Latest news with #Fails
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Black community urged to stand against discrimination
Mar. 11—LIMA — Following a third incident of alleged racial discrimination in and around Lima in nearly as many months, the local chapter of the NAACP is urging Blacks and other minorities to stand up for their constitutional rights. Chapter President Ron Fails called a press conference Tuesday to address the most recent incident of alleged discrimination. He called Raymond Spears, a retired member of the Black community and a veteran of the U.S. armed services, to the podium. Spears told of an incident he recently experienced at a Speedway gas station in Elida. Spears said he was declined service by a young, white woman for no apparent reason. "She said I was being rude and told me I was not getting gas at the station. She told me to get off the property or she would call the police," Spears said. "And I knew I hadn't done anything wrong." So Spears called the police himself. Officers from the Elida Police Department and the Allen County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, "and they couldn't have been more respectful to me," he said. Spears then reached out to the NAACP and Fails, who in turn reached out to the gas station's district corporate office. "We filed a discrimination notice and let them know what happened," Fails said. "We felt it was better to expose the situation than to just walk away." Two previous incidents of racial discrimination were addressed by Fails. In one instance, a Black female pastor who had been subjected to racial taunts took her complaints to Lima City Council. In another incident at a gas station at the intersection of Pine and Kibby streets, a Black customer who was subjected to verbal abuse opted for a different response and became physical with the station employee. Criminal charges resulted. Fails said that type of reaction is not the way he hopes the Black community will handle racial discrimination. In the Elida case, he said Speedway has been asked to adopt mandatory diversity training for its employees, "and if the corporation does not respond we may be forced to boycott Speedway stations." While violence is never the answer, the NAACP president said, neither is simply giving up. "Walking away is something we (Blacks) have done all our lives. If we continue to walk away, will our kids have to walk away as well? Walking away is never the answer," Fails said. "This behavior (exhibited at a few local businesses) is unacceptable. If we don't stand together, we participate in the disrespect of all of us." Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lima NAACP panel discusses past struggles, future goals
Feb. 22—LIMA — In observance of Black History Month, the Lima NAACP Unit #3170 took the opportunity Saturday to share personal experiences and stories from as far back as the 1960s along with providing motivation for the future. During a panel session Saturday at Grace Church Worldwide Ministries, 2945 Wells Drive, Lima, the panel and attendees came together to discuss how life around the area has evolved from the time of the civil rights movement to today. "Everyone's experiences have been different," NAACP Lima president Ronald Fails said. "I think people are really open to understand where we've come from so that we can be better prepared to define where we're going." Fails believes attendees benefitted greatly hearing panelists sharing stories of growing up and surviving in segregated southern states during trying times. "I think people were able to hear how challenging it was to overcome early struggles, but they did it, and that says to me and to everyone if they did we can," Fails said. Panelists also discussed division, religion, and politics and what can be changed to fix the issue. "[The politicians have] got you thinking they own heaven," Fails said to attendees. "They make you think if you don't follow their script, you ain't gonna make it up there." Panelists encouraged attendees and their families to vote more often. Listening to personal stories of sacrifice has opened the door to future meetings focused on the theme of change throughout the chapter. "We will meet many, many times again to come up with concrete steps that we can take as a community to create the kind of setting, community, state and world we want," Fails said. "And it may be small, but every movement starts out small." Reach Cade Higgins at 567-242-0351. Featured Local Savings
