RESOURCES:
Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
TRANSCRIPTION:
Caroline MacGregor: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Caroline MacGregor. And as it's February, we continue to celebrate Black History Month and to talk to people who have made a difference in the community here in Washtenaw County. These are people whose stories inspire others to also leave a legacy that positively impacts those in the community. And my guest today is Cynthia Harrison. She sits on the Ann Arbor City Council. She's also Director of Innovative Re-entry at the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office. She's a lifelong Ann Arbor resident and she holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University. Cynthia is known and respected for her collaborative leadership style, her passion for fostering innovation and protecting the most vulnerable among us and creating an inclusive and equitable community. First of all, Cynthia, thank you so much for joining us today!
Cynthia Harrison: My pleasure! Thank you for having me!
Caroline MacGregor: As you know, we've recently celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Tell me first of all about how Dr. King influenced your journey as a Black woman in today's society and maybe some others who have inspired you along the way into becoming a strong female leader.
Cynthia Harrison: Well, starting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I will share with you that one of my favorite quotes is from his 1963 letter from the Birmingham jail. And that is "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." What he was doing was explaining that humanity is tied to an inescapable network of mutuality. Any injustice affecting one person directly affects everyone indirectly. You know, we are all responsible for taking a stand against injustice. And I choose to accomplish that to the best of my ability through my work.
Caroline MacGregor: And it seems that you certainly have. And I know that you have several issues that are close to your heart. This has, of course, influenced the way in which you have continued to successfully fight for change and justice. You've done a lot of work to establish racial equity. For example, you've been instrumental in changing how traffic enforcement is conducted. Tell me a little bit about this work, if you would, before we go on to your work at the Washtenaw County Jail.
Cynthia Harrison: Well, the driving equality ordinance was the first thing that I began to work on once taking my seat as a City Council member. My overall purpose with stopping, what I call, ticky-taky, non-public safety related stops: a cracked windshield, something hanging from the rearview mirror, maybe somebody needs a new muffler and these equipment violations often occurring because this is basically poverty, right? Like, if somebody has the choice between buying groceries for their family or fixing their muffler, they're likely going to choose to buy groceries for their family. So, this is the harm that I wanted to prevent when a Black person is stopped by the police or even when a police officer is following behind a Black person. There was a physiological response. We have, because we don't know what is going to happen next. It's the unnecessary contact between law enforcement and civilians that I am trying to curb and stop essentially.
Caroline MacGregor: You mentioned a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That has influenced you quite strongly. Who else influenced you in your journey as a successful Black woman?
Cynthia Harrison: Well, you know, I would say my parents to begin with. They were such strong and loving individuals in my life and in the community. My mother left a legacy. She was the first Black nurse to work for Ann Arbor Public Schools. She and my father, I mean, they were themselves, what they call, transplants. They started their life in Ann Arbor as newlyweds. They moved to Ann Arbor in 1968. Neither one of them are here. So, unfortunately, I do belong to that club. They are no longer here on Earth with me, but the way that they supported me and my siblings, they both were in unions. I can't say enough about what they taught me and what I saw them do in the community to just helping their neighbors. And also, my parents' sisters, my father's sister and then my mother, she had three surviving sisters, one that had passed away when she was a baby. But I had very strong aunts. Those were my role models and helped to shape the individual that I am today.
Caroline MacGregor: Tell me quickly about your work at the Washtenaw County Jail, if you would. There's been some recent changes. I know that now in-person visits are allowed. But tell me a little bit about this role, generally speaking, if you would.
Cynthia Harrison: Well, as the Director of Innovative Re-entry, really, what I am doing is continuing the work of the previous administration, building out what is now a new division. My work involves making sure that individuals who have entered our jail leave our jail better off than they were when they came into our jail. For each year a person is incarcerated, their life is shortened, on average, by two years. Families live shorter lives too. Their life expectancy, on average, is three to five years less for each loved one who is incarcerated. By bringing back in-person contact visitation where people can actually see and can touch their loved ones, this is huge, and it will impact health outcomes for the person who is incarcerated and the families of that individual.
Caroline MacGregor: As a Black woman building your career over time in Ann Arbor, you've obviously run into some challenges. Tell me a little bit about these challenges in your journey.
