SWAMPSCOTT — This year, the Swampscott Unites Respects and Embraces Diversity Committee (SURE) has partnered with the Swampscott Library to launch One Topic, One Town, a year-long reading group focused on dismantling racism and celebrating diversity.
Community members and SURE members have read five books as part of the program. They include “How To Be An Anti-Racist,” by Ibram X. Kendi; “Just Mercy,” by Bryan Stevenson; “Homegoing,” by Yaa Gyasi; “Underground Railroad,” by Colson Whitehead; and “Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry,” by Mildred Taylor.
“Diversity doesn’t just mean color,” says Keli Khatib, co-chair and co-founder of SURE, an organization created in 2016 to acknowledge all aspects of human diversity.
“People look at Swampscott and see mostly white faces. And they often say there’s no diversity. And that isn’t true. Diversity means age, abilities, where you’re from, socio-economic status.”
Khatib embodies this complicated view of diversity. She is from West Virginia, her husband is from Syria, and her family is Muslim.
“It’s important to me to be involved in this because my children are Muslim,” said Khatib. She explained that her children had experienced prejudice due to people’s lack of understanding about Islam.
SURE, which includes members from a variety of religions, cultures and ethnicities, works to address these prejudices through education and cultural exchange programs like their book club.
A book discussion occurred Nov. 25, where readers shared their takeaways on “Just Mercy,” a non-fiction book which explores the racial dimension to the death penalty through the experiences of a young lawyer.
Margaret Somer, a SURE member who co-founded the organization with Khatib, is participating in the book group. She was especially moved by Kendi’s “How To Be An Anti-Racist,” a 2019 book that discusses concepts of racism and proposes solutions for anti-racist actions and systemic changes.
“We want to educate ourselves and the community,” she said. “Slavery was a founding piece of the American economy, and unfortunately the theme of racism has continued throughout history.”
Somer got involved in the creation of the group when she became distubed by rising levels of prejudice and racial hostility nationwide in 2016. She was particularly bothered by instances of anti-semetic slogans being written in Swampscott and Marblehead.
Somer, who has been involved in the Civil Rights struggle since the 1970s, said that she “felt like we needed to form a group to come together to embrace diversity.”
In the wake of the social unrest sparked by George Floyd’s May 25 murder, SURE has found that their work understanding racial and cultural differences has become even more important. A number of their members go Black Lives Matter protest in response to the Trump rally in Monument Square each week.
SURE is also working with the Swampscott Police Department to present a discussion on these issues. They hope to broadcast the conversation between community members and police on local TV or on the web in January.
“We wanted to ask them what they thought about everything going on in the country, and what Swampscott is doing about it,” said Khatib.
They specifically want to avoid antagonizing the police, opting instead to foster a greater level of understanding between police departments and the community.
“You have groups and individuals who do horrible things, and people feel like it reflects on everyone,” said Somer. “But it doesn’t.”
Going forward, SURE plans to partner with other local organizations to continue to show the value of a diverse and united community, and to show the town that, as Somer said, “it’s good to be different.”
