ABOUT THE LLOYD WARNER COMMUNITY REMEMBRANCE PROJECT
The mission of the Lloyd Warner Memorial Project is to educate and increase awareness, foster candid discussion, and accurately reflect and document the history of racial injustice and terror in St. Joseph and Buchanan County, Missouri.
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We will achieve this goal through educational programing, events, and dialogue with our community facilitated by local organizations dedicated to social justice.
Community Remembrance Project Values
Value 1. Authenticity
Prioritize the voices of those closest to the individuals being memorialized
Keep in mind that racial terror lynchings targeted entire communities while also
targeting individuals and their families. In many instances, the relatives and
descendants of those community members are still alive. Invest the time necessary to
locate affected relatives, individuals, and communities, sit with them, hear their stories,
and allow those voices to shape installation plans.
Value 2. Forthrightness
Share any information that is relevant to the work
We all come from different backgrounds and have widely ranging personal or
professional concerns. We can only understand each other if we communicate clearly
and proactively. If we discover a conflict that might undermine the group or our ability to
serve in the manner we initially anticipate, we will notify each other as soon as possible.
Value 3. Collaboration
Your strength becomes mine, and mine becomes yours
The pain that lead to the tragic deaths we are memorializing was created by
collaborative violence and silence. The process of remembering, publicly
acknowledging, and learning from this history must also unfold through collaborative
effort. Creating cultures that model commitment to racial justice requires that we
recognize the diversity of strengths we all bring to the table and seek opportunities to
celebrate each other’s successes.
Value 4. Listening with Respect
Pay attention to what is and is not being said
Staying open to new ideas and new voices requires commitment to listening and the respect of the person offering the idea. Offer respect to every coalition member, irrespective of identity, and sincerely listen to their ideas so that the group benefits from the widest range of feedback.
Value 5. Empowered Courtesy
Consistently act and speak from a place of goodwill towards others
In this effort, coalition members will encounter individuals in different places along the spectrum of engagement, understanding, willingness to hear, learn, and see, and openness to this meaningful and necessary conversation. Regardless of where someone falls on the spectrum of support or resistance towards our efforts, we agree to treat each person with courtesy empowered by our commitment to truth and reconciliation. We choose to approach adversarial reactions with strategic, rather than impulsive, responses, and we will maintain postures that best reflect and demonstrate our values.
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