Pa. human relations commission wants to hear about your 'Beloved Community'

While working on Robert Casey Sr.’s 1986 gubernatorial campaign, Democratic strategist James Carville once famously said that “between Paoli and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania is Alabama.”

Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Executive Director Chad Lassiter never believed that.

“You have counties full of people who love their children, their families and their culture,” said Lassiter, who has been to 52 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties during the past two years on the commission’s “Beloved Community” listening tour.

“We’ve heard concerns from people about our infrastructure, lack of community care, lack of transportation, the opioid epidemic, and they’ve also shared a lot of positive things about great programs and groups that do exist in their communities,” he said.

The tour will make a May 27 stop at Disability Options Network in Swissvale to host a listening session for residents of Allegheny, Armstrong, Lawrence, Mercer and Westmoreland counties. On May 28, it will be at Transitional Paths to Independent Living in Washington for residents of that county along with Greene and Fayette counties.

“People have talked openly about the things happening in their communities, positive and negative,” Lassiter said. “The ‘Beloved Community’ concept is to invite everyone in. People will disagree with one another, and that’s OK, but we need to have a high level of civility when we do so.”

Another reason for the tour is to raise the profile for the commission, which has existed for 70 years. It is the state’s civil rights enforcement agency, promoting equal opportunity and enforcing laws that protect people from discrimination.

“The commission also provides training sessions,” Lassiter said. “We do training on how to de-escalate conflict and how to have difficult conversations. And if you believe you’ve been discriminated against, the commission is where you can also file a complaint.”

Lassiter said some of the most frequent criticisms he’s heard during the tour have been related to public transportation, infrastructure and a lack of accessibility for people with disabilities.

“We’re seeing and hearing about a lot of structures that aren’t ADA-compliant,” he said.

Commission members have heard a diverse range of views from across Pennsylvania that challenge Carville’s mid-’80s assessment of the state.

“There are so many misconceptions,” he said. “But when you really sit down and listen, people have a lot of similarities. They believe in the power of coming together, and they all want their children and grandchildren to have a better future.”

The commission will prepare a report after the tour concludes, which will be shared with the General Assembly and community leaders.

“The ‘Beloved Community’ concept says come in and let’s have a productive, respectful conversation,” Lassiter said. “We can’t be seduced into taking sides. People don’t engage in a lot of self-introspection much these days, and that’s part of what continues to divide us.”