Bringing people together

For the past decade, the first Saturday of August has generally been booked in advance for Pastor Lonnie Mitchell.

He’s one of the co-founders of Spokane’s Unity in the Community cultural event, and the voice of the Bethel AME Church has put together quite a show.

“I always think big, so I figured let’s just do it,” he said. “We did it, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”

When it started out, about 200 people attended the event at Liberty Park. Ten years later, the annual draw is about 2,000 to 3,000. Mitchell figures 20,000 people have been brought together by the event, which celebrates differences rather than similarities.

“Every person is different and our differences are strengths and not weaknesses,” Mitchell said. “Because we are different, we are able to complement each other and make this a better place to live.”

On Saturday a mix of ethnicities came to the park to listen to music, eat food and converse. Teens played hoops on the blacktop, elderly couples listened to gospel music and kids went up ladders and down slides.

Compared to large cities, Spokane may not be the most diverse place to live. But event co-chairman Garrett Daggett said there’s a good variety of culture in the area, and it’s important to recognize it.

“Our goal is to basically bring together the rich diversity we have and showcase it,” he said.

There were more than 70 tables at the grassy park where attendees could educate themselves about issues, but what had most people buzzing was the live music.

A homeless man who stumbled across the event compared the scene to Earth Day festivities at Riverfront Park. The bearded man, who didn’t want to give his name, said the eclectic music was more enjoyable than Friday’s ZZ Top concert.

”(ZZ Top) have some decent songs, but it isn’t like this,” he said.

Leila Dompier, who brought her two young children to the event for the social aspect, said she’s pleased so many organizations support the occasion. Being accepting of all people is important within her family, she said, and having an event that promotes similar values is important to the community.

For others, the day was a chance to see familiar faces.

Alaric Parks, a 14-year-old from Spokane Valley, went to the park Saturday with his parents and three sisters. He ran into people from church, hung out and chowed down on a dog with sauerkraut.

The best thing: “You get to just be around a lot of other people.”