Executive Director Lori Walters interrupted the social chatter to start the meeting at 12:25pm. President Joanne rang the opening bell and turned to Tom Strode, who played God Bless America. Bob Buchanan pointed out another reason to wear your Rotary pin – it identifies you to other people and you might get a perk as Bob did when he was waved onto a completely full rescheduled flight when returning from a conference.  Steve Pierce gave a powerful introduction to the speaker’s topic by singing all five verses of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, a hymn that has become an anthem in the journey of Black Americans.

President Joanne reclaimed the podium and thanked the people who make the meetings run smoothly.  Two new members were inducted, Pattie Katcher and Kim Krahn. 

There were six announcements. 

• There are still twenty-two members who have not paid their Community Service Assessments.
• Suggestions for the new name for Harpoon are due at the end of this day. (Submissions are no longer being taken, but you can now vote here!)
• The Peace Committee will meet next week at 1:40pm.  Contact Judith Lynch-Sauer to join: jmls@umich.edu.
• The 2021 Golf and Tennis Outing will be September 13 at Fox Hills Country Club.
• There are bite-sized jobs available, including reporters for Harpoon (Agnes Reading) and photographers (Lauren Heinonen).
• February is Black History Month. We encourage you to learn more about African American History. Dr. Arthur Williams said, “It will not explain all but will help you understand many of our African American struggles.”  ARC (RCAA’s Anti-Racism Committee) has posted many links on our website where you can go to learn more.  ARC welcomes your involvement.  Contact Committee Chair Marcia Lane: mlane0407@gmail.com).

Shelley MacMillan thanked the many Rotarians who generously supported Wine Women and song.

Andrea Bare introduced Lynette Clemetson as our speaker, whose topic would be History, Honesty and the Way Back from the Brink. Lynette  is the Charles R. Eisendrath Director of Wallace House, home of the Knight-Wallace Fellowships for Journalists and the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists at the University of Michigan. 

Lynette began her talk by noting that she is a journalist, and as such, her job is to listen  and report.  The recent past has dragged her back because we haven’t confronted the history of slavery. As a journalist and Black American, she is skeptical that the current talk of racial equity will result in real change, and feels that we are moving forward too quickly.  She referenced the book From Here to Equality, by William A. Darity and A. Kristen Mullen, which posits that racial equity demands acknowledgement, redress and closure.

How we move forward lies at the local level.  We need a strong local journalism structure and more engagement in government policy. We need honest journalism to combat misinformation rather than  ideology masquerading as journalism.   We need to distinguish between real and fake information and be careful about what we share, and more media literacy. A focus on national news and issues obscures what can be done locally.

When we cite examples of racism or inequity we need to relate the anecdote to the systems that perpetuate today’s circumstances.  We need to understand how we got to this place so we can figure out what to change.  Importantly, we need to identify what who would have to give up to rectify the situation and commit to making the change.

Notes from the questions:

• Lynette reads the New York Times and Washington Post, and listens to NPR.  She respects Bridge magazine. No cable watching – too much opinion!
• Technology allows for more transparency in news and information reporting.  Podcasts allow you to dig deeply into a subject.
• Ann Arbor was the first small city to close its daily journal.  We need reliable local news.
• She recommended Stony the Road, by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
• Hiring diversity is not enough. There needs to be commitment and attention from the top, and consistent mentoring to diversify middle and upper management.

Next week’s speaker will be Robert Myers, Director of Education, Historic Society of Michigan.  His topic will be The Historical Society of Michigan: Michigan’s Oldest Cultural Organization (Dan Romanchik, introducer).

Quote of the Day: George Santayana (1863-1952), philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, born in Spain, emigrated to the US at age 8 and considered himself an American. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”