Truth and Reconciliation: The Foundation for a Beloved Community

Greensboros truth and community reconciliation process is proving to be a creative model of grassroots democracy, restorative justice, and community healing. Despite official opposition from the City, the process has continued to move forward over the last four years. Cities within the United States are inquiring about using this model to address difficult and often denied wounds in their own cities. During his November visit, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu stated that there is a deep need for a truth and healing process within the United States and expressed the hope that Greensboro might inspire truth process initiatives to take place in other cities across the nation.

THE BELOVED COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREENSBORO, NC

417 Arlington Street Greensboro NC 27406 (336) 230-0001

The BCC Was Recognized by the Ford Foundation as One of the 17 Most Significant Grassroots Organizations in the Country
Nelson and Joyce Johnson of BCC are pictured with the Ford Foundation President, Susan V. Berresford, as they receive the Leadership for a Changing World Award in October in New York City. On the right, Congressmen G.K. Butterfield and Mel Watt congratulate Nelson Johnson upon receipt of the Faith and Politics Institute Award on behalf of the BCC in Washington, DC in April.

Survivors and Friends on a Silent March to the first Truth and Reconciliation Commission Public Hearings at Weaver Center, symbolically passing the bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rev. Bongani Finca of the South African Truth Commission gathered with religious leaders of Greensboro for a Spiritual Preparation Service before the first public hearings on July 16.

Gathering Our History: Telling Our Story

And Preparing the Next Generation Of Grassroots Leadership

From Victims to Victory: Towards Grassroots Empowerment

Hundreds of Greensboro residents and visitors from around the country attended each of the three public hearings, often listening to riveting testimony. Above is part of the crowd gathered at North Carolina A&T State University in August. JOIN US In Building a Beloved Community in Greensboro Become a part of a BCC Working Group And Send your tax-deductible contribution today to: THE BELOVED COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREENSBORO POST OFFICE BOX 875, 417 ARLINGTON STREET GREENSBORO, NC 27402 (336) 230-0001 Donate online at www.belovedcommunitycenter.org Or Call us for information on direct deposit bank drafts
Photos by: Lewis A. Brandon, III

BCC has become a regular stop for civil rights tours. Pictured above are BCC staff and volunteers in dialogue with an interfaith youth group from Washington, DC Project Understanding. Pictured below are some of BCCs 2005 Interns from Guilford, GTCC, North Carolina A&T State University and Warren Wilson in Asheville.

Terry Speed, Homeless Hospitality Coordinator, and core of Volunteers, assemble outside of the BCC House.

Spencer Wade and Wray Norwood, once homeless, now own a small business.

The number of underpaid and homeless people is rapidly growing in our city and across the nation with no change in site. The question arises: what can be done beyond feeding and providing limited services? The BCC has decided to move more strongly toward empowerment, i.e., seeking to create jobs and new approaches to life with greater shared responsibility and self reliance such as urban gardens, community carpentry and repair shops. Such work is not totally dependent on trends in the larger economy. The House feeds 80 people each weekday morning and provides access to showers for those seeking work. Wray Norwood and Spencer Wade, both formerly homeless, recently began their own business, called Kingdom Contractors. Wray is a carpenter and bricklayer. Spencer is a trained chef and skilled repairman. They do yard work, small masonry and concrete jobs, food catering, and general utility work. Their vision is to develop their business in order to provide jobs for the unemployed and homeless. Wray and Spencer are an example of the empowerment emphasis at the Hospitality House and throughout the BCC.

THE BELOVED COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREENSBORO

Post Office Box 875 Greensboro, NC 27402 (336) 230-0001 Office
Board Members ____________________ Patricia Priest Chairperson John Parker Secretary Lisa Tonkins Asst. Secretary Deborah Underwood Treasurer Z. N. Holler Chairperson Emeritus Juanita Brown Dayna Cunningham Kathleen Casey Lou East Gregory T. Headen Daisy Holland Deborah Kelly Kaye Lovelace J. Herbert Nelson Marsha Paludan Alma Purvis Steve Sumerford Dale Tonkins Edward Whitfield Staff
___________________________

A New BCC Board Chair and Celebration of a Job Well!

Citing the need to spend more time with his family and the desire to complete some writing, Rev. Z. Holler, a founding member of the BCC, resigned as board chair in November after serving for 14 years as BCCs only Chairperson. Amidst many accolades for a job well done, the Board immediately designated Z as Chairperson Emeritus. Mrs. Patricia (Pat) Priest, a dedicated community organizer since her college days and currently Vice-President of Refugee and Immigration Services at Lutheran Family Services of the Carolinas, was elected the new BCC Board Chairperson. Z will continue to serve on the BCC Board and as a Volunteer.

