WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:15.490 A:middle L:90% Good evening, thank you for coming. 2 00:00:15.490 --> 00:00:17.600 A:middle L:90% My name is Ellington Graves. I am the director 3 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:19.760 A:middle L:90% of the Africanas Studies program here at Virginia Tech. 4 00:00:20.339 --> 00:00:22.609 A:middle L:90% Uh and I'd like to welcome you to our first 5 00:00:22.609 --> 00:00:25.489 A:middle L:90% installment of the Black Lives in the New South speaker 6 00:00:25.489 --> 00:00:29.059 A:middle L:90% series. Um just a little bit about the series 7 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:31.359 A:middle L:90% and then I'll introduce our speaker for tonight. Um 8 00:00:31.370 --> 00:00:35.359 A:middle L:90% the idea behind the this series really is to um 9 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.520 A:middle L:90% , acquaint folks, first and foremost with Africana Studies 10 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.539 A:middle L:90% and the kinds of topics that the field deals with 11 00:00:42.939 --> 00:00:45.659 A:middle L:90% . Um and then secondly, to begin to address 12 00:00:45.670 --> 00:00:48.890 A:middle L:90% the dynamics of the lives of people of African descent 13 00:00:48.899 --> 00:00:51.840 A:middle L:90% in the American South. Um there's lots of conversations 14 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:55.159 A:middle L:90% about black life in the south, but frequently it's 15 00:00:55.170 --> 00:00:59.420 A:middle L:90% historical uh and we wanted to really bring more attention 16 00:00:59.429 --> 00:01:03.049 A:middle L:90% and create more conversation around what it's like to be 17 00:01:03.049 --> 00:01:07.900 A:middle L:90% black in the contemporary american south. Um and uh 18 00:01:07.909 --> 00:01:10.560 A:middle L:90% at the end of reverend Bradford talk, I'll tell 19 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:11.129 A:middle L:90% you a little bit more about the other speakers who 20 00:01:11.129 --> 00:01:15.390 A:middle L:90% will be coming in for the series this year. 21 00:01:15.400 --> 00:01:18.859 A:middle L:90% Uh But uh turn it over in a few minutes 22 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:22.019 A:middle L:90% to reverend Spencer Bradford. He is the executive director 23 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:26.269 A:middle L:90% of Durham Congregations in Action uh in Durham, North Carolina 24 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:26.930 A:middle L:90% . D. C. I. A. 25 00:01:26.930 --> 00:01:30.950 A:middle L:90% . Was founded in 1969. I can't remember the 26 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:36.030 A:middle L:90% original name but became Durham Congregations in Action in 1976 27 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:41.239 A:middle L:90% . Um and been executive director for for seven years 28 00:01:41.239 --> 00:01:42.629 A:middle L:90% , seven years. Okay. Uh And he is 29 00:01:42.629 --> 00:01:49.069 A:middle L:90% also the pastor of Durham Mennonite Church, uh has 30 00:01:49.069 --> 00:01:52.250 A:middle L:90% been very active in the Moral Mondays movement in North 31 00:01:52.250 --> 00:01:56.129 A:middle L:90% Carolina, as well as engaging through the DCIA and 32 00:01:56.129 --> 00:02:00.180 A:middle L:90% his congregation in efforts at dealing with economic justice, 33 00:02:00.189 --> 00:02:05.840 A:middle L:90% racial justice, uh and the general vitality of the 34 00:02:05.849 --> 00:02:07.150 A:middle L:90% Durham community. And so without further ado I'll turn 35 00:02:07.150 --> 00:02:13.349 A:middle L:90% it over to reverend Bradford. Thank you. Mhm 36 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:19.629 A:middle L:90% . All right, so, um I'm going to 37 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:23.099 A:middle L:90% give a little introduction to the work of Durham congregations 38 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:29.560 A:middle L:90% and action, and then uh talk some about the 39 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:34.219 A:middle L:90% the work that we have participated in in social justice 40 00:02:34.250 --> 00:02:38.210 A:middle L:90% , advocacy, and organizing in the Durham area over 41 00:02:38.210 --> 00:02:42.099 A:middle L:90% the last several years. Um and then come back 42 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:46.030 A:middle L:90% and do a little reflection on on spirituality and religion 43 00:02:46.030 --> 00:02:49.949 A:middle L:90% and social justice organizing. In light of that. 44 00:02:50.539 --> 00:02:53.830 A:middle L:90% Um If you don't know much about Durham north Carolina 45 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:58.759 A:middle L:90% , let me just uh say in a very, 46 00:02:58.770 --> 00:03:04.360 A:middle L:90% very briefly, what makes it distinctive? It was 47 00:03:04.740 --> 00:03:09.110 A:middle L:90% it really was organized as a community just following the 48 00:03:09.110 --> 00:03:14.419 A:middle L:90% end of the Civil War and took off economically at 49 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:15.919 A:middle L:90% the end of the 19th century, in the 1890s 50 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:23.750 A:middle L:90% , with 1890s on into the 19 Teens. Um 51 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:30.680 A:middle L:90% as a manufacturing center with textile and tobacco, uh 52 00:03:30.689 --> 00:03:35.139 A:middle L:90% manufacturing. That's where rolled cigarettes, pre rolled cigarettes 53 00:03:35.150 --> 00:03:38.169 A:middle L:90% were invented. That's how the Duke family made its 54 00:03:38.169 --> 00:03:42.639 A:middle L:90% fortune. And it became an industrial center in central 55 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:47.099 A:middle L:90% north Carolina during those decades. Because of the industrial 56 00:03:47.110 --> 00:03:53.680 A:middle L:90% economic activity, it drew people black and white from 57 00:03:53.680 --> 00:04:00.860 A:middle L:90% the surrounding counties and countryside for employment and for and 58 00:04:00.860 --> 00:04:03.389 A:middle L:90% because of the industrial activity that was there. And 59 00:04:03.389 --> 00:04:08.030 A:middle L:90% the business activity around the industries that grew up around 60 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:10.960 A:middle L:90% that, both black owned and white owned, it 61 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:17.550 A:middle L:90% became a biracial economic powerhouse in north Carolina, giving 62 00:04:17.550 --> 00:04:26.079 A:middle L:90% rise to the first uh to the first black college 63 00:04:26.089 --> 00:04:29.819 A:middle L:90% institution of higher education in north Carolina, which became 64 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:33.819 A:middle L:90% north Carolina. Central University, giving rise to the 65 00:04:33.829 --> 00:04:40.670 A:middle L:90% north Carolina Mutual Life Insurance, uh Business Corporation, 66 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:45.410 A:middle L:90% the uh one of the first black owned Insurance companies 67 00:04:45.430 --> 00:04:47.870 A:middle L:90% in the country and in the 1920s, then to 68 00:04:47.870 --> 00:04:51.660 A:middle L:90% what became known as Black Wall Street, a a 69 00:04:51.670 --> 