Remarks to Council on a history of racism in Goshen
The Goshen Common Council meeting this evening (May 15, 2018) marks one month since Ed Ahlersmeyer’s resignation from the Community Relations Commission and the Council. The resignation took many by surprise who were prepared to advocate for some form of resolution or appropriate response to Ahlersmeyer’s reading of a racially charged article at a CRC meeting and subsequent actions in the community.
When Ahlersmeyer left the room before any public comment could take place, some adjusted their prepared remarks. Others opted not to make any statement at all without him being there to hear them.
The full audio from the meeting is part of the public record. The transcripts archived below correspond to remarks looking beyond the current events to the broader context and history of racism in Goshen. These remarks (some of which were shared, some were not) connected the current events to Klan marches, the No Mask Ordinance, and Goshen’s history as a “sundown” town and recent resolution to acknowledge it’s past. They are preserved here because they are in line with the Goshen Guide’s aim of presenting a wider perspective on issues and events.
Perhaps when the current events are reflected on in the future, they will not be seen as an isolated incident, but part of an ongoing trajectory that — hopefully — gets ever closer to the vision and principles promoted by the CRC.
