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Dunedin broadens scope on diversity

Residents discuss ways to increase "inclusion," such as naming roads and trails for civil rights leaders and holding a diversity festival.

DUNEDIN - This city wants to do more than have a parade or name a street in its efforts to acknowledge diversity.

First, a committee appointed by the city wants everyone to realize that diversity is not a synonym for African-American. Second, the city might consider naming a street after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And, says the city's Inclusion Committee, if such a street were to be named, it will be a main thoroughfare.

Those were a few subjects discussed at a Wednesday night town hall meeting on diversity, or, as Dunedin calls it, inclusion.

Close to 70 people attended - black and white, young and old, homosexual and heterosexual, ablebodied and disabled.

So far, the city has gotten the thumbs up sign from residents to proceed.

"It's actually been a pretty positive process so far," said Assistant City Manager Moe Freaney. The committee began its work in March.

The nine-member Inclusion Committee made an hourlong presentation on how to include everyone into every aspect of the city. The most popular ideas were to start the process by naming a street for King or by naming the various entrances and exits along the Pinellas Trail for various human rights activists.

The committee also suggested celebrating all cultures and ethnicities during the month of April.

If the Pinellas Trail option were selected, there would be 26 different intersections, or crossings, that could be renamed for people such as Rosa Parks, who helped sparked the civil rights.

That appealed to Ginger Francisco, a teacher from Dunedin.

"I like the trail idea because you can get a lot of groups in there," Francisco said. "I can see you taking children for a walk down the street."

Renaming a street for King, Francisco said, is getting "a bit blase."

Others, however, don't think the trail is the best idea.

"Renaming the trail is not permanent enough," said Sharon Battle of Dunedin. "Now, we could name the trail itself, not the intersections. The intersections are just not worth naming."

Other ideas included naming a building for King, encouraging diverse histories to be taught in schools and continuing with diversity training in the city.

In fact, the Inclusion Committee and key city government figures are taking a special "Inclusion Training" in mid-August, Freaney said.

Richard Gehring, a former mayor who is chairman of the committee, said he doesn't see a problem with the city's large retiree population embracing the change. Several people age 70 or above attended Wednesday's forum.

Gehring said the program is about "American values." Part of that is doing the research necessary to understand social changes, he said. The committee's detailed PowerPoint presention included quotes from King and list after list of diversity options.

The inclusion discussion started at the beginning of the year, when the city pondered naming a street after King. Some people thought a street-naming wouldn't do the trick.

"Perhaps the meaning of it has been diluted," said Gehring. "It's losing its impact as a community action."

The Inclusion Committee will take what it learned and create a list of recommendations to be presented to the city on Sept. 2.

"I'm hoping we will set an example for other cities to follow," said Jim Brown, who sits on the committee.

- Adrienne Samuels can be reached at 445-4157 or samuels@sptimes.com