00:05:00.769 A:middle L:90% very thriving african american economic center um that and nurtured 70 00:05:00.779 --> 00:05:08.399 A:middle L:90% the development of a strong uh well educated professional black 71 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:14.850 A:middle L:90% middle class in Durham. Um That that continues to 72 00:05:14.850 --> 00:05:18.209 A:middle L:90% this day. And because of that one of the 73 00:05:18.209 --> 00:05:20.750 A:middle L:90% things that makes, because of that history, there 74 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:25.319 A:middle L:90% , One of the things that distinguishes Durham in North 75 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:30.829 A:middle L:90% Carolina is the uh is the racial constituency where we 76 00:05:30.829 --> 00:05:34.870 A:middle L:90% have about 42 of the Durham Population White, about 77 00:05:34.870 --> 00:05:40.839 A:middle L:90% 42 of the population black and with the balance being 78 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:46.540 A:middle L:90% predominantly latino. So it is a which makes for 79 00:05:46.550 --> 00:05:49.860 A:middle L:90% which is made for a very interesting politics in Durham 80 00:05:50.240 --> 00:06:00.220 A:middle L:90% . And uh it makes uh community where the uh 81 00:06:00.230 --> 00:06:05.470 A:middle L:90% where issues of racial injustice, racial inequity don't get 82 00:06:05.470 --> 00:06:14.029 A:middle L:90% swept under the rug but are brought out uh in 83 00:06:14.029 --> 00:06:20.860 A:middle L:90% public to be addressed often with profoundly committed and skilled 84 00:06:20.870 --> 00:06:28.360 A:middle L:90% leadership, with some innovative strategies sometimes not but always 85 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:32.560 A:middle L:90% brought out. And uh so that's a little background 86 00:06:32.569 --> 00:06:39.990 A:middle L:90% on on on Durham very, very briefly. Uh 87 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:42.709 A:middle L:90% just to say a little bit about my personal history 88 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.139 A:middle L:90% there, I uh as you might be able to 89 00:06:45.139 --> 00:06:46.509 A:middle L:90% tell from my accent, I didn't grow up in 90 00:06:46.509 --> 00:06:50.160 A:middle L:90% north Carolina, I grew up in Florida, I 91 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:54.079 A:middle L:90% came to Durham in the late 80s to go to 92 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:58.910 A:middle L:90% seminary at Duke Divinity School and uh my wife and 93 00:06:58.910 --> 00:07:02.870 A:middle L:90% I loved the love north Carolina and decided to stay 94 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:06.500 A:middle L:90% , spent the nineties in other communities in north Carolina 95 00:07:06.509 --> 00:07:14.920 A:middle L:90% , uh directing social ministry organizations, poverty relief organizations 96 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:17.870 A:middle L:90% such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, education programs 97 00:07:17.870 --> 00:07:20.560 A:middle L:90% in low income communities, And then moved back to 98 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:26.790 A:middle L:90% Durham in 2000 to direct the programs that urban ministries 99 00:07:26.790 --> 00:07:30.459 A:middle L:90% of Durham, the homeless shelter and soup kitchen downtown 100 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:36.540 A:middle L:90% . And then uh then left urban ministries to direct 101 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:41.660 A:middle L:90% Durham congregations in action when the CIA's when my predecessor 102 00:07:41.660 --> 00:07:45.300 A:middle L:90% , they're retired. Um so that's the, so 103 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:47.660 A:middle L:90% I've lived in Durham continuously for the last 14 years 104 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:55.350 A:middle L:90% and been working there in primarily direct service organizations, 105 00:07:55.740 --> 00:07:59.899 A:middle L:90% beginning to do some more advocacy. Uh The last 106 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:01.759 A:middle L:90% several years with D. C. I. A 107 00:08:03.139 --> 00:08:07.290 A:middle L:90% . Now the CIA, as uh Professor Graves said 108 00:08:07.290 --> 00:08:13.120 A:middle L:90% was started in 1969 as the inner city church council 109 00:08:13.129 --> 00:08:16.129 A:middle L:90% and changed its name to Durham congregations in action when 110 00:08:16.129 --> 00:08:20.759 A:middle L:90% it became no longer exclusively christian an association of christian 111 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:26.839 A:middle L:90% churches, but expanded to include jewish synagogues and to 112 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:30.649 A:middle L:90% approach Muslims in the community about membership as well. 113 00:08:31.540 --> 00:08:37.899 A:middle L:90% Um It was organized to uh as a place where 114 00:08:37.909 --> 00:08:41.549 A:middle L:90% diverse faith communities could collaborate on meeting needs in the 115 00:08:41.549 --> 00:08:46.200 A:middle L:90% community that no one congregation was prepared or equipped to 116 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:50.090 A:middle L:90% do individually. So is really organized to do direct 117 00:08:50.090 --> 00:08:58.120 A:middle L:90% service specifically initially to provide services to youth and senior 118 00:08:58.120 --> 00:09:05.519 A:middle L:90% citizens in central Durham who were living in low income 119 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:11.039 A:middle L:90% housing. And it expanded from there. It has 120 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:13.299 A:middle L:90% always remained part of our mission to be a place 121 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:18.340 A:middle L:90% to collaborate on programs like that predominantly with a direct 122 00:09:18.340 --> 00:09:24.340 A:middle L:90% service focus, looking at how faith communities could directly 123 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:28.840 A:middle L:90% engage and concretely meet directly needs that were being experienced 124 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:33.350 A:middle L:90% in the community. It took on more particularly the 125 00:09:33.350 --> 00:09:37.600 A:middle L:90% form of being a nonprofit incubator. Shortly after that 126 00:09:37.610 --> 00:09:41.519 A:middle L:90% , in 1976, we launched the local meals on 127 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:46.750 A:middle L:90% wheels program. Got and for the last for the 128 00:09:46.750 --> 00:09:48.980 A:middle L:90% last four decades, then we've continued to work as 129 00:09:48.980 --> 00:09:52.379 A:middle L:90% a nonprofit incubator, Being a place where we that 130 00:09:52.389 --> 00:09:56.740 A:middle L:90% where startup programs could get the infrastructure, the nonprofit 131 00:09:56.740 --> 00:10:01.759 A:middle L:90% sponsorship, they needed to get going and then launch 132 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:03.919 A:middle L:90% forward out of that. The vast majority of the 133 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:07.100 A:middle L:90% programs that we've started have had a focus on addressing 134 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:13.759 