Nine years ago this month, lifelong friends Rosa Scott and Sherona Crim were casually talking with two other friends about issues of race and diversity. Scott and Crim are African American, and their friends Debbie Cornwell and Sherri Johnson are Caucasian.“We were talking about how people weren’t comfortable going to other race’s events,” Crim recalls. “We wanted to do something to let people know, it’s fine – go. It’s OK to get out of your comfort zone.”
And with that, the four launched Diversity On The Go, a monthly newspaper that promotes events and inspires readers to get involved in the community – the entire community. The first issue appeared in January 1999 and Crim and Scott have been on the go ever since. Available by subscription, the paper highlights news from McCracken County Library, Paducah Parks Services, United Way, WKMS, the Human Rights Commission and many other community-based organizations, along with job listings, promotions, health news and helpful announcements.
Various writers keep the paper fresh. Merryman Kemp writes the About Books book review, Rev. Bernice Belt shares her lovely insights through her Cornerstone Connection faith column, June Hodge Jones keeps everyone looking gorgeous with her Beauty Tips and Ro Morse offers great recipes in the What’s Cooking section.
Crim and Scott are always open to new contributors and new content.
Attend just about any community event and you’re likely to run in to Crim and Scott as they often cover the events that they promote. Crim does quite a bit of writing as well as the layout for each issue. Scott handles the advertising. Rates are $125 for a full-page ad, $75 for a half page, $60 for a quarter page and $40 for one-eighth of a page. Many of the paper’s advertisers have advertised since the first issue.Along with promoting and attending events, the two often play key roles in planning special gatherings like last Saturday’s Paducah Poetry Jam. Sponsored by the Interracial Men’s and Women’s groups and the Market House Theater, the event attracted a great crowd, with 13 poets from all over our area who performed their racially inspired poems, short stories, essays and other prose.
The event was modeled after Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and even included guidance from the Jam’s co-founder, Bruce George, who traveled to Paducah in September to assist with the show’s auditions.
“It was so good,” Scott says. “We wanted to bring something different into the community. Everybody wants to know when we’re going to do it again!”
Bringing together a diverse crowd to perform and to attend the Paducah Poetry Jam is a perfect example of Diversity On The Go’s mission.
“When we publish the paper each month, we’re hoping to bring the community closer together as one,” Crim says. “We’re always happy to hear when someone goes to an event that they might not otherwise go to and then they tell us they had a nice time. I think the paper is making a difference.”
