A longtime civil rights activist in Evansville to speak about peaceful protests, witnesses one herself.
A large group assembled ahead of Wednesday night's Human Relations Commission dinner to protest proposed funding cuts to the commission. They say it's a step back, not forward.
"In our country, we have some huge human relations problems," activist Diane Nash said.
Nash, the keynote speaker at Wednesday's HRC dinner has devoted much of her life to fighting for human rights. Some text books even call her a pioneer of the civil rights movement. Now, she's sharing those experiences and what she calls a lesson for the new century.
"That lesson is that we have a way to fight injustice and to change society," Nash said.
Other than staging peaceful protests as she did in the 60's, investigations by local human relations commissions, she says, are vital to fighting discrimination in today's world. Which is why she says she doesn't understand a recent proposal by county commissioners to take away money from a group.
Nash says it's a, "huge mistake."
"They protect everybody. So, you're cutting funding that's protecting everybody," protester Alex Kessler said.
Kessler was one of several people doing what Nash did decades ago by staging a peaceful protest outside of The Centre, standing up for an organization that he says once stood up for him.
"They gave me advice on what to do and so if they're not around, I don't get that advice," Kessler said.
HRC officials say they're still unsure what would happen to the commission if its funding is reduced.
"We would of course have to find it somewhere else or make cuts obviously," said Diane Clements, the Executive Director of the HRC.
Cuts that Nash says pushes a community back not forward.
"When economic times get tight, the temptation is to cut things that seems to be non-essential. However, down the road, they can severely affect the quality of life of the society," Nash said.
County commissioners say they made the proposal because they say the HRC does most of its work in the city and not the county.
The county council will have the final vote on the issue later this month.
We'll keep you updated.
A large group assembled ahead of Wednesday night's Human Relations Commission dinner to protest proposed funding cuts to the commission. They say it's a step back, not forward.