A:middle L:90% poverty and violence in the community and dressing racial disparities 135 00:10:13.769 --> 00:10:16.889 A:middle L:90% . So we have after meals on wheels, we 136 00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:20.820 A:middle L:90% helped start up a couple of uh, the Interfaith 137 00:10:20.830 --> 00:10:24.769 A:middle L:90% AIDS Alliance, uh, the which which grew and 138 00:10:24.769 --> 00:10:31.480 A:middle L:90% merged into a handful of other HIV AIDS intervention programs 139 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:33.889 A:middle L:90% in the Triangle uh over the years. Uh we 140 00:10:33.889 --> 00:10:39.320 A:middle L:90% helped start up the Urban Ministry Center downtown, which 141 00:10:39.320 --> 00:10:41.820 A:middle L:90% came to house a homeless shelter and a soup kitchen 142 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:46.360 A:middle L:90% of clothing closet of food pantry. We have we 143 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:48.750 A:middle L:90% collaborated with the Department of Social Services to start up 144 00:10:48.750 --> 00:10:52.570 A:middle L:90% an emergency Energy fund in the eighties, which took 145 00:10:52.570 --> 00:10:56.779 A:middle L:90% off from there. Um We started other shelter programs 146 00:10:56.779 --> 00:11:03.059 A:middle L:90% for families, um a community violence project, a 147 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:07.169 A:middle L:90% Restorative justice Project, a supportive employment program for the 148 00:11:07.169 --> 00:11:11.389 A:middle L:90% hard to employee called Durham Economic Resource Center folks who 149 00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:18.299 A:middle L:90% had uh who did not have a strong employment history 150 00:11:18.309 --> 00:11:22.419 A:middle L:90% because of addictions or incarceration that they had experienced. 151 00:11:22.419 --> 00:11:24.960 A:middle L:90% I'm going to say some more about that later. 152 00:11:24.340 --> 00:11:28.019 A:middle L:90% But those are, so starting those up and then 153 00:11:28.029 --> 00:11:31.960 A:middle L:90% and then turning spinning those off as separate independent programs 154 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:33.320 A:middle L:90% has been the work of D. C. I 155 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:39.759 A:middle L:90% . A. Now. Um Along the way, 156 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:43.899 A:middle L:90% in addition to the direct service work, we would 157 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:48.279 A:middle L:90% occasionally engage in some advocacy. We all there was 158 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:54.169 A:middle L:90% always some advocacy going on. Uh It was always 159 00:11:54.169 --> 00:11:58.429 A:middle L:90% focused on the municipal level government. We never really 160 00:11:58.429 --> 00:12:01.470 A:middle L:90% took on national issues in terms of trying to bring 161 00:12:01.470 --> 00:12:03.789 A:middle L:90% congregations to speak on those together to speak on those 162 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:09.490 A:middle L:90% . But in terms of addressing municipal issues, uh 163 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:16.159 A:middle L:90% petitioning the petitioning the city to invest in affordable housing 164 00:12:16.440 --> 00:12:20.460 A:middle L:90% . For instance, a particular affordable housing program at 165 00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:22.539 A:middle L:90% a given point would be the sort of thing that 166 00:12:22.539 --> 00:12:24.950 A:middle L:90% D. C. I. A. Had done 167 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:30.799 A:middle L:90% In the early 90s, uh when the Durham went 168 00:12:30.809 --> 00:12:37.779 A:middle L:90% through a significant transition in terms of racial politics uh 169 00:12:37.789 --> 00:12:41.710 A:middle L:90% when the city and county school systems were merged um 170 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:48.529 A:middle L:90% during the desegregation uh experience in the seventies. What 171 00:12:48.529 --> 00:12:54.429 A:middle L:90% had happened effectively was that was white flight out of 172 00:12:54.429 --> 00:13:00.929 A:middle L:90% the city school system into the separate county school system 173 00:13:00.940 --> 00:13:03.350 A:middle L:90% , and it was recognized in the late eighties that 174 00:13:03.350 --> 00:13:09.679 A:middle L:90% this was a problem uh that was simply perpetuating segregation 175 00:13:09.690 --> 00:13:13.470 A:middle L:90% . And so there was a the controversial, politically 176 00:13:13.470 --> 00:13:18.830 A:middle L:90% delicate process of merging those two systems. There was 177 00:13:18.830 --> 00:13:22.590 A:middle L:90% good community leadership, both from the black community and 178 00:13:22.590 --> 00:13:26.149 A:middle L:90% the white community to make that happen. D. 179 00:13:26.149 --> 00:13:26.409 A:middle L:90% C. I. A. S little part of 180 00:13:26.409 --> 00:13:33.200 A:middle L:90% that was getting the faith communities behind that process to 181 00:13:33.210 --> 00:13:37.370 A:middle L:90% uh equipped them and encourage them to speak out in 182 00:13:37.370 --> 00:13:41.200 A:middle L:90% support of that merger process. So from time to 183 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:41.620 A:middle L:90% time, D. C. I. A would 184 00:13:41.629 --> 00:13:46.639 A:middle L:90% do some advocacy like that, but our primary mission 185 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:50.360 A:middle L:90% has always been on direct service. So, um 186 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:56.240 A:middle L:90% , and even when we did focus on advocacy, 187 00:13:56.460 --> 00:14:00.850 A:middle L:90% it was more, it was primarily in terms of 188 00:14:00.860 --> 00:14:05.669 A:middle L:90% lobbying or encouraging the extension and development of direct services 189 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:11.029 A:middle L:90% by the local government, direct services such as housing 190 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:13.470 A:middle L:90% , uh such as education, such as types of 191 00:14:13.470 --> 00:14:18.429 A:middle L:90% welfare service like the Emergency Energy Fund. So, 192 00:14:18.429 --> 00:14:22.730 A:middle L:90% these kinds of direct government services decia really had not 193 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:28.070 A:middle L:90% been looking at uh, at advocacy regarding things along 194 00:14:28.070 --> 00:14:33.029 A:middle L:90% regulatory policy, more policy issues more focused on programs 195 00:14:33.029 --> 00:14:35.059 A:middle L:90% than policies. Now, this is this is important 196 00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:39.929 A:middle L:90% because it's going to be a that Distinction or that 197 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:43.409 A:middle L:90% is framing is going to be important for looking at 198 00:14:43.409 --> 00:14:46.649 A:middle L:90% what's happened in the last 15 years in Durham and 199 00:14:46.649 --> 00:14:52.179 A:middle L:90% in North Carolina. So think when you think of 200 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:58.750 A:middle L:90% uh public public advocacy for government change in action, 201 