The Bernal Story: Mediating Class and Race in a Multicultural Community (Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution)

<p>For eight years, the San Francisco neighborhood of Bernal Heights was<br> mired in controversy. Traditionally a working-class neighborhood known<br> for political activism and attention to community concern, Bernal house a<br> diverse population of Latino, Filipino, and European heritage. The branch<br> library, beloved in the community, was being renovated, raising the issue<br> of whether to restore or paint over a thirty-year-old mural on its exyerior<br> wall. To some of the residents the artwork represented their culture and<br> their entitlement to live on the hill. To others, the mural blighted a beautiful<br> building. To resolve this seemingly intractable conflict, area officials<br> convened a mediation led by Roy, an experienced mediator and Bernal<br> resident. The group, which reflected the wide range of ethnic and socioeconomic<br> backgrounds in the community, ultimately came to a strong consensus,<br> resulting in the reinterpretation of the artwork to reflect changing<br> times and to honor the full population of the neighborhood.<br> The Bernal Story recounts in detail how the process was designed, who<br> took part, how the group of twelve community representatives came to a<br> consensus, and how that agreement was carried into the larger community<br> and implemented. Roy’s firsthand account offers an essential tool for training<br> community leaders and professional mediators, a valuable case history for<br> use in sociology and conflict resolution courses, and a compelling narrative.</p>

<p>Beth Roy is a long-time mediator in the San Francisco Bay Area. Trained as a sociologist<br> at the University of California, Berkeley, she teaches there in the Peace and Conflict<br> Studies program</p>