Race Relations
Community Forum Report"We used to kill hogs and the first hog any family killed was for the community. You shared with everybody…but that sense of togetherness, that sense of sharing isn't there now."
"There are a lot of committees and projects being worked on, and that's it. They're being worked on and they never reach out and grab or make a dent into what their intentions are."
- Community Member
- Service Provider
Sense of community is a theme that emerged from community member focus groups. Within this theme, several sub-topics emerged that focused on the following: 1) a general definition of community and its geographical boundaries; 2) race relations; and 3) the position of new residents in Warrenton and Warren County.
"Community" means different things to people living in Warrenton and Warren County. The question, "When we mention the Warrenton community, what area do you think we are referring to?" brought about a variety of responses spanning, "I think of the Warrenton town limits", "I think of the county", and "Warrenton is the city, but there are lots of communities around." Overall, community members had varying perspectives on the definition of community in a geographic sense, and this was true for providers as well. However, community members were very specific in defining community in ways that go beyond town and county boundaries. For example, an older community member remembered a time when schools were the center of community for parents and children, and now that is gone. This same community member believes "for black folk sense of community is with the church". This was a point of agreement across racial backgrounds. When speaking about people's connection to church, one community member said people are willing to drive to find the sense of closeness that is present at church. While agreement existed about the importance of church and the sense of community that can be found there, most community members believe religion is segregated. According to one community member, "People get along pretty well in Warren County except where it comes to religion. When you get up on Sunday morning, boy the sea parts and people go to their individual churches and you will never see them cross the door [of a church of a different race]." This idea of race being linked to sense of community is one heard throughout community member focus groups, and some provider interviews as well. One community member said, "All three races in the county are separated and appear to like it that way." In contrast, another community member believes the county needs to cross racial boundaries and create a place where all feel welcome. This person said, "We need somewhere that nobody can look at and say, 'I'm not going to carry my kids over there because that's the black section' or 'I'm not going to carry my kids over there because it's nothing but whites.' We need a place that we can say connects to all of this county."
Although race relations did appear in the discussion of sense of community, community members did not feel that differences, either perceived or real, among people could completely diminish the development of stronger community within Warrenton and Warren County. In fact, there appears to be a strong sense of community regardless of racial background when addressing the issue of longtime residents versus newcomers.
Generally, people who were born and raised in Warrenton and Warren County, or who have lived there for many years clearly distinguish themselves from those who have recently moved into the area. Community members said that it is noticeable when new people are in town, and that the news of a new person in town spreads quickly. During one focus group, a White newcomer said she believes it is her race that separates her from the rest of the community, but an African-American community member said it is just her newcomer status that reduces her acceptance.
Overall, community members connected sense of community with knowing your neighbors and the people in your town. With the influx of people from the Northern United States, including many retirees, community members fear that their sense of community is in danger. A community member sums up this fear by saying, "I think when I think of communities I'm fearful of losing communities because it is so many people migrating into our county now that we do not know…" In contrast to the longtime residents' view of Warrenton and Warren County, newcomers describe the area as a friendly place that has good weather and a slower pace of life. The idea of outsiders infringing upon a small-town's sense of community seems to be a sentiment felt by longtime residents and not newcomers.
Sense of community is important to the community members involved in this project. Overall, a sense of community is on some level a geographic and social construction based on the town one calls home. However, a sense of community is also felt within one's church and among people who have called Warrenton and Warren County home for many years. According to the community members and providers who are part of the Warren County forum planning committee, a sense of community among people, organizations, and resources is an essential element of collaboration.
The importance of working together is an area of agreement among community members and service providers. However, service providers were more explicit about the current state of collaboration in Warrenton and Warren County. Overall, providers feel that although collaboration is key to solving many problems, there is not enough cooperation among agencies in the county. However, churches were mentioned as organizations that collaborate successfully.
Overall, providers feel the county and its people have a lot of potential that is not being utilized, and that there is a general lack of knowledge among people in Warrenton and Warren County about what services are available to them. One provider said, "I have never heard of a county-wide service agency meeting where everybody just sits down and puts on the table, these are the things we have, these are the things we need, then looks around…let's share…" Another provider believes, "I think that it's only going to take all of the service agencies working together to fix any of our problems." Other providers agree with this sentiment, but believe both community members and providers of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds need to come together to get everyone on the same page and create a vision for Warren County. Essentially, as one provider put it, we "need to get moving on these problems - stop talking and start doing." Currently several service providers are attempting to initiate collaborative partnerships in the County and Kerr-Tar, a regional service agency, is updating its resource guide which lists services available in Warren County.
Moving to action takes commitment to improving Warrenton and Warren County. Providers and community members alike believe one of the area's greatest assets is its people. One provider, who is also a community member, said, "That's how everyone just works together and you know I don't know that we would find that in a Durham neighborhood or a Charlotte neighborhood." Another provider and community member said, "The people in town that are willing to do so much volunteerism, cause that's what it takes to make a small town like this really prosperous is people willing to do things…" Although it seems Warrenton and Warren County need to improve the collaboration that happens among its people and organizations, one person believes "Identifying the problem that you're going to work on is probably the hardest thing." Another person believes "I really think there's a bright future here." It seems there are people and organizations willing to work together to make Warrenton and Warren County a better place to live and work. Perhaps a catalyst is simply needed to put these ideas into action.
To the community members and service providers working to turn the thoughts found in the pages of this document into action, sense of community and collaboration are connected, and should not be separate. Although the concept of community may seem fuzzy at first, community members knew exactly what community meant to them, and where they found it. Furthermore, it is through community that people felt most connected and empowered to make things better. For community members, it is a strong sense of community and belonging that leads to collaboration. Providers, on the other hand, spoke mostly of collaboration among people, organizations, and resources. While most want more collaboration, it simply is not happening in Warrenton and Warren County. Based on what community members said, this could be because there is no strong sense of community among people. Alternatively, people may not realize that some shared sense of community even exists among the residents of Warrenton and Warren County. Perhaps by bridging community with collaboration, both can be enhanced.
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