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:05.350 A:middle L:90% it's significant to distinguish between government services and regulatory policies 202 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:09.470 A:middle L:90% . When you're when you're talking about government services, 203 00:15:09.470 --> 00:15:15.289 A:middle L:90% we're talking about government actually providing things for eligible citizens 204 00:15:15.289 --> 00:15:18.340 A:middle L:90% . When you're talking about regulatory policy, you're talking 205 00:15:18.340 --> 00:15:20.629 A:middle L:90% about things that the government doesn't provide, but the 206 00:15:20.629 --> 00:15:28.289 A:middle L:90% boundaries and floors and ceilings that government provides for citizen 207 00:15:28.289 --> 00:15:31.100 A:middle L:90% , the private sector to work within. So those 208 00:15:31.100 --> 00:15:35.870 A:middle L:90% are things like uh minimum wages, uh employment regulations 209 00:15:35.870 --> 00:15:39.990 A:middle L:90% , say employment safety and health regulations. Tax policy 210 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:45.919 A:middle L:90% , Financial regulations. Regulatory policies are a role for 211 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:50.379 A:middle L:90% government, distinctive from their direct services. So just 212 00:15:50.389 --> 00:15:56.279 A:middle L:90% keep that in mind. Um So I came on 213 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:58.279 A:middle L:90% board with D. C. I. A. 214 00:15:58.289 --> 00:16:02.809 A:middle L:90% In 2000 and seven. That was the I was 215 00:16:02.820 --> 00:16:07.320 A:middle L:90% the previous director had just retired after starting up a 216 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:10.129 A:middle L:90% new project at D. C. A. A 217 00:16:10.129 --> 00:16:14.320 A:middle L:90% that I inherited and and very much enjoyed working with 218 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:17.809 A:middle L:90% . It was called Yo Durham. It was which 219 00:16:17.809 --> 00:16:22.100 A:middle L:90% stood for youth opportunity or year of opportunity for Durham 220 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:26.669 A:middle L:90% youth. Um And it was a uh it was 221 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:32.970 A:middle L:90% based on boston 10 point coalition model plan for intervening 222 00:16:32.970 --> 00:16:37.929 A:middle L:90% with Youth of promise who were under resourced who had 223 00:16:37.940 --> 00:16:41.340 A:middle L:90% came. Most of them came from families in in 224 00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:48.049 A:middle L:90% poverty or near poverty with uh or with a parent 225 00:16:48.059 --> 00:16:53.750 A:middle L:90% who was incarcerated um or with other social economic challenges 226 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:59.159 A:middle L:90% . Um And we would, Yo Durham would match 227 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:03.779 A:middle L:90% them with, a mentor would provide would provide an 228 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:08.349 A:middle L:90% intensive career readiness training program during the summer and organize 229 00:17:08.369 --> 00:17:12.849 A:middle L:90% a paid school year, part time internship for them 230 00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:17.369 A:middle L:90% . So it's really oriented. Not prime mentoring was 231 00:17:17.369 --> 00:17:18.140 A:middle L:90% a part of it. Academic support was a part 232 00:17:18.140 --> 00:17:19.819 A:middle L:90% of it, but the real center of it was 233 00:17:19.819 --> 00:17:23.930 A:middle L:90% the career readiness part because we were looking at in 234 00:17:23.940 --> 00:17:30.990 A:middle L:90% at improving and expanding economic opportunity for youth who apart 235 00:17:30.990 --> 00:17:34.259 A:middle L:90% from that program, we're facing a lack of opportunity 236 00:17:34.740 --> 00:17:37.779 A:middle L:90% . So again, going back to that framing I 237 00:17:37.779 --> 00:17:41.690 A:middle L:90% set up, this was decia setting up a direct 238 00:17:41.690 --> 00:17:48.349 A:middle L:90% service model to try to address economic inequities, an 239 00:17:48.349 --> 00:17:51.190 A:middle L:90% important piece of important piece of the work to be 240 00:17:51.190 --> 00:17:55.869 A:middle L:90% done. Um But in the context of that D 241 00:17:55.869 --> 00:17:56.910 A:middle L:90% . C. I. A. Was also beginning 242 00:17:56.910 --> 00:18:03.609 A:middle L:90% to look at systemic advocacy differently as well. One 243 00:18:03.609 --> 00:18:06.880 A:middle L:90% of the things that happened in the early two thousands 244 00:18:06.890 --> 00:18:12.220 A:middle L:90% from 1999 of on was the organizing of a peer 245 00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:15.289 A:middle L:90% organization to D. C. I. A. 246 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:19.569 A:middle L:90% Called Durham. Can Durham can uh can stands for 247 00:18:19.579 --> 00:18:25.440 A:middle L:90% congregations, associations and neighborhoods for those of you who 248 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:26.349 A:middle L:90% are familiar with it, even if you aren't looking 249 00:18:26.349 --> 00:18:30.690 A:middle L:90% up on the web. It was the local Industrial 250 00:18:30.700 --> 00:18:33.059 A:middle L:90% Areas Foundation affiliate I. A. A. F 251 00:18:33.069 --> 00:18:38.400 A:middle L:90% . Is a network of community organizing programs started by 252 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:42.289 A:middle L:90% Saul Alinsky, uh, mid 20th century. Uh 253 00:18:42.299 --> 00:18:44.769 A:middle L:90% , you can find out a lot more about that 254 00:18:44.769 --> 00:18:47.950 A:middle L:90% on the web. Durham Can was organized as an 255 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:51.160 A:middle L:90% I. F. Affiliate. Now, their mission 256 00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:52.390 A:middle L:90% compared to D. C. A. S, 257 00:18:52.390 --> 00:18:57.950 A:middle L:90% was to focus on systemic change advocacy. Uh, 258 00:18:57.960 --> 00:19:04.720 A:middle L:90% looking they were organizing action by grassroots citizens in congregations 259 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:10.730 A:middle L:90% , associations, neighborhoods in Durham to bring pressure to 260 00:19:10.730 --> 00:19:15.059 A:middle L:90% bear on decision makers, primarily in the public sector 261 00:19:15.059 --> 00:19:17.079 A:middle L:90% and the local government, but also in the private 262 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:23.049 A:middle L:90% sector to institute change changes that would benefit the grassroots 263 00:19:23.049 --> 00:19:29.269 A:middle L:90% population at large endure. Um, and they so 264 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:33.230 A:middle L:90% starting from their organizing, they went at that work 265 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:36.670 A:middle L:90% with a great deal of success, and I was 266 00:19:36.670 --> 00:19:41.079 A:middle L:90% able to participate in some of their work as a 267 00:19:41.089 --> 00:19:42.549 A:middle L:90% , as a as an individual, as a member 268 00:19:42.549 --> 00:19:48.500 A:middle L:90% of their uh, the congregations that were involved with 269 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:52.980 A:middle L:90% them