Unity rally aims to counter negativity of KKK message in '97
The demonstration in the shadow of the Westmoreland County Courthouse by the Ku Klux Klan on Aug. 16, 1997, caused a reaction that has spanned almost 20 years, and one whose irony has not escaped Carlotta Paige.
“We decided to counter hate with a celebration of our diversity,” Paige said Tuesday night at a rally that was born from what she called “the hate-spewed message” of the KKK.
Paige, one of the co-founders of the Central Westmoreland Unity Coalition, noted that the Unity Rally to Celebrate Diversity on Tuesday at St. Clair Park in Greensburg “is here for the 18th year, and I have no doubt that we'll be here next year for No. 19, and a year later for No. 20, and God willing, many, many more.”
About 200 people braved light rain and chilly temperatures to take in the annual rally, which Paige said has become an annual event that started two days before KKK members demonstrated at the courthouse a few blocks away.
A candlelight walk to the courthouse was canceled last night because of the weather, but participants replaced candles with glow sticks and the march with song and dance.
Paige, along with Bonnie Lewis and Rabbi Sara Perman, joined with the local chapter of the NAACP, the Greensburg YWCA, and the congregation of Emanu-el Israel to convince political leaders to come together for a candlelight vigil to counter the message of the KKK. Two days later, members of the Klan were met by 500 protesters who objected to their message of hate.
The Central Westmoreland Unity Coalition was born from the efforts of the first rally.
“I remember when (the KKK) announced they were going to demonstrate,” said Sister Lois Sculco of Seton Hill University of the controversial event 18 years ago. “We decided to band together to reinforce the message of diversity and celebrate the good things of our community.”
Some of Sculco's students took note.
“By responding with this kind of diversity, I think it erases the negativity of what (the KKK) brought,” said Sarah Govern of Mt. Pleasant, a Seton Hill junior studying to be a physician assistant.
Govern, who was 3 when the first rally was held, added that the event “has made a lasting impression, and I hope it continues to grow.”
State Sen. Kim Ward R-Hempfield, along with Westmoreland County Commissioners Charles W. Anderson, Tyler Courtney and Ted Kopas, attended in a show of support, as did Greensburg Mayor Ronald E. Silvis.
Ward read from a state proclamation that noted that “no matter how different we are, we are all similar inside in that we want peace.”
Anderson commented that it is the differences in people that should be celebrated.
“We all have differences,” said commission chairman Anderson, a Republican. “But we also have similar goals. We must use our moral compass to keep us moving forward as we face life's challenges.”
Kopas, Anderson's Democratic colleague, agreed, saying that he was “standing with my Republican colleagues to celebrate our diversity.”
Richardo Housen of Orlando, a starting safety for the Seton Hill Griffins football squad, said he was there “to show the support of the team.” The sports management major said the unity rally “is a good way to unite the community and give people from different backgrounds the opportunity to meet and mingle.”
Chuck Brittain is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.
