When Hayden Gilbert tried to enjoy a night out at the bar with his friends in Akron a couple years ago, he wound up cornered in the bathroom by a white bouncer and his posse.
Gilbert said the bouncer told him blatantly, “I’m a racist.” The men wanted to fight Gilbert because he was black.
Instead of fighting, though, Gilbert left and told his father, Edward Gilbert, about the incident. Edward Gilbert, a prominent civil rights and employment law attorney in Akron, helped his son prosecute the men who harassed him and shut down the bar.
“And now, he’s in law school with that money,” Edward Gilbert said.
The Gilbert family shared this and other similar discriminatory incidences they’ve experienced during a panel discussion about racial harmony Sunday at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse in Akron.
The panel was part of a program called “Building Racial Harmony” that was organized by the Northeast Ohio Racial Justice Committee. The committee was formed by the Dominican Sisters and Associates of Peace, a group of Catholics who “strive to live a life of peace making.”
The committee has hosted several different speakers who have prompted conversations on racial justice since February. Representatives from the committee approached the Gilberts, who have been attending the program regularly, to speak about their experiences.
On the panel were Edward Gilbert; his wife, Delphenia, the CEO and owner of SandiCare Home Health Agency in Akron; and their son Hayden, an Oberlin College alumnus and current Cleveland Marshall Law student.
“For some reason, some folks think my family is unique. I don’t think it is unique. I think that the African-American family is one that has different turns and different issues just like white families do,” Edward Gilbert said. “I think we stress education very strongly and that’s the key.”
The Gilberts talked about their experiences with discrimination, ranging from near-violent occurrences like Hayden’s night at the bar, to more subtle jabs they experience on a more regular basis.
“The color of our skin precedes us,” Delphenia said. “Before all of the degrees, all that alphabet soup that we have behind our names, before we even speak a word. And that’s what people have to learn to be conscious of.”
The panel then opened up to the audience, a diverse crowd of about 35 who shared stories, concerns and questions about how to translate the dialogue into action and promote diversity.
“You just have to kind of realize that this isn’t instantaneous. It’s part of a long journey,” said Michelle Boasten, a panel attendee from Akron. “I recognize that whatever contributions I make today, there’s somebody 50, 75 years from now that will benefit from that. I know that change is happening and things are going to be better.”
While changes are still being made, the Gilberts advised people of all colors to be respectful, be mindful of the things they say to others, and above all, keep the racial dialogue going.
“I think that the medicine for all of this is to have these conversations,” Hayden Gilbert said. “If we don’t have these discussions and talk about our experiences, that deep-rooted hatred, that seed, just continues to grow and bear bad fruit.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com.