um, during those years, campaigning for living 270 00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:57.309 A:middle L:90% wage ordinance and for living wages for uh, for 271 00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:03.779 A:middle L:90% employees at Duke University, um, organizing for uh 272 00:20:03.789 --> 00:20:07.599 A:middle L:90% , supportive services for uh, for latino students in 273 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:12.230 A:middle L:90% the public school system. That kind of policy change 274 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.880 A:middle L:90% . That change would change the practice and activities of 275 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:19.950 A:middle L:90% institutions in the community was the focus of Durham Can 276 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:27.650 A:middle L:90% a a year. So what happened shortly after I 277 00:20:27.650 --> 00:20:33.079 A:middle L:90% started work at about a year after I started work 278 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:37.680 A:middle L:90% at the CIA was the economic crash of 2008 and 279 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:42.960 A:middle L:90% the great recession. And in the fall of 2008 280 00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:48.680 A:middle L:90% , uh, ministers who were involved in Durham Can 281 00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:52.460 A:middle L:90% began to do reflection together about what would be a 282 00:20:52.460 --> 00:21:00.829 A:middle L:90% systemic response to the financial crisis being experienced by average 283 00:21:00.829 --> 00:21:03.589 A:middle L:90% people on Main Street in our communities. We looked 284 00:21:03.589 --> 00:21:07.789 A:middle L:90% at what was the impact of the financial recession that 285 00:21:07.789 --> 00:21:11.329 A:middle L:90% was going on? Well, lots of foreclosures, 286 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:14.740 A:middle L:90% Everyone remembers that. Lots of foreclosures, lots of 287 00:21:14.750 --> 00:21:18.680 A:middle L:90% people being pushed into bankruptcy. So we looked at 288 00:21:18.690 --> 00:21:26.559 A:middle L:90% the regulatory boundaries set by our state government on indebtedness 289 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:30.430 A:middle L:90% . And we identified this as a problem. We've 290 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:33.829 A:middle L:90% got people not only being foreclosed on, we've got 291 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:38.940 A:middle L:90% people whose financial crises are exacerbated because they are being 292 00:21:38.950 --> 00:21:45.490 A:middle L:90% charged exorbitant rates on personal loans and that they have 293 00:21:45.490 --> 00:21:48.589 A:middle L:90% had, we've got people losing their homes because they 294 00:21:48.589 --> 00:21:55.839 A:middle L:90% are because of indebtedness by financial institutions that are being 295 00:21:55.839 --> 00:22:00.180 A:middle L:90% subsidized and bailed out by our government. And so 296 00:22:00.190 --> 00:22:03.099 A:middle L:90% that establishes even a greater degree of accountability that needs 297 00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:06.880 A:middle L:90% to be addressed. What came out. That was 298 00:22:06.890 --> 00:22:11.950 A:middle L:90% a north Carolina. United Power is the network of 299 00:22:11.950 --> 00:22:14.849 A:middle L:90% I. A. F. Organizations in north Carolina 300 00:22:14.859 --> 00:22:18.150 A:middle L:90% a hand. There's a handful across the state and 301 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:22.009 A:middle L:90% we had clergy from across the state gathering issuing a 302 00:22:22.009 --> 00:22:26.869 A:middle L:90% statement against usury. And the policy call that was 303 00:22:26.869 --> 00:22:33.690 A:middle L:90% being issued Out of our spiritual traditions and teachings about 304 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:38.039 A:middle L:90% economic justice was that the state should set a limit 305 00:22:38.049 --> 00:22:42.619 A:middle L:90% on personal and interest rate limit on personal loans of 306 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:47.779 A:middle L:90% nine And five for veterans. And actually, there 307 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:52.309 A:middle L:90% is already legislation in the books regarding veterans setting a 308 00:22:52.309 --> 00:22:55.930 A:middle L:90% ceiling of 5%. It's just the state wasn't enforcing 309 00:22:55.930 --> 00:22:59.150 A:middle L:90% that with the financial institutions. And so we were 310 00:22:59.150 --> 00:23:03.460 A:middle L:90% calling for expanding that to nine for everybody. Um 311 00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:06.380 A:middle L:90% , now this was, I'm going to, uh 312 00:23:06.390 --> 00:23:10.789 A:middle L:90% , I'm going to play a video of that was 313 00:23:10.789 --> 00:23:14.940 A:middle L:90% made by a colleague in the, uh, in 314 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:21.359 A:middle L:90% this network about, uh, about how that was 315 00:23:21.369 --> 00:23:45.990 A:middle L:90% , um, was presented. So we read these 316 00:23:45.990 --> 00:23:48.769 A:middle L:90% old testament prophets, we find them frequently saying, 317 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:55.390 A:middle L:90% don't exploit those who are on the lower, don't 318 00:23:55.390 --> 00:24:00.150 A:middle L:90% take advantage of somebody just because you can't, don't 319 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:03.849 A:middle L:90% overlay people with depression that we find again and again 320 00:24:03.859 --> 00:24:07.630 A:middle L:90% . God calling his people back to justice back to 321 00:24:07.640 --> 00:24:11.509 A:middle L:90% write relations back to Grace and back to mercy. 322 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:14.490 A:middle L:90% We read the old testament, particularly God, never 323 00:24:14.490 --> 00:24:18.109 A:middle L:90% imagined a class of people who are perpetually for there 324 00:24:18.109 --> 00:24:21.839 A:middle L:90% was always an opportunity. And so all of a 325 00:24:21.839 --> 00:24:23.039 A:middle L:90% sudden people started talking about, we live in a 326 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:26.380 A:middle L:90% system that has debt share from where there are people 327 00:24:26.380 --> 00:24:30.509 A:middle L:90% who are literally going to be perpetually in debt their 328 00:24:30.509 --> 00:24:32.980 A:middle L:90% whole lives. And for a lot of us that's 329 00:24:32.990 --> 00:24:37.240 A:middle L:90% theologically obscenely as a local pastor. I believe that 330 00:24:37.250 --> 00:24:41.849 A:middle L:90% churches are to be involved in social justice. We 331 00:24:41.849 --> 00:24:45.049 A:middle L:90% are not a bath cast of banks making money because 332 00:24:45.049 --> 00:24:47.529 A:middle L:90% they are in business. But there ought to be 333 00:24:47.529 --> 00:24:49.990 A:middle L:90% something fair about it. Don't you think jesus was 334 00:24:49.990 --> 00:24:55.160 A:middle L:90% the greatest radical? Yes, you always can. 335 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:57.839 A:middle L:90% one side is important. So just to say a 336 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:00.150 