Most of us only see the statistics.
Rochester has the highest rate of poverty among cities its size. It ranks 4th in poverty among the nation’s 75 largest metropolitan areas. It has the highest child poverty rate among comparable communities. It has the highest percentage of people living -- not just in poverty -- but in extreme poverty.
But, for 25 years, James Norman has seen the faces that all the dismal numbers, rankings and percentages represent.
The retiring CEO of Action for a Better Community came to Rochester from Michigan, where he held a similar position. Rochester’s ABC is one of nearly 1,000 community action agencies set up across the country in the 1960s. As part of “America’s War on Poverty,” these agencies were charged with helping individuals and families become self-sufficient.
Obviously, it is a war we have not even come close to winning.
But, ABC has steadfastly provided support and hope to families caught in desperate circumstances. And, Norman has become one of Rochester’s leading voices in trying to change the system that often keeps people trapped in poverty, generation after generation.
As Norman told our Editorial Board during a meeting Friday, his style of advocacy does not involve marches, protests, or posters bearing slogans. His approach is “being in the right room at the right time. Using data to make your case. Organize. Collaborate.”
He was among the first to introduce the term “structural racism” to our community, and he has worked tirelessly for more than a decade to get us talking, learning and – hopefully -- doing something about it. He often finds a resistant audience, and the lesson is hard for many to fully grasp, but his dedication has not waned. From his vantage point, reached after decades on the front line, addressing structural racism is the only real way to end poverty. We wholeheartedly agree.
Structural racism, as defined by the Aspen Institute, is "a system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. Structural racism is not something that a few people or institutions choose to practice. Instead it has been a feature of the social, economic and political systems in which we all exist."
One of Norman’s greatest gifts to our community has been his blunt honesty, which he brings to the table in virtually every setting. And, he is in a lot of settings. Norman has taught at Rochester Institute of Technology and Monroe Community College, worked with the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, serves on many boards, co-chairs the Facing Race, Embracing Equity initiative, and is an honorary trustee of The Strong. He is sought after as a national, state and local panelist, consultant and speaker.
Fortunately, we will still have Norman to help keep our community’s focus where it should be. He told board members that he plans to remain engaged in these activities after he leaves ABC next month.
Despite being in the trenches for so long, and seeing such little overall progress, he continues to lead with a sense of optimism.
“We’re not ready to celebrate that we have achieved our vision...but I think the efforts we’ve been engaged in have planted seeds around the community,” he told us. “I don’t think we’re going to go backwards, even though we’re not going forward as fast as we’d like to.”
Norman is one of the main reasons we are even looking forward, and our community is better place because of him and the work he has done – and will continue to do.