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The audience listens to panelists on Feb. 26 at Lathrup Village City Hall.
Photo provided by Mark Watts
LATHRUP VILLAGE — The city of Lathrup Village hosted a Black History Month panel on Feb. 26 in the City Hall Community Room at 27400 Southfield Road.
The panel was organized by the Lathrup Village Downtown Development Authority, Lathrup Village Chamber of Commerce and Boys 2 Men Youth Mentoring. Panelists included state Rep. Jason Hoskins, Terrence Wheeler, Loretta DeLouch, Ryan Noble, Maria Mannarino and Dice Clark.
Mark Watts, president of Boys 2 Men and the Lathrup Village Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the purpose of the annual panel.
“It ensures that everyone is informed on different topics that are important to the community,” Watts said.
Watts said Lathrup Village residents had submitted a variety of topics for the panel, of which several were chosen for discussion by the panelists. Topics included mentorship of Black youth, the importance of mental health and social responsibility.
On the topic of mentorship, Wheeler said that it is the responsibility of adults to become strong mentors and trusted advisers for Black youth. He said strong mentorship gives way to creating structure for the youth. He said positive guidance is ethical care. He said people need to communicate directly with young people in order to provide effective guidance.
“Oftentimes, we don’t speak to young people — we speak at them,” he said. “Instead of asking a young person what happened to them, ask how you can help them. Ask, ‘How do I show you love?’”
Wheeler said a strong mentor can be the one thing that gets a young person out of survival mode and allows them to become the best version of themselves.
Criminal justice was another topic discussed at the panel. Mannarino, who works as a criminal defense attorney, said she has made criminal justice her life’s passion. She said she would like to see the community work to better inform itself on how to protect their rights and liberties.
“My job is to challenge the power the government has to take away somebody’s liberty,” Mannarino said. “I would like to see all of us become more informed about our system, our judges and our prosecutors who make the decisions.”
Hoskins said he and other legislators are working to reform the justice system.
“There are a lot of things we are going to try to do in terms of legislation, but it is not enough and that makes it very difficult if you are a person of color, not only in Michigan, but in many parts of this country,” he said.
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