LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington man wants people to have difficult conversations about race and racism this September, now proclaimed as "United Racial Equality Month" in the city.
Jylan Ross wrote to Mayor Linda Gorton to request the proclamation earlier this summer after seeing protests against police brutality following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
"I was tired of seeing all the racial injustice going on in the world," Ross said.
In Lexington, protesters marched in the streets each night for weeks this summer, calling for changes within the Lexington Police Department.
"I believe those were successful in getting some ears open as far as the higher authorities," he said. "The mayor, police chief, those kind of people."
He's said he has seen progress, like the banning of no-knock warrants in Louisville and Mayor Gorton appointing the Commission for Racial Justice and Equality.
But Ross said there is still a long way to go, and he hopes people will take "United Racial Equality Month" as an opportunity to talk with family members and friends about race and racism.
"If we hide it and don't explain to our children," Ross said about racism. "If they experience that situation they won't know what to do and they won't know how to handle those situations."
