Costa Howard Hosting Virtual Community Meeting to Talk About Race

LOMBARD – To amplify the voices of people of color and encourage an open, honest discussion about systemic racism and its impacts on our communities, state Rep. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, is hosting a virtual community meeting on race from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7.

“We need to hear directly from our neighbors about what we have to do to combat discrimination and racism,” Costa Howard said. “The great Black writer James Baldwin once said: ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.’ It is time for us to face up to the barriers and discrimination that are part of daily life for people of color in our communities. That means we need to listen, without argument or defensiveness, as they speak about the realities of their lives.”

The virtual community discussion will be hosted on the Zoom video conferencing platform and will feature panelists from the community. Residents wishing to participate should email Staff@RepTCH48.com to receive a link and login information for the video conference.

“All across our country, people are having long-overdue conversations about racism and its brutal impacts on individuals and communities,” said Costa Howard. “I hope that this community conversation will be a step toward real, positive, lasting change.”

The community conversation is the first of a three-part series hosted by Costa Howard and focused on race, law enforcement, and public policy in DuPage County.