The Culver City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission is finalizing details for another communitywide discussion on current topics— one that carries with it controversy as well as an opportunity to create potentially open and honest dialogue about some of society’s most difficult issues.
Loosely entitled “Race, Religion and Culture: Living in Harmony Within our Community” would be the seventh of these community discussions the commission has sponsored over the last few years. As the country has grown more diverse, Culver City’s school population has diversified as well, and the predominately Caucasian city is home to two very significant cultural icons— the Mayme A. Clayton Library on Overland Boulevard and Museum and the King Fahad Mosque on Washington Boulevard.
The museum houses one of the largest collections of African- American art, media and literature in the United States and the mosque serves as a cultural center for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
King Fahad has held multi-faith and multicultural events in the past and once hosted a panel discussion on equality and civil rights as part of Culver City’s Martin Luther King Day celebration.
Culver City Unified School District Board member Kelly Kent said she is thrilled that such a community dialogue is being planned, especially with recent trends involving anti-Islamic comments from public figures such as businessman Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee and even a local blogger whose continuous pattern of racist rants and stereotypes over several years about Muslims have led at least one prominent officeholder to boycott the site.
Talk about the commission creating a community discussion on race and culture began after racist remarks by a Culver City High School student directed toward a group of African American students on social media was discovered by school officials during the past school year.
“I’m excited that this is being planned. It’s definitely a conversation that has to happen at all levels— at the city level , the school board level an at the community level,” said Kent, a former Parks, Recreation and Community Services commissioner. “My experience is that when [race, religion or culture] are talked about it’s only in a contemporary context or a historical context, but not both.”
Kent said at some point she would also like to engage newly chosen school superintendent Joshua Arnold in having a similar discussion on the same topics at the school district level.
Past community discussions hosted by the commission have included contemporary topics such as bulling and elder abuse.
Gary Walker contributed to this story.