A:middle L:90% bit about the way this organizing gets done, you 337 00:25:00.150 --> 00:25:03.670 A:middle L:90% see, it started with conversations, programs in the 338 00:25:03.670 --> 00:25:10.519 A:middle L:90% congregation. It moved to petitions to the attorney general 339 00:25:10.529 --> 00:25:15.329 A:middle L:90% and to the banks directly organizing and trying to organize 340 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:18.039 A:middle L:90% meetings with bank executives to address this. And then 341 00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:22.759 A:middle L:90% it moved to the street demonstration. Um, and 342 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:27.009 A:middle L:90% I participated in this In 2009. And this part 343 00:25:27.009 --> 00:25:30.549 A:middle L:90% of this involved not only demonstrating outside of the bank 344 00:25:30.940 --> 00:25:34.779 A:middle L:90% , but taking another form of direct action to draw 345 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:40.250 A:middle L:90% attention to the, to the problem was we basically 346 00:25:40.250 --> 00:25:44.660 A:middle L:90% shut down uh, Wells Fargo branch for the day 347 00:25:44.670 --> 00:25:49.109 A:middle L:90% because everybody who had a Wells Fargo account went inside 348 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:56.279 A:middle L:90% with pennies, bags of pennies to deposit. And 349 00:25:56.289 --> 00:26:00.380 A:middle L:90% they which blocked the lines of business in the, 350 00:26:00.380 --> 00:26:03.579 A:middle L:90% in the branch and basically shut it down for the 351 00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:06.319 A:middle L:90% afternoon. So way of calling attention to that, 352 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:08.549 A:middle L:90% they had customers who cared about this and who were 353 00:26:08.549 --> 00:26:11.250 A:middle L:90% going to hold them accountable for the way that they 354 00:26:11.250 --> 00:26:15.259 A:middle L:90% were practicing their business as it relates to use a 355 00:26:15.259 --> 00:26:18.779 A:middle L:90% read as it relates to people who were in power 356 00:26:18.789 --> 00:26:22.700 A:middle L:90% , who look past look beyond step down, step 357 00:26:22.710 --> 00:26:29.559 A:middle L:90% by walkover. And the church has the problem cool 358 00:26:30.140 --> 00:26:33.259 A:middle L:90% with his, the venice numbers to address it. 359 00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:38.369 A:middle L:90% Today is the day that we stop dancing at the 360 00:26:38.380 --> 00:26:42.619 A:middle L:90% end of strings that somebody else pulled. We will 361 00:26:42.619 --> 00:26:47.769 A:middle L:90% stand up for ourselves. We will deal with those 362 00:26:47.769 --> 00:26:52.160 A:middle L:90% who do not treat us fairly and we will victoria 363 00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:57.339 A:middle L:90% . But at the end of the day when you're 364 00:26:57.349 --> 00:27:00.500 A:middle L:90% going to do what's right, somebody is going to 365 00:27:00.509 --> 00:27:03.279 A:middle L:90% be a second. And I think it's a center 366 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:07.960 A:middle L:90% machine for the church embrace that part of this responsibility 367 00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:17.089 A:middle L:90% . Yeah. Regardless of his. And that is 368 00:27:17.099 --> 00:27:22.250 A:middle L:90% a reality of doing community organizing uh, in faith 369 00:27:22.250 --> 00:27:26.720 A:middle L:90% based communities as well. Is that, uh, 370 00:27:26.730 --> 00:27:30.700 A:middle L:90% not is that in, in doing community organizing, 371 00:27:32.539 --> 00:27:37.819 A:middle L:90% if you're in a congregation where a Bank of America 372 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:41.329 A:middle L:90% or Wells Fargo executive as a member or an officer 373 00:27:41.329 --> 00:27:45.500 A:middle L:90% of the congregation, that is going to have an 374 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:51.930 A:middle L:90% impact on your congregations participation in this. So part 375 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:56.539 A:middle L:90% of, part of what is important in doing faith 376 00:27:56.539 --> 00:28:03.289 A:middle L:90% based community organizing is to have lay and ministerial leadership 377 00:28:03.299 --> 00:28:07.950 A:middle L:90% in congregations who are willing to get into trouble, 378 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:14.579 A:middle L:90% who are willing to take social risks in order to 379 00:28:14.589 --> 00:28:21.319 A:middle L:90% take social risks for the prospect of making change for 380 00:28:21.319 --> 00:28:26.460 A:middle L:90% marginalized people. Um, and that's also one of 381 00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:30.240 A:middle L:90% the important aspects of faith based community organizing. Because 382 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:36.769 A:middle L:90% when you're doing grassroots organizing in the context of congregations 383 00:28:36.779 --> 00:28:41.670 A:middle L:90% of faith communities, you are able to engage relationships 384 00:28:41.890 --> 00:28:45.319 A:middle L:90% that you may not be able to anywhere else. 385 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:49.640 A:middle L:90% Having someone who can engage a bank executive, a 386 00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:56.990 A:middle L:90% city manager, a school superintendent in the context of 387 00:28:56.000 --> 00:29:02.130 A:middle L:90% both of being members of their congregation, uh is 388 00:29:02.130 --> 00:29:08.089 A:middle L:90% an avenue of communication and initiation of change that uh 389 00:29:08.099 --> 00:29:11.750 A:middle L:90% , that should not be neglected, should not be 390 00:29:11.750 --> 00:29:19.309 A:middle L:90% neglected. And, and community organizing strategies that don't 391 00:29:19.309 --> 00:29:25.009 A:middle L:90% recognize that are short changing themselves. And the rest 392 00:29:25.009 --> 00:29:29.390 A:middle L:90% of this video is just give an example of some 393 00:29:29.400 --> 00:29:37.660 A:middle L:90% of the scripture passages that related to this. So 394 00:29:38.140 --> 00:29:44.799 A:middle L:90% in doing faith based community organizing, you are able 395 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:51.759 A:middle L:90% to help connect people both with, with power to 396 00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:55.759 A:middle L:90% make change and those who are outside of the decision 397 00:29:55.759 --> 00:30:00.269 A:middle L:90% making system with shared values, with shared values that 398 00:30:00.269 --> 00:30:03.890 A:middle L:90% are affirmed, which can be a source of making 399 00:30:03.890 --> 00:30:11.730 A:middle L:90% social change. So that was in 2009 and we 400 00:30:11.730 --> 00:30:14.619 A:middle L:90% had, there was some measure of success with that 401 00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:18.900 A:middle L:90% . We did get some concessions from Bank of America 402 00:30:18.910 --> 00:30:21.099 A:middle L:90% . Not as many as we had as we had 403 00:30:21.099 --> 00:30:22.430 A:middle L:90% campaigned for. We got, but we got some 404 00:30:22.430 --> 00:30:26.609 A:middle L:90% concessions, we got uh we were able to exercise 405 