INSIDE: JURY AWARDS $44M IN GIBSON’S CASE • C3
OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2019 • SERVING OBERLIN SINCE 1930
Kendal residents to celebrate Pride Week JASON HAWK EDITOR
When Ann Francis came out in the 1970s, the nation's attitude toward people who are gay was very different. Through the years she's been the target of disrespect and judgment, she said. Nearly 50 years has brought sweeping changes in public opinion and today about seven in 10 Americans say people who are gay, Jason Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune lesbian, bisexual, and Members of the LGBTA+ group at Kendal at Oberlin gather with the transgender should be embraced. rainbow flag as they prepare to celebrate Pride Week.
Police, fire depts. to get $280K radios
While the situation has drastically improved, prejudice remains quite alive and there are still places she feels unsafe. There are also few civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community — Ohio has no safeguards against housing and employment discrimination, for example. Those are some of the reasons why Pride is so important to Francis. She is one of the coordinators of Pride Week at the Kendal at Oberlin retirement community, where activities are planned for
June 22 to 29. "I believe we have to keep trying to improve the situation," she said. Francis has been a resident at Kendal since 2015, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, and said there are at least a dozen residents there who identify as LGBTQ. There are also many allies who work to make the community an "open and affirming" place to live: "Practically everybody here at Kendal thinks of themselves as
PRIDE PAGE C2
CELEBRATING FREEDOM
JASON HAWK EDITOR
What good are emergency radios if you can't reach anyone on the other end? That's the $280,000 question: That's how much Oberlin city council authorized in a fast-tracked vote this month to buy 56 new portable radio units for police officers and firefighters. "We need these radios," said police chief Ryan Warfield. RADIOS PAGE C2
Photos by Jason Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune
JOB OPENING
Gospel refrains, deep bass, and soulful sounds filled the air Saturday on Tappan Square at Oberlin's 2019 Juneteenth celebration. Held downtown each year, it commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect Jan. 1, 1863, but was not recognized in the last holdout — Galveston, Texas — until more than two years later. ABOVE: The Voices of Zion from Mt. Zion Baptist Church take the stage. LEFT: A member of the African Royalty dance squad moves down West College Street during the Juneteenth parade. BOTTOM LEFT: Mindy Kimbro of Northeast Grill serves up a prime rib burger. BOTTOM RIGHT: Roy Killings colors a Community Peacebuilders poster.
Lorain County Community Newspapers is looking for a full-time reporter with a focus on Amherst, Oberlin, and Wellington! The job requires a flexible schedule, an interest in life in small communities, the ability to write snappy stories and capture engaging photos, and great organizational skills. Night and weekend availability is a must — we work when and where news happens! City councils, school boards, high school sports, human interest stories, cops and courts, businesses, planning and development, social issues, and more. We want to fill this position quickly. Send your resume to news@lcnewspapers.com today!
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