The city of Muncie has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go, Hurley Goodall, Indiana's first black representative, said at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day panel discussion on Monday.
With the theme, "Coming Together - Forty Years: A Work in Progress," the discussion included eight leaders from Ball State and the Muncie community.
The panelists, who have all contributed to Muncie's social and economic growth, gathered in the Student Center to discuss the city's past, present and future expectations.
"As a young boy, I could not go swimming in the public pool in downtown Muncie, and I never had the opportunity to be taught by someone who looked like me," Goodall said with tears in his eyes.
"I thank God for people like Martin Luther King Jr. who helped make this country what it is. I thank God little children today can swim at the pool without getting hurt and can enter a school building and find people who look like them," Goodall said.
Like Goodall, Dr. Linda Keys, associate director for the College of Architecture's Urban Planning program, said she has also experienced discrimination.
When she first began teaching at Ball State University, Keys said most of her students were white males who had never had a black professor before. Coming from Chicago, Keys said she had to adjust to the mostly white community and worked hard to encourage other black youths she met.
"We (Muncie) know the kinds of things we need to do to become that melting pot we all want to be," Keys said.
George Saunders, professor of sociology and coordinator of the Citywide Church Network, said racism is definitely a spiritual problem in the Muncie community -- a problem that holds the city captive.
According to a study, 75 percent of people in Muncie have witnessed discrimination, Saunders said.
"The community must turn in faith to God," he said. "He's the one who can give us the ability to change and become better people and a better community."
Beth Quarles, director of Future Alternatives Inc. and Choices, said she didn't think she would find any opportunities in Muncie when she moved here in 1960.
"I doubted having the ability to start my own business," Quarles said.
However, despite the opposition she received, Quarles managed to establish the Daley Apartments, a 37-unit complex in downtown Muncie for people with disabilities.
"It has been a struggle, but it has been a wonderful struggle," Quarles said.
Q.L. Stevens, owner of Q.L.'s BBQ in Muncie's Whiteley community, said he also struggled to start his business so he could put his three children through college.
Stevens said the restaurant, which has been rated No. 1 in the country, was his dream from the start.
"I didn't have two dimes to rub together," he said, "but to start a small business, you have to make a commitment."
Sam Abram, the first black superintendent of Muncie's school system and the executive director of the Community Alliance to Promote Education, said his commitment lies in treating all people equally and in developing local students.
Treating people the right way when they're here in Muncie will encourage them to return to the city when they have the opportunity to do so, Abram said.
"Families in Muncie are blessed; this is a wonderful place," he said. "But some people think that being successful is working as hard as you can. Being successful really is saving and giving as much as you can."
Born and raised in Muncie's public housing, Benita Smith, director of the Delaware County Human Resources Department, said she supports Muncie's youth.
Smith said while students enjoy the challenge of reaching for their goals, they will stoop to lower expectations if that's what other people set for them.
"It's time for us to wake up," Smith said. "I want Muncie to motivate and produce the best the world has to offer because we are the best the world has to offer," she said.
Originally from Liberia, Dr. H. Momo Fahnbulleh, who attended the panel discussion, said he felt the event was a wonderful opportunity for people to appreciate the Muncie community.
"I felt very proud of the people who put this program together," Fahnbulleh said. "Muncie helped to restore my life."
Ball State graduate Josie Liming said she also attended the discussion because she believed it was important for her to understand what past generations have gone through.
"You don't get this in a classroom," Liming said. "It was a great opportunity for young college students to have a glimpse into Muncie's past to better understand what goes on today."
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