The national conversation about race and racism in America made its way Sunday to the predominantly white small town of Lower Burrell.

Between 40 and 50 people braved a steady rain for an event billed as Rise Up Against Racism on the soccer field at Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park.

They heard several speakers including the Rev. Mitchel Nickols, pastor of Bibleway Christian Fellowship Church in New Kensington, who said racism is a learned behavior.

“The discussion of race and racism is an uncomfortable conversation,” said Nickols, who also teaches at Point Park University. “Yet somehow we’ve got to continue to have these conversations. We’re facing two pandemics. We’re dealing with covid-19 and the problem of racism. But the problem of racism is not something new, especially if you’re an African-American.”

Another speaker, Jerry Jefferson of World Overcomers Ministry in New Kensington, discussed the role of history in perpetuating racist behavior in America, focusing in particular on the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. Documented as one of the worst incidents of racial violence in America, it left at least 300 black people dead and destroyed an affluent black community.

“Not many people have heard of this massacre. Why? Rather than dealing with it, rather than talking about it, it was swept under the rug and forgotten about,” Jefferson said. “When injustice occurs, we cannot sweep it under the rug or we will never heal. We must deal with these topics head on and learn from them so we can move forward.”

Among those in attendance was Lisa Messineo, 59, of Harrison City, who held a sign that read “White Silence Allows Racism” on one side and “If Not Me, Who? If Not Now, When?” on the other.

It’s important for white allies of the Black community to offer their support to the movement, Messineo said.

“There is systemic racism and white privilege that exists in our society today. We need to admit it, and we need to be a part of the solution,” she said.

Much like the 1960s, when the civil rights movement drew teenagers and young adults, it was a Burrell High School senior named Trista Armstrong, 17, of Upper Burrell who organized the event.

“I was inspired to do this event because I saw the young activists throughout the nation holding protests and I thought that I could do something in my own community,” Armstrong said.

She said the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers led her to do some research, and with the support of teachers, friends and family, she pulled together a lineup of speakers.

“Lower Burrell is pretty conservative and you hear a lot of racist stuff at school. But I think it’s because people just aren’t educating themselves,” said Armstrong. “Lower Burrell is predominantly white compared to the New Kensington area and we don’t speak up about racial injustices. When New Ken had their protest, Lower Burrell did nothing. So, I felt like we needed to do something here.”

Jefferson said he was excited to see the dedication displayed by a young person like Armstrong.

“It’s kind of our mindset that we think that kids don’t do this stuff or that they can’t handle it. But when you look at the civil rights movement it was led by the youth,” said Jefferson. “It’s good to see an intentional engagement among our young people.”

Jon McCabe, a Lower Burrell resident who helped organize a Black Lives Matter protest in New Kensington last month told the crowd it was a privilege to be able to learn about racism and not have to experience it.

“I’m a white person,” said McCabe. “When I go to a different location across this country, I don’t have to Google ‘is x,y, or z racist?’ I just go there. I don’t have to fear walking in a neighborhood that I’ve never been to before. We’ve got to stop what’s going on.”

Listening intently to McCabe’s speech in the back of the gathering was Lamar Rudolph Sr., 38, of Lower Burrell, who said he felt it was a great event that could ultimately make a difference in his community.

“This will help open ears and eyes to what’s going on around us,” said Rudolph. “There’s a lot going on in our world today. There’s been separation and we need to be more together than anything.”

Perhaps the poignant moment of the event came when Nickols opened a shoe box to reveal a pair of commemorative Converse basketball shoes made to honor the memory of Chuck Cooper, the Pittsburgh native and former Duquesne University star. The shoes were green and white, the colors of the Boston Celtics who made Cooper the first African-American to be drafted by an NBA team.

“What I encourage all of you to continue to do is help everybody make sure that all of us have a part in American society,” said Nickols. “You may be able to describe these shoes to somebody. But if you’re me, I can not only describe them, I can tell you what the walk is like.”

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