African-American leaders encourage youth

MARION - Promoting education and unity and fostering leadership skills in young African-Americans are among the goals two Marion County residents are striving to achieve.

Shawn Jackson and Martin Harris are both members of the Black Heritage Council of Marion County, an organization that has been providing scholarship funding for minority students in the county for the past 38 years. The nonprofit group is committed to helping young people pursue post-secondary education.

Jackson has influence as a leader across multiple platforms in Marion County. He is a husband and father, pastor of Mayes Community Temple Church of God in Christ, member of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and assistant director of student life at The Ohio State University at Marion.

Jackson said one common thread woven throughout his affiliations is the importance of education in the lives of Marion County's young African-Americans.

"Ultimately, we don't care what school they go to as long as they go on to some type of education after high school, or some type of training where they can get a skill," he said. "Those are some of the things that I share with my congregation and young people I come in contact with outside of my work at Ohio State."

Harris is one of the many young people who have benefited from the work the Black Heritage Council has been engaged in during its history. Harris, 24, said he overcame personal adversity and took full advantage of a scholarship he was awarded by the council to obtain a degree in telecommunications from the University of Toledo.

"I had a troubled past," he said. "I've been through a lot, struggles, being in and out of the judicial system. I really had to come to grips and realize, enough is enough. There has to be a point when you hit the brakes and say, 'You need to stop.'"

Harris said he is committed to raising up other young people to serve in leadership capacities in Marion County.

"I'm the only young person on the council out of 12, so I'm trying to encourage those people in that 18 to 30 range to get involved," he said. "When the people who are on the council now step away or pass on, I don't want to be by myself."

One of the ways that Harris is trying to reach younger people to become engaged with the Black Heritage Council is through the use of social media. The organization maintains a Facebook page that has received 112 likes in the three months since it became active. Harris also started a Twitter account for the council. The handle is @BHCMC7.

Jackson said he is committed to achieving unity within the community, not just across racial boundaries, but across socio-economic gaps as well. He outlined steps that he believes will move that process forward.

"There must be a willingness to have open dialogue," he said. "That's number one for me. We must also build relationships within the various communities. It is also important for us to be open minded and be willing to come to the table as a blank slate, not necessarily to make a point, but being willing to learn from the other person. I'm a big believer in the idea that we must understand first, then be understood."

Jackson said he believes that committing to open dialogue, building meaningful relationships and being open minded will help to overcome some of the fear that can separate community members.

"Fear of the unknown and fear of making a mistake can hinder progress," he said. "We need to be willing to admit that we don't know it all. I don't know what it feels like to African-American or I don't know what it feels like to be a white female or I don't know what it feels like to grow economically deprived. We need to learn to engage groups that are different than we are and not be afraid."

Harris echoed Jackson's sentiment, stating that he is deeply committed to promoting racial unity.

"My heart is really for bridging this racial gap, not only in Marion, but also in surrounding counties," he said. "I feel like Dr. (Martin Luther) King's dream is being met, but I do feel like we're still at a crossroads. I tell people all the time when I do speaking engagements, we will never heal it. Unfortunately, we live in a world, a society, where we will never totally fix the issue, but we can bridge the gap and help people to feel accepted on either side."

eacarter@gannett.com

740-375-5154

Twitter: @AndrewCarterMS