00:30:26.619 --> 00:30:33.079 A:middle L:90% some influence with the state attorney general. Um not 406 00:30:33.079 --> 00:30:33.750 A:middle L:90% as much as we would have liked. He didn't 407 00:30:33.750 --> 00:30:36.809 A:middle L:90% , he did some of the things that we proposed 408 00:30:36.819 --> 00:30:41.170 A:middle L:90% , but uh but so it was a mixed success 409 00:30:41.640 --> 00:30:47.740 A:middle L:90% . Um Now I mentioned earlier the Derm Economic Resource 410 00:30:47.740 --> 00:30:52.150 A:middle L:90% Center or dirk with something that we had helped organize 411 00:30:52.150 --> 00:30:56.650 A:middle L:90% and launch as a supportive employment program to provide employment 412 00:30:56.650 --> 00:31:00.640 A:middle L:90% and training. Uh And and an initial work history 413 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:06.019 A:middle L:90% for folks who had experienced difficulty finding employment because of 414 00:31:06.029 --> 00:31:08.490 A:middle L:90% their criminal record or history of addiction. They had 415 00:31:08.490 --> 00:31:11.859 A:middle L:90% to be in recovery to enter our program. But 416 00:31:11.859 --> 00:31:17.160 A:middle L:90% we but then they had six months of training uh 417 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:22.769 A:middle L:90% and uh and support paid employment with dirk to get 418 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:25.859 A:middle L:90% to get launched. Now one of the things that 419 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:27.539 A:middle L:90% and it was, and it is still an operation 420 00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:30.619 A:middle L:90% we successfully launched. It spun it off. But 421 00:31:30.619 --> 00:31:33.599 A:middle L:90% one of the things that became apparent out of that 422 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:40.569 A:middle L:90% experience of providing some direct service to intervene in the 423 00:31:40.579 --> 00:31:45.440 A:middle L:90% the the immediate problem being experienced by these individuals in 424 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:52.170 A:middle L:90% our community was the obstacles created by a criminal record 425 00:31:52.740 --> 00:31:59.720 A:middle L:90% . The fact that even with the even with a 426 00:31:59.730 --> 00:32:05.329 A:middle L:90% recommendation and referral from our program, simply because of 427 00:32:05.339 --> 00:32:09.220 A:middle L:90% that criminal conviction box checked on their application for employment 428 00:32:09.220 --> 00:32:12.670 A:middle L:90% with area businesses, we couldn't get them in the 429 00:32:12.670 --> 00:32:16.930 A:middle L:90% door for an interview. So we signed on D 430 00:32:16.930 --> 00:32:20.130 A:middle L:90% . C. I. A. Signed on with 431 00:32:20.130 --> 00:32:23.680 A:middle L:90% some uh with some civil rights organizations and community organizers 432 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:28.950 A:middle L:90% in the community to support a what's called Ban the 433 00:32:28.950 --> 00:32:31.319 A:middle L:90% Box campaign. Have you all had that here in 434 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:37.920 A:middle L:90% Blacksburg? Great. So that's um, so with 435 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:44.190 A:middle L:90% ban the box, we were campaigning for the city 436 00:32:44.190 --> 00:32:49.069 A:middle L:90% and the county to remove the, have you ever 437 00:32:49.069 --> 00:32:54.170 A:middle L:90% been convicted of a felony question from their employment applications 438 00:32:54.640 --> 00:33:00.789 A:middle L:90% ? Um, the strategy was to begin with with 439 00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:06.009 A:middle L:90% public with municipal government employees and then expand that to 440 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:07.430 A:middle L:90% uh and then the next step of advocacy would be 441 00:33:07.430 --> 00:33:12.940 A:middle L:90% to campaign to have them require that of their contractors 442 00:33:12.940 --> 00:33:15.549 A:middle L:90% as well. We haven't gotten expanded to the contractors 443 00:33:15.549 --> 00:33:21.000 A:middle L:90% yet, but but we did succeed in getting it 444 00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:27.109 A:middle L:90% dropped from the from the city and county applications. 445 00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:31.359 A:middle L:90% And uh it was that was a very successful campaign 446 00:33:31.740 --> 00:33:35.440 A:middle L:90% . There was good work done with public officials. 447 00:33:35.450 --> 00:33:38.019 A:middle L:90% We got religious leaders in the faith community to endorse 448 00:33:38.019 --> 00:33:44.180 A:middle L:90% it and support it um which helped with accomplishing the 449 00:33:44.180 --> 00:33:47.799 A:middle L:90% adoption of that Now. And Durham stands as a 450 00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:52.559 A:middle L:90% significant success story with that. So in 2011, 451 00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:59.089 A:middle L:90% the last year before they adopted this policy, Durham 452 00:33:59.099 --> 00:34:04.990 A:middle L:90% uh, only had two of its hires with criminal 453 00:34:04.990 --> 00:34:09.449 A:middle L:90% records when they dropped the that question off the application 454 00:34:09.449 --> 00:34:13.769 A:middle L:90% form didn't mean that criminal records were not brought into 455 00:34:13.769 --> 00:34:16.210 A:middle L:90% consideration. It simply meant that you went through all 456 00:34:16.210 --> 00:34:21.690 A:middle L:90% the other interview and qualification processes. And the question 457 00:34:21.690 --> 00:34:22.599 A:middle L:90% , have you ever been convicted of a felony? 458 00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:28.260 A:middle L:90% Did not come up until the final consideration. So 459 00:34:28.260 --> 00:34:32.789 A:middle L:90% it did not exercise a disproportionate influence on your qualification 460 00:34:32.789 --> 00:34:36.920 A:middle L:90% for that job. And even at that last stage 461 00:34:36.929 --> 00:34:40.409 A:middle L:90% , it was only to be factored in for evaluation 462 00:34:40.409 --> 00:34:44.789 A:middle L:90% of your eligibility for employment. If the crime had 463 00:34:44.789 --> 00:34:47.199 A:middle L:90% a direct relevance to the job that you would be 464 00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:52.559 A:middle L:90% working at. So if you if you were convicted 465 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:55.579 A:middle L:90% of embezzling, that would not, that would not 466 00:34:55.579 --> 00:34:59.719 A:middle L:90% prohibit you from working for the parks and Recreation department 467 00:34:59.730 --> 00:35:00.630 A:middle L:90% . You wouldn't work in the finance department, but 468 00:35:00.630 --> 00:35:05.570 A:middle L:90% you could work in parks and recreation. So simply 469 00:35:05.570 --> 00:35:10.460 A:middle L:90% from making that the, the figure rose to 4.5% 470 00:35:10.469 --> 00:35:14.789 A:middle L:90% more than doubled the number of people with criminal records 471 00:35:14.789 --> 00:35:17.219 A:middle L:90% who were able to get employment with our city government 472 00:35:17.230 --> 00:35:24.670 A:middle L:90% in 2012, up to 9.4% in 2013 and 15.5% 473 00:35:24.840 --> 00:35:30.579 A:middle L:90% In the first three months of 