On Saturday this week, Crawley Borough Council delivered a very successful Unity Event, the second in as many years, remembering what brings us together and how differences can be our strength.
It was a very successful day of music, song and dance from so many parts of our community in Crawley.
As the day went on, despite the unsettled weather, we built up a wonderful crowd, one that I was delighted, but not remotely surprised, to see. This shows how much we care here in Crawley.
We live in difficult times, where even a careless remark on social media in the wrong place can create the most unbearable tension. And that’s just careless remarks, many of the posts and comments I think we have all seen and heard are distorted, designed to mislead, if not downright mendacious.
And those who are worried by what they are hearing aren’t, in most cases, people who are irredeemably prejudiced, they just don’t know in this post fact world quite where the truth sits, and it has made some anxious locally.
I very much wanted us to have another event, building on the first, where we could peacefully celebrate what brings us together as people.
On the same day, some went to London to do the exact opposite, as the news reports and police injuries sadly indicated. We did not choose the date for this reason, it has long been in the calendar, but it was very appropriate that we held it on this day.
We all have something to contribute to our local life, recognise our differences and celebrate the strength that gives us in dealing with life’s challenges. Not everything is perfect, but it is certainly not the fault of people simply for what they were born.
And Unity isn’t just about nationality or race. It is also about combating prejudice and ignorance on gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion.
Many of us have come to Crawley and made this our home. Some generations ago, some much more recently. This is a common story, we live in a New Town!
Very few things in life genuinely have the simple answers that some of the people tell you they have for them, or it would already have been done. We will work through them all by remaining calm and not to allow our emotions to cloud our judgement. Something we do very well locally.
Cllr Michael Jones
Leader, Crawley Borough Council