Where are all the activists?

A coalition calls for help

By KRISTA GROMALSKI

REGION — Since its inception last fall, the Tri-State Unity Coalition has spurred heated discussion over local racial and ethnic issues, such as a controversial Confederate flag in Milford and a spree of anti-Semitic graffiti in Pike County. Yet, bigotry is not the only roadblock the coalition faces on its way to diversity and tolerance; it’s also a lack of activism.

The group is in need of individuals willing to walk the walk, rather than simply talk the talk. “[We’re] long on ideas, but short on time and assistance to make things happen,” said Rosanne La Russo Kolberg, chairperson of the Unity Coalition.

Topping the group’s growing “to do” list are items such as: scheduling Sunday afternoon screenings of recent or historically significant films like “Philadelphia,” “Ghosts of Mississippi” or “Snow Falling on Cedars;” engaging local school districts in a discussion of potential partnership activities; and getting on the agenda of local PTA groups to show the video, “Stopping the Hate with Harmony.”

Kolberg said she is currently working with the Holocaust Museum and Resource Center in Scranton on ways to offer a free program to local schools. The possibility of a student task force also exists. “[We need to] see who might be interested in starting a diversity club,” she said.

To date, the coalition has received some help, mostly in the form of educational resources. Among the donations, the coalition accepted the free video and book titled “A Place at the Table,” from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which it will donate to the Pike County Public Library. Also, Ella Mazell, who Kolberg described as an 82-year-young rabble rouser, provided 36 free copies of her treasury of quotes “And Don’t Call Me A Racist.”

The coalition meets in Milford on the second Tuesday of each month. For more information or to become involved, call 570/686-4065, e-mail tristateunity@yahoo.com or visit www.geocities.com/tristateunity.