A York Festival Offers Fresh Perspective 50 Years After Race Riots
Big things often start small. So it was with 10,000 Acts of Kindness for Unity for York. Joan Moruscan and Ramona Kinard wanted to have an event with a table on a bridge to bring East and West York together. Commandeering a table at I-ron-ic, an eclectic art cafe, they presented their idea to owner David Smith. He told them they needed to go "much, much bigger." Somehow kindness came up. And unity. And Martin Luther King Jr.
And...they were off, with plans for a full chicken dinner at one huge table for 10,000, to beat the current record in the Guinness Book of World Records. Sponsors signed on, as did the mayor, county commissioners, bus companies, and every school in the county. But practicality soon nixed the hot dinner, someone upped the world record, and the date had to be changed.
Undeterred, the trio, along with committees and kindness ambassadors, had to adjust the vision while maintaining momentum, meeting at I-ron-ic every week, and often packing
the place. They settled on sandwiches for 5,000 but printed 12,000 "kindness coins" to highlight what was already happening across the county.
Kindness Begets Kindness
Sylvia, a retired counselor, was already aware: "There are so many people who do so much good, and it's time we celebrate that." She points to her wheelchair. "While I can't work, I have good ears and big shoulders. I can give you a hug if you need it, and I can give you a smile. I can sit and hold you if you're crying; that's what I do."
Not everyone received a coin for these kindnesses, but one second grader was proud of the ones he and his brother earned. He'd broken his left arm just before his school concert. His brother learned the right hand fingering on the cello, and the two were able to perform together. Another student made crepe paper flowers for everyone in her grade. Colleen Dwyer and her husband held dinners to support an orphanage in their friend's home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Jackie Craighead participated in her son's photography project, which showcased the value of women of color. For years, Bud Andrews has been delivering hand-knitted and crocheted items in his green Subaru Outback; these items make their way to places like York Hospital's NICU, the Women's Shelter, Appalachia, and Vietnam. Moruscan and Kinard nominated each other for their work with the York Cares Coffee Spot, which offers the homeless a mailing address, coffee, snacks, and cards in the afternoon. Each of the coins captures a positive act in York County.
A Living Portrait Of Change
Because 2019 marked 50 years since York's race riots, the 10,000 Acts of Kindness for Unity idea arose to show how far the city has come. Kinard, an African American pastor, remembers those days. "Yes," she says, "there were some things that happened. And yes, we can still improve. But I do believe there are more kind people than hateful people in York." Now, she appreciates being able to walk down the street talking with her friend Moruscan, who is white, being able to go wherever they like to go and to sit down together at a table without being harassed.
Making these changes more visible is what Moruscan calls "the longest table of kindness in the world." It embodies MLK Jr.'s table of brotherhood. It reflects what York actually is and is becoming. When the drone flew overhead and thousands waved, it captured a more diverse picture than it would have at many other York events. Renee Strine observed, "There's a lot of awesome stuff in York that includes and doesn't exclude. It's here for everyone. We want York to know, people that live here. It is here. We are here for you."
Some wanted to pronounce York "the kindest place in America" and hope that, as the next generation carries this torch forward, it can continue becoming this. Doubters may scoff, but if you were in Penn Park that Sunday in September, you witnessed something new. Native American performers were followed by hip-hop, Filipina, Latinx, and gospel music; ballet; and more, while the whole crowd cheered and talked and ate together with former strangers.
Chance Kacey, one of the band members, was impressed: "It goes to show there's a lot of good people who can make positive things happen when everybody gets involved. I love it."
Moruscan says, "It's not about getting the coin. It's about celebrating York's unity, promoting cooperation through kindness." Kinard says, "Kindness has no religion, no economic status, no color. Kindness is universal." "Humankind," interjects Smith, and his friends laugh. "That's it!" they say. "Human-kind."
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