(336) 230-2428 Fax December 2005

(336) 370-4330 Hospitality House

417 Arlington Street Greensboro, NC 27406 info@belovedcommunitycenter.org

Dear Beloved Community Center Friend and Supporter: Happy Holidays! As the year winds to a close, it is time to reflect on our work over the last twelve months. What a year! The last year at the Beloved Community Center (BCC) has truly been amazing. We have done so much with so little. We expanded our grassroots empowerment work providing both help and hope through the homeless hospitality house, economic justice and labor campaigns and public education work. BCCs Workers Center affiliate recently initiated an effort to obtain signatures of 20,000 Greensboro voters necessary to hold a referendum to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $8.50 an hour. We launched BCCs first youth summer internship program. We hosted six national civil rights tour groups and many local groups, sharing our powerful picture display and civil rights history. In addition, we participated in growing our communitys understanding and compassion through the truth and community reconciliation process. BCC is also anchoring a state and regional network seeking to reclaim Dr. Kings dream of a faith and labor alliance. We were recognized by two national organizations - the Faith and Politics Institute of Washington, DC and the Ford Foundation of New York - for our pacesetting work. We transitioned to a new board structure and elected a new board chairperson. We are very excited about the coming year. Yes, the last twelve months have indeed been a banner year. The work has been hard and humbling, but it has also been very rewarding. The accompanying pictures will tell much of last years story. The accomplishments of the last year reflect the hard work of staff and a committed core of volunteers. We know, however, that it was the communitys growing embrace of the vision of beloved community and the generous support of folk like you that really made possible such a magnificent year. We thank you for your confidence, encouragement, participation and financial support. As you review the pictorial of BCCs year and what we have accomplished together, please consider increasing your giving by 20 percent If you were not one of our donors last year, we hope you will become a regular BCC donor in the coming year. Although we recently received a Ford grant, funding from foundations was significantly down over the last year. We are, therefore, even more dependent on your generous end of year gift to help meet our financial obligations. We also depend on your monthly pledge to sustain us over the year. Enclosed is a pledge form and a self addressed envelope. We know this is a busy time of year, and we all have a tendency to be put things aside. So, please take just a few minutes and fill out the pledge form now and drop it in the mail. It will mean so much to the people with whom we work, even as it helps to move all of us toward a more beloved community. Again, best wishes for a most happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Yours for a beloved community,

Economic Justice: A Core Value of a Beloved Community

One of Dr. Kings dreams was a partnership between faith, the community, working people, and organized labor. In cooperation with Rev. J. Herbert Nelson of the Benjamin Hooks Institute of Memphis, TN, the BCC launched a regional campaign to form a faith and labor alliance based on the model set by King before his tragic death in Memphis. The conference pictured below discusses a faith and labor southern strategy.
Pictured on the right is Marilyn Baird of the Central Carolina Workers Center, the newest addition to the BCCs Economic Justice initiative. With her is Ana Maria Jones of Centro Accion de Latino. The Workers Center operates in collaboration with organized labor, community groups and churches. On the left is Rev. Nelson Johnson and newly elected State NAACP President, Rev. William Barber, at a faith and labor leaders conference of about 40 people, hosted at New Light Baptist Church in July.

Nelson N. Johnson Executive Director Joyce H. Johnson

Jubilee Institute Director

All Children Deserve a High Quality Relevant Education

The Community Dialogue on Education (CDE) has continued to meet weekly, engaging many issues and providing a welcoming space for discussion of difficult issues related to education. Recently, the group hosted 90+ year old educator and philosopher, Grace Lee Boggs of Detroit, who challenged the CDE to rethink what relevant education means in this post-industrial period. The CDE has also been involved in intense work in 2005 with Latino parents and the leadership of Smith High School to resolve differences and misunderstandings. Pictured at left are parents and community members at one of CDEs Town Hall Meetings on Public Education.

Demetria Ledbetter
Administrative Officer

Lewis A. Brandon, III

Grassroots Hall of Fame Coordinator

Terry Speed
Homeless Hospitality Coordinator

Rev. Nelson N. Johnson

Executive Director

Mrs. Patricia Priest

Board Chairperson

Marilyn Baird
Workers Center Coordinator

The BCC is committed to fostering and modeling a spirit of community based on Dr. Martin Luther Kings vision of a Beloved Community. In this spirit, we envision and work toward social and economic relations that affirm and realize the equality, dignity, worth and potential of every person.