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

Roy, Beth

ISBN 10: 0815633467 / ISBN 13: 9780815633464

Published by Syracuse University Press, 2014

About this Item

Seller Inventory # mon0003947840

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Bernal Story: Mediating Class and Race in a Multicultural Community (Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution)
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0815633467
• ISBN 13: 9780815633464
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

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

About the Author

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