A New Civic Path Forward: Coming Together in Reading

When Rich Harwood visited Centro Hispano to speak with the Greater Reading Unity Coalition, he highlighted something we encounter every day in our work at Centro: the quiet, steady goodness that still resides within our community. His message was simple but profound. Real change begins when people choose to move together, start small, and stay focused on what matters most to families, neighborhoods, and daily life.

The Unity Coalition, which includes Centro Hispano, Bring the Change, the NAACP of Reading, the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks, the Islamic Society of Berks County, and Alvernia University’s Holleran Center, reflects that spirit. It is a partnership rooted in shared values and a shared belief that Reading can continue to move toward a more inclusive and hopeful future. For Centro, this is not new work. It is the heart of our mission in action.

Finding Hope in Uncertain Times

Across the country, many people feel overwhelmed by rising costs, changing policies, political division, and a sense that things are moving in the wrong direction. Rich acknowledged those realities clearly. Families are anxious about food assistance, childcare, healthcare premiums, and mental health support. People feel disconnected from the institutions and systems they once relied on. Even around our own dinner tables, conversations about what is happening in the country can feel tense.

At Centro, we hear these worries every day. Parents ask how to support their children through uncertainty. Seniors talk about isolation. Young adults wonder whether their voices matter. Rich’s visit affirmed what we already know from our work with families, students, and neighbors: even in difficult times, people still want to believe in each other and in the places they call home.

He reminded us that this moment also holds possibilities. Wherever he travels, he hears the same desire. People want to do better and believe we can do better. Not simply as Democrats or Republicans, but as neighbors and human beings. Reading is no exception. The desire to step forward, to take care of one another, and to imagine a different future is alive here, and Centro is honored to help nurture that hope.

The Goodness That Still Lives in Us

One of the most hopeful parts of Rich’s message was the reminder that our innate goodness has not disappeared. It may feel buried beneath noise, negativity, and division, but it is still there. In every community he visits, he sees people trying to lift one another up, support their children, care for seniors, and build connections where loneliness once lived.

At Centro Hispano, we see goodness every time a parent shows up for one of our Opening Doors sessions, a student gets her college acceptance letter after we help her through the application process, or a senior wins our dominoes tournament for the first time. Human beings want very similar things. We want to be seen and heard. We want to feel that we matter. We want to belong. We want our children to grow up in a community where they feel safe, valued, and capable of dreaming big.

These shared human desires are what make unity possible. We do not have to erase our differences to move forward together. Instead, we can ground ourselves in what we all care about: dignity, love, safety, opportunity, and hope. That is the space where we do its daily work.

Reading Already Moving Forward

Rich described Reading as an example of what can happen when a community chooses a new path. Not long ago, Reading was labeled the poorest city in America. Today, while serious challenges remain, something meaningful has shifted.

People from many backgrounds have been coming together to build new relationships, create shared agendas, and collaborate on early childhood education, after-school programs, ESL support, and more. Centro has played a key role in that process, listening to residents, lifting up community voices, and helping convene partners who want to create real, lasting change.

Instead of competing for recognition or resources, organizations are increasingly referring families across systems, filling gaps, and learning how to walk beside one another. Instead of letting fear or frustration define the story of our city, residents and local leaders are choosing to focus on what they can build together.

For Centro Hispano, this is what it means to be part of the Unity Coalition. It is an extension of our mission to turn outward, to listen deeply, and to stand alongside our neighbors as partners in strengthening the community we share.

Four Commitments for a Stronger Civic Life

As part of his message, Rich outlined four ideas that can help any community build a more hopeful civic life. These ideas reflect what Reading has already begun and what Centro strives to embody every day.

1. Turn outward toward one another

Change begins with a choice: to see and hear one another. Turning outward is not a program to sign up for. It is an orientation. We feel that turning outward looks like listening before acting, honoring people’s stories, and recognizing the wisdom that already exists in our neighborhoods.

2. Focus on what we can agree on

Differences will always exist, but they do not have to stop progress. When we focus on shared concerns, such as youth opportunities, mental health, safe neighborhoods, and a sense of belonging, we create room for action. Centro’s work with families, youth, and seniors is grounded in these shared priorities that go beyond party lines.

3. Build together

Talking matters, but building changes lives. When residents, organizations, and partners create programs together, launch new initiatives, and bring resources to where they are needed most, they rediscover their own agency and each other’s humanity. We see this whenever a coalition program grows from an idea to real support in someone’s life.

4. Make the good visible

Much of the best work happening in Reading is quiet and unseen. By lifting these stories, we help our community remember that progress is real. Our families, volunteers, staff, and partners are part of that good news. Sharing their stories, honestly and without sugarcoating, reminds us that change is possible and already underway.

The Power of Starting Small

Rich closed with a reminder that appears in many faith traditions: if you save one life, you save the world. Not because a single act solves every problem, but because each act of care brightens someone’s light, and that light spreads.

This is how change grows. One conversation at a time. One parent is empowered to advocate for a child. One elder who feels less alone. One neighbor who decides to step forward and get involved.

Reading is already showing what can happen when people refuse to give in to division or despair. When families, faith communities, nonprofits, universities, and local leaders choose to work together, new pathways open.

Centro Hispano is grateful to be part of that ongoing story. Together with our partners in the Greater Reading Unity Coalition, we will continue to turn outward, uplift dignity and belonging, and help shape a future built on hope, shared purpose, and the everyday goodness of the people of Reading.

In 2021, Centro Hispano partnered with The Harwood Institute, with the support of the Walton Family Foundation, to develop a community-led, community-driven education agenda, which was presented in the report, Reading Thriving, Together. We invite community members to learn more about our partnership and impact on the Harwood Institute website.