FORKS — A panel of three lifetime residents, all members of ethnic minorities, agreed that racism still exists in their community, but that the situation had improved over the years.
Each of the panelists told of their personal experiences — some involving racial epithets and violence — growing up in the Forks area.
Victor Velazquez, 28, a Mexican-American; Miss Ann Penn-Charles, 41, a Quileute woman; and Rachel Dreher, 19, who is part black and part a Hoh tribal member, addressed the Forks Chamber of Commerce at a Wednesday luncheon on the issues of diversity and racism in Forks.
Each said that he or she spoke not for an entire culture, but as an individual.
