refreshments will be provided. Input from the community meetings will help determine and prioritize next steps toward the I.D.E.A. Coalition membership’s ultimate goal of providing solutions to address identified barriers and concerns

The community meetings will be led by Clarke and the I.D.E.A. Coalition’s Community Engagement Liaisons, who serve as trust brokers and accountability partners with the communities directly impacted by the work of the Coalition.

The IDEA Coalition, which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility, was founded in 2022 with the goal of making Chautauqua County a place where everyone belongs and has opportunities to thrive, especially those who have been historically marginalized.

Future community meeting dates and locations are:

• 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 26 – Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting, Dunkirk High School Cafeteria
• 6:00 p.m. Thursday, March 2 – Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting, Love Elementary School

For more information, visit https://www.uwayscc.org/ideacoalition

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

Latin Inspiration host Juan Perez interviews Shiloh Rivera Martinez, Chautauqua County IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) Coalition representative, with Indo Quiñones providing Spanish Language translation for listeners.

El presentador de Latin Inspiration, Juan Pérez, entrevista a Shailow River, representante de la Coalición IDEA (Inclusión, Diversidad, Equidad, Accesibilidad) del condado de Chautauqua, con Indo Quiñones proporcionando traducción al español para los oyentes.