A day after the City of Springfield issued a statement condemning a group’s intent to look into creating a “whites only” community in the area, another Springfield organization is speaking out. This comes after the group, Return to the Land, expressed interest in expanding from Arkansas into the Missouri Ozarks and specifically mentioned the Springfield area.
Springfield city leaders issued the statement Tuesday that said, in part, “Segregationist thinking has no place in our city’s present or future.”
Wednesday, the board of Inclusive Springfield, made up of local leaders and community stakeholders, issued its own statement. It said: “The Springfield community is home to a multilayered, colorful mosaic of cultures that is continuing to grow. We strive to be a community where the inherent dignity, value and worth of every member of our community is embraced. As our community continues to grow, we will continue to work towards being a place where all people feel valued and that they belong. The proposed ‘whites-only’ settlement by the group ‘Return to the Land,’ is discriminatory to many of our valued community members. This kind of divisive agenda is reflective of biased, outdated discriminatory practices which are contrary to the values of our community.”…