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Anti-racism coalition marks one year of activism with

downtown program featuring music, speakers
By Dale P. Faulkner
Sun staff writer
Jun 19, 2021

As members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, Anne Pearce, Kevin “Big Lux” Lowther, and April Dinwoodie, from left,
are working to build relationships and use education in an effort to effect change and address systemic racism. | Jackie
Turner, Special to The Sun
WESTERLY — The Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition is marking one year of peaceful protests
today with a special program of music, speakers, readings and dance at their usual location —
downtown Westerly in front of the U.S. Post Office on High Street.

The coalition came into being when individuals who met during the weekly protests — from 10
a.m. to noon on Sunday mornings — that were sparked by the killing of George Floyd decided
they wanted to do even more by building on the energy of the weekly gatherings to effect
change and address systemic racism in the town.

"I'm all about the bigger picture. To lift up a voice and to be in community and solidarity is
great, but what do we want? What do we want to change?" said April Dinwoodie, one of the
coalition's founding members and a member of its steering committee.

With questions and then answers to those types of inquiries, the coalition, which reflects the
diversity of the town and the country, formed. Its members span ages, genders, races and
sexual identities. They each bring unique backgrounds, talents and expertise. For instance,
Dinwoodie, who grew up in Westerly, has experience in corporate communications and as a
writer and speaker who shares her experience as a Black, transracial woman who was
adopted. She now lives in Westerly and travels to New York, when necessary, for work.

Another coalition member, Anne Pearce, taps her personal experience working in the
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry by helping the coalition engage in development of
objectives, goals, strategies and measures, a process used by corporations to identify goals
and a road map for achieving them.

Four pillars have been established by the coalition: voting rights, education (both the school
system and teaching about racism through the shared life experience of minority individuals
who live in the town), fair and affordable housing, and law enforcement. After observing the
local campaign leading up to the 2020 election, coalition members agreed that the group's
early education work, which is ongoing, must include efforts to engage members of the Town
Council and the School Committee.

The efforts to involve local leaders have included inviting the members of the Town Council and
School Committee and others to attend two coalition meetings conducted virtually. A few
members of both elected bodies attended as did Chief of Police Shawn Lacey. Coalition
members believe that once a shared understanding of systemic racism is developed then
leaders can look at school, housing, law enforcement and healthcare data and look for the
existence of systemic racism in the town.

"So we really have to crawl before we walk or run. We need shared definition of language ... so
we're at a very basic place now," Dinwoodie said.

Once a common language is established and data shared, Dinwoodie said town officials will be
positioned to play a critical role.

"We can look at who we are as individuals and our identities and how those identities are
impacting our decision making and if we are learning to be more adaptive. Then we can look at
programmatic elements and systemic elements that will be able to be actionable versus just
saying, 'I don't understand it, I don't think it's real.' Because when you start from that place
there's no place to go," Dinwoodie said.

The coalition has asked the Town Council to establish its own committee to study issues of
race, racism and anti-racism.

"I have no desire to be in a contentious relationship with anybody, but I will say that there is a
big opportunity. It's a small town with big opportunity and it feels like there is an indifference or
resistance minus a few who look like they are interested in taking a leadership role. These are
nice people but the leaders have to go first and model," Dinwoodie said.

Kevin Lowther II, who is Black and is also a member of the coalition's steering committee,
became involved after he drove by the protesters on a Sunday morning last June. Previously,
he had been occasionally attending protests in Providence.

"I couldn't believe what I saw — a group of 50 protesters and a line of eight police officers. I
saw so much potential for good to happen here and wanted to be involved. It meant a lot to me
personally as someone who grew up here at a time when all issues of racism were brushed
under the rug," Lowther said.

Lowther, a graduate of West Point and decorated combat veteran, called the killing of Floyd
and the protests that followed "a transformational experience for so many to come together
and say the treatment of Black and brown people by law enforcement is unacceptable."
Like other members of the coalition interviewed for this article, Lowther said much of the
coalition's work involves forming and developing relationships. As an example, he noted that
he applied to the Town Council and was appointed to be a member of the Planning Board
within the past year. Without the protests and the coalition and preliminary conversations with
members of the Town Council, Lowther said he would not have thought of trying to get
involved with town government.

"Now I am a town official and our hope is to engage with the leaders of the Town Council and
School Committee and law enforcement to help them understand our issues. No one in local
government speaks for us. We'd like them to take steps to understand our concerns and build
relationships," Lowther said.

Pearce, who has lived in the town for about 18 years, said Floyd's death is bringing about a
"racial reckoning."

"We began to gather here in early June 2020, just a few weeks after he was murdered, to stand
in solidarity and to show that Black lives do matter and to shout that fact, and I wanted to be
witness to that," Pearce said, explaining how she became involved and later helped establish
the coalition.

Pearce, who is in her 50s, said she senses the current discussion of race and systemic racism
in the U.S. will persist and remain a discussion point despite efforts to quiet the dialogue.

"I think there is a wider acceptance that systemic racism exists in this country. Through
education, we are hoping Westerly can help. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Westerly could be an
example and we could lift each other up," Pearce said.

Here is a schedule for today's protests: 10:45 a.m., Celebrating One Year of Peaceful Protests
— Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition Steering Committee; 11:15 a.m., music performance by
Jason Jarvis, a local musician; 11:30 a.m., a reading of "Juneteenth for Mazie" by Floyd
Cooper read by Madeline Labriola, Byron Dunn and Maurice Dunn; 11:45 a.m., music
performance by Frank Pendola, Aliyah and Aniyah; noon, dance performance by Blooming into
Greatness, a youth organization from Norwich; 12:10 p.m., an inspiring word from activist and
community leader Kevin Booker Jr.
 For more information about the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, send an email to
westerlyarc@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/westerlyarc or website at
linktr.ee/westerlyarc.

dfaulkner@thewesterlysun.com

Dale Faulkner
Reporter