Canton man inspires neighbors with call for ‘more unity’

Sheldon Gentles with his wife, Christina, and their three children. (Aaron Riobe photo)

This story originally appeared in the September 3 edition of the Citizen.

“A really nice community,” is how Canton resident Sheldon Gentles describes his neighborhood of Blackman Road. Gentles said he often sees people outside with their kids and walking their dogs. “It’s definitely family friendly,” he said.

Recently, Gentles took on a project to boost the spirit of togetherness, and his neighbors have responded very well.

In June, with the George Floyd protests as the main tipping point, Gentles said his wife, Christina, had talked about “a lot of negativity and a focus on differences.” The couple discussed the importance of trying to avoid negativity and thinking more about others, which they emphasize with their three young children. Gentles’ profession is managing a DJ service, but he decided to do what he could to help move people in that direction by creating a yard sign.

The couple worked on finding the right message and settled on “More Unity, Less Division.” The next step was finding the right artwork to pull the message together. They tracked down an online photo of hands forming a heart and submitted payment for the image to the artist. Using Photoshop, Gentles prepared a camera-ready document layout. He then ordered a two-sided sign from PrintMaster on Turnpike Street.

The sign went up on July 1. Gentles admitted, “I was hoping it would catch fire. There’s just bad news — I wanted a positive message.”

His sign soon sparked conversation with neighbors. Gentles said that people let him know they liked the sign and its message, often sharing their own stories. Deb Connolly liked the message so much that she started investigating where to purchase a sign.

Connolly, a longtime resident, is a big Blackman Road booster. She said she moved in when she was pregnant with her son 21 years ago and immediately “fell in love with the neighborhood.” She described the block parties that have taken place over the years, featuring Santa and sleigh rides at holiday time, grilling in the summer, and pizza at other times. People in the neighborhood have organized fundraisers for residents with health challenges and meals for families grieving lost loved ones.

Connolly herself has been a block party organizer in the past. She said she has now passed those responsibilities on to younger parents but clearly continues her commitment to the neighborhood. When she saw Gentles’ sign, she said, “I loved the design and the message.” Assuming it was a commercially distributed item, she googled it and came up empty. She then called Christina and learned that it was an original creation.

With this discovery, Connolly became even more interested. “I wanted to show Sheldon we support him, and since he designed it, that made it even more personal,” she said.

She mentioned knowing that as a white mother of biracial children, Christina has worries about what the future might bring for the couples’ 5-year-old son. Connolly ordered about 25 one-sided signs to be printed and has distributed them to anyone interested in purchasing one.

Most of the signs have gone up in the neighborhood, but Connolly said one woman wanted two so she could put one up at her Cape Cod house. Another sign is posted in the Messinger Street area.

Gentles and Connolly both were clear that they are not making a profit on the signs, nor is there currently a sales campaign. The signs are mentioned on the Blackman Road Facebook page, a private group, but people have mostly learned about the signs by word of mouth.

Connolly said she grew up in a much less diverse Canton and wasn’t familiar with Blackman Road. She noted the neighborhood is still primarily white, but several Asian, African American and Indian families live there now; gay homeowners also find acceptance.

“I’m grateful for the diversity,” she said. “When our friend and neighbor, who is Black, puts up a unity sign, you take notice. You want to show your support. Displaying that same sign is just one way to show we care about them.”

The Gentles moved from Randolph in 2014; Sheldon is originally from Brockton and Christina from Quincy. Sheldon is pleased with the reception of his signs. “It’s nice to see at least our community come together in a positive way,” he said. “It’s not a huge transformation but it’s nice.”

He reflected on the current divisiveness in American culture. “We in the U.S. and within our community have been divided on just about every issue we’ve faced in 2020,” he said. “To me, the sign doesn’t take any particular political or social justice stance; it’s just a reminder to put our differences aside and that we’re all on the same team — together we can accomplish so much more than apart.”

To order a unity sign:

For local (Canton) pick up: To reserve your double-sided unity yard sign(s), Venmo $15 (per sign) to @Sheldon-Gentles. Don’t forget to include contact info privately via Venmo. Once the signs are in, the Gentles will coordinate a local pickup in Canton.

Digital orders: For those of you who aren’t local or would prefer to make your own yard or window signs, visit this Etsy shop link for direct download ($0.99).

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=69695

Posted by Candace Paris on Sep 9 2020. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.