More than three dozen people attended a community forum Tuesday at Love Elementary School in Jamestown on pervasive racism and discrimination. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

When word got out last Halloween that two people had dressed in blackface costumes at parties in Frewsburg, Tom Nelson quickly changed his lesson plan that day.

As a history teacher at Frewsburg Central School, Nelson thought it was appropriate to address the costumes and their connection to racism.

“When this happened, this hurt,” said Nelson, who also serves as a Chautauqua County legislator representing a portion of Jamestown. “This is what I’ve been teaching to try to stop. This is what I’ve worked for.”

Nelson was among several elected officials, both city representatives and county, who on Tuesday attended what turned into a panel discussion on pervasive racism in the community. The hour and a half long forum at Love Elementary School was the culmination of several meetings among local leaders after the blackface incident last October.

More than three dozen people attended the community meeting.

“We feel like this is the tip of the iceberg to address this issue,” said the Rev. Uvie Stewart Jr., who also chairs the city’s Human Rights Commission.

In addition to Nelson, those in attendance included Isaiah Rashad II, vice chairman of the Human Rights Commission and candidate for an at-large seat on the Jamestown City Council; county Legislator Billy Torres; Legislator Susan Parker; City Councilwoman Regina Brackman; City Councilman Andrew Faulkner; City Councilman Randy Daversa; and county Legislator Dave Wilfong.

The group’s goal is to have elected officials across the county both acknowledge and denounce racism. The legislators in attendance Tuesday plan to meet with Wendel by the end of next week to establish a countywide “task force” to identify problems in the community and what can be done to address them.

“There’s nothing wrong with putting together a group of people to take a look at a certain problem,” Wilfong said. “I’d join that committee if that’s what you’re going to put forward. To try to get the administrative end behind this I think we’d have to meet with PJ. I can’t imagine he would be against it.”

Clarke believes a task force can establish a “clear cut” initiative to “look at ways in which we can begin to diffuse this racism and discrimination in this county.”

See Thursday’s edition for complete coverage.