NORWICH – Grassroots organization Unite Chenango has set out to bring awareness and a voice to the Black Lives Matter movement in Chenango County.

The group recently kicked off the start of a new community discussion group called Talk About. The group meets every other Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Kurt Beyer Park. The discussion is also live streamed on Zoom. To get updates about the group discussion and links to the Zoom call, visit the event Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/653337808594578/.

According to Unite Chenango member Christine Taranto, the Talk About group is open to anyone who has questions or input on how to improve the community for "the greater good of people of color".

"Our next gathering will be on July 23. Our first Talk About on July 9 was very successful. We had approximately 12 people attend in person and 9 on Zoom. We greatly encourage the youth of our community to attend. Currently, we are working on a six week study guide exploring abolition of our current policing system in this country yet will not limit biweekly discussion groups to this topic alone. We welcome and encourage ideas and questions," said Taranto.

Unite Chenango’s mission is to bring awareness to and combat systemic racism, give people of color a safe place to have a voice and be heard, and address social injustices that people of color face.