Bringing change through conversation

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September 10, 2008 | Chattanooga Times Free Press | Chattanooga, Tennessee

When discussing changes to the community, everyone has an opinion, city officials say, and that’s where a new citywide program fits in.

Starting Thursday, the Office of Multicultural Affairs launches its first meeting of Everyday Democracy, a national program designed to attract voices from all over Chattanooga to talk about what they would like to see in the city’s future.

“The program is a vehicle that gives the community a voice by bringing diverse groups of people together to have dialogue relating to issues that directly affect them,” said Solomon Hatch, community coordinator with the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

Formerly the Study Circles Resource Center, Everyday Democracy tries to help local communities find ways for people to think, talk and work together to solve problems, according to the organization’s Web site.

The first meeting, set for Thursday, will talk about ways to implement the program here, Mr. Hatch said.

“The purpose of the meeting is to begin to put together a core group of people, because the thing with Everyday Democracy, it’s very labor intensive,” he said. “It takes a lot of networking, getting people organized, training facilitators, so we need a group of people who are committed to the program and to seeing things through the entire dialogue process.”

Dr. Roger Thompson, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, also is working on the program and said that, through Everyday Democracy, all community members can get involved in their local government.

“All too often, the general citizens sit in the grandstand and watch,” he said. “And what this (Everyday Democracy) is saying is: We have a responsibility to think and talk and let the politicians listen.”

Councilman Manny Rico said that, though dialogue is good, he believes the main reason people are not involved with politics or civic organizations is due to a lack of time.

“Anytime you can bring people together it’s great,” he said, but “I feel everyone is so busy with work, soccer moms chasing the kids, dads trying to make a living ... ”

Even though the current system is not perfect, there are people out there who make sure politicians don’t cross the line, Mr. Rico said.

“We’ve had so many laws passed that keep people from being discriminated against,” he said. “It’s not perfect but it’s gotten better.”

Mr. Hatch said the program hopefully will bridge the gap between the “regular, everyday person who works 9 to 5 and goes home and the politician.”

“I think this is a very interesting and exciting program and kind of cutting edge as far as looking at addressing issues that the community faces but doing it from a community level,” he said.

“A lot of change, when you look at policy and politics, comes from the top down, and this is a way for change to come from the bottom up, which I think is something needed more,” Mr. Hatch said.

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