Cynthia Harrison: Well, as the third--only the third--Black woman that has served on Ann Arbor City Council, let's talk about that challenge to begin with. There was a 15-year gap between the last Black woman that served on City Council, which is Wendy Woods, and myself. Well, first of all, let me just say that I ran because there was nobody on City Council that could represent my perspective. And in looking at council meetings during the pandemic, I was really kind of put off by that, honestly. There was nobody that looked like me on City Council. And the killing of George Floyd--the murder of George Floyd--is when I really got on the ground and started getting more involved with the community. It eventually led me to running for City Council. As somebody who is running again, I launched my re-election on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I will say that I'm facing some, I would say, racist rhetoric and tropes.
Caroline MacGregor: Really?
Cynthia Harrison: Yeah, yeah. It's out there. It's being weaponized against me by some that feel it's convenient to say these things about a Black woman.
Caroline MacGregor: Is this on social media?
Cynthia Harrison: It's on social media. You know, to say one of my favorite quotes by Malcolm X is that "The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman." This was a speech in 1962, but that exists today. When you look at health care, you look at the workplace, housing in Washtenaw County, it is Black women and their children that are most impacted by homelessness. In reference to health care in the City of Ann Arbor, the average age of death for a Black woman is 70 years old.
Caroline MacGregor: Gosh!
Cynthia Harrison: Yes! That stat speaks to basically what Malcolm X had to say on Black women back in 1962.
Caroline MacGregor: This past week, a meme was released by the Trump administration. First of all, the media were initially told to hold to their fake outrage. And then, the meme was taken down. President Trump denied knowing about it. I have to ask you for something like that to take place with known racial connotations, what were your feelings when you saw this?
Cynthia Harrison: My feelings were, first of all, outrage were my feelings. It's unfathomable. The level of disrespect. There are no words, basically. And I go right back to, like I said, the quote by Malcolm X, the most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. For that to be weaponized against her, her husband, that is a disrespect to every Black woman in America. And you see I'm stumbling over my words. That's how angry it makes me. And when I look at running again and social media digs, comments about me, I think that some people think that, "Hey, we're going to weaponize this racist rhetoric and tropes against her" because maybe they think it's convenient for white people to think that a Black woman is lazy and less intelligent. But I personally think that the voter's in Ann Arbor are much smarter than that.
Caroline MacGregor: And just quickly, the Trump administration also posted a picture of Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was arrested in Minnesota for organizing a demonstration. And they actually manipulated the image of her. They made her skin darker, and they showed her crying hysterically. Meanwhile, she was actually unbelievably dignified in the face of her arrest.
Cynthia Harrison: I saw that. And this is, again, the administration, they are trying to stoke fear. It's really disgusting, quite frankly. You know, when I was thinking about whether or not I would run again, honestly, there was never a consideration of not running because my work is not finished. I am just starting the work that is much needed in the city of Ann Arbor. I am uniquely qualified to do that work because of my lived experience as a black woman in Ann Arbor. Now I love Ann Arbor. It is a beautiful town, it's a beautiful city. We have lots of amenities and I recognize my privilege in being able to be here, but it has not been easy for myself, my family, and people that look like me, and other black people that have lived here, just traveled through Ann Arbor, worked here, or come here for entertainment. And that is really, largely because of the role that local government historically has played systematically imposing residential segregation with undisguised racial zoning, exclusionary zoning, otherwise known as single-family zoning. You know, I always question spaces that are non-inclusive. When I walk into a restaurant, why am I either the only black person in this restaurant, or one of a couple, or maybe the only other black person in the restaurant is the individual that is working here and serving the food, or maybe they're back in the kitchen. There's reason that spaces are not inclusive.
Caroline MacGregor: Well, thank you so much for spending some time with us today! It's been very interesting talking with you!
Cynthia Harrison: Thank you so much for having me, Caroline! And I'm here to really to disrupt the status quo, and I will continue to do that for as long as I have the opportunity to. It is my greatest pleasure to help to fight for those individuals that feel that they don't have a voice or maybe don't have the space to use the voice that they do have. I will continue to fight the good fight!
Caroline MacGregor: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU FM Ypsilanti.
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