2014, 15.5% of 474 00:35:30.579 --> 00:35:32.300 A:middle L:90% the new hires by the city of Durham Government in 475 00:35:32.300 --> 00:35:38.079 A:middle L:90% 2014 were people who had criminal records. And this 476 00:35:38.079 --> 00:35:42.539 A:middle L:90% has had no impact. There's been no on, 477 00:35:42.550 --> 00:35:45.789 A:middle L:90% on uh, Criminal Act. Area has been no 478 00:35:45.789 --> 00:35:49.340 A:middle L:90% increased, zero increase in workplace crime in the city 479 00:35:49.349 --> 00:35:52.920 A:middle L:90% or the county government. Uh no employee has been 480 00:35:52.920 --> 00:35:57.369 A:middle L:90% fired because of illegal activity. What this is demonstrated 481 00:35:57.380 --> 00:36:02.880 A:middle L:90% is the change the economic impact that can occur when 482 00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:08.280 A:middle L:90% people are given a second opportunity after incarceration. So 483 00:36:08.280 --> 00:36:15.039 A:middle L:90% that's the um that is an example of system change 484 00:36:15.530 --> 00:36:20.409 A:middle L:90% in comparison to the direct service work. Now, 485 00:36:20.409 --> 00:36:22.260 A:middle L:90% one of, so, one of the things that 486 00:36:22.260 --> 00:36:24.460 A:middle L:90% I want to emphasize messages is that both are needed 487 00:36:25.130 --> 00:36:30.329 A:middle L:90% . Both are important. You and this is uh 488 00:36:30.340 --> 00:36:32.530 A:middle L:90% , one of the differences that we have with I 489 00:36:32.530 --> 00:36:36.380 A:middle L:90% . F. Sometimes I. F advocates will say 490 00:36:36.389 --> 00:36:38.159 A:middle L:90% , well, pooh pooh the direct service work and 491 00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:40.880 A:middle L:90% say that the systems change is the only thing that 492 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:44.000 A:middle L:90% really will make a difference, but you really need 493 00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:46.480 A:middle L:90% both. You need, just as an analogy, 494 00:36:46.489 --> 00:36:52.699 A:middle L:90% you need, you need fire departments that have fire 495 00:36:52.699 --> 00:36:55.820 A:middle L:90% engines and equipment to come address emergencies. But you 496 00:36:55.820 --> 00:37:00.880 A:middle L:90% also need safety inspectors going out to hold uh, 497 00:37:00.889 --> 00:37:07.260 A:middle L:90% hold builders and businesses accountable for meeting their building codes 498 00:37:07.260 --> 00:37:08.090 A:middle L:90% . So you don't have as many fires in the 499 00:37:08.090 --> 00:37:12.559 A:middle L:90% first place. You gotta have code inspectors and you 500 00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:15.349 A:middle L:90% have to have fire emergency departments both for communities, 501 00:37:15.349 --> 00:37:20.699 A:middle L:90% health. So, um, so we were we 502 00:37:20.699 --> 00:37:25.320 A:middle L:90% were extending more into doing the uh, into doing 503 00:37:25.320 --> 00:37:31.010 A:middle L:90% the um the, the advocacy and and partnering with 504 00:37:31.010 --> 00:37:37.530 A:middle L:90% Durham can to do the systemic change issues. Following 505 00:37:37.530 --> 00:37:39.349 A:middle L:90% up on the band of box. We realized also 506 00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:45.250 A:middle L:90% that there was uh that many of the folks who 507 00:37:45.250 --> 00:37:52.860 A:middle L:90% were impacted most by that were african american, that 508 00:37:52.860 --> 00:38:00.639 A:middle L:90% this particular economic problem was disproportionately affecting african americans. 509 00:38:00.639 --> 00:38:06.469 A:middle L:90% And you can find the plenty of the uh sociological 510 00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:09.969 A:middle L:90% documentation about the disproportionate incarceration rate of african americans in 511 00:38:09.980 --> 00:38:13.840 A:middle L:90% in the United States and in north north Carolina is 512 00:38:13.840 --> 00:38:17.750 A:middle L:90% no exception to that at all. Um, but 513 00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:22.380 A:middle L:90% the question was raised to us. So we start 514 00:38:22.380 --> 00:38:25.119 A:middle L:90% , so basically we, we started having a series 515 00:38:25.130 --> 00:38:30.389 A:middle L:90% of presentations at the monthly meetings that we have four 516 00:38:30.389 --> 00:38:36.880 A:middle L:90% representatives of congregations on re entry of, of people 517 00:38:36.880 --> 00:38:38.210 A:middle L:90% who had been incarcerated into the community. What are 518 00:38:38.210 --> 00:38:43.269 A:middle L:90% the different components that have to come together for successful 519 00:38:43.269 --> 00:38:46.489 A:middle L:90% re entry into the community? Um, and one 520 00:38:46.489 --> 00:38:52.840 A:middle L:90% of those was a presentation by an attorney who raised 521 00:38:52.840 --> 00:39:00.840 A:middle L:90% the question no matter how much direct service you organize 522 00:39:01.420 --> 00:39:06.829 A:middle L:90% for people coming out the back door of the prisons 523 00:39:07.519 --> 00:39:09.630 A:middle L:90% . At some point, we're going to have to 524 00:39:09.630 --> 00:39:13.849 A:middle L:90% figure out how to stop people going in the front 525 00:39:13.849 --> 00:39:15.119 A:middle L:90% door. And we have to ask the question, 526 00:39:15.119 --> 00:39:19.710 A:middle L:90% why are there so many more african americans, especially 527 00:39:19.710 --> 00:39:23.590 A:middle L:90% african american men going in that front door, We 528 00:39:23.590 --> 00:39:27.389 A:middle L:90% are not going to be able to continue catching all 529 00:39:27.389 --> 00:39:30.960 A:middle L:90% the water flooding out the pipe at the back end 530 00:39:30.960 --> 00:39:35.869 A:middle L:90% of the prison. We've got to find how we 531 00:39:35.869 --> 00:39:38.159 A:middle L:90% can turn down that faucet at the front end. 532 00:39:38.380 --> 00:39:43.409 A:middle L:90% Where is that? So we started two with a 533 00:39:43.420 --> 00:39:47.550 A:middle L:90% lot of very skilled, well educated community partners to 534 00:39:47.550 --> 00:39:51.860 A:middle L:90% examine that. And one of our and the Southern 535 00:39:51.860 --> 00:39:54.150 A:middle L:90% Coalition for Social Justice, a civil rights organization in 536 00:39:54.150 --> 00:40:00.800 A:middle L:90% Durham, produced an eye opening study about marijuana arrests 537 00:40:00.949 --> 00:40:06.800 A:middle L:90% in Durham that found that uh, if you're african 538 00:40:06.800 --> 00:40:09.809 A:middle L:90% american, you were three times as likely to be 539 00:40:09.809 --> 00:40:14.400 A:middle L:90% arrested for simple possession of marijuana as if you were 540 00:40:14.400 --> 00:40:17.760 A:middle L:90% white three times as many african americans as whites were 541 00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:23.159 A:middle L:90% being arrested for marijuana possession in Durham. While the 542 00:40:23.170 --> 00:40:29.619 A:middle L:90% , the epidemiological studies indicated that usage marijuana usage by 543 00:40:29.619 --> 00:40:31.440 A:middle L:90% african americans and whites would be roughly the same. 544 00:40:32.710 --> 00:40:35.860 A:middle L:90% So the question comes, well, what does that 545 00:40:35.860 --> 00:40:39.239 A:middle L:90% say about our policing and how is that happening? 546 00:40:40.210 --> 00:40:45.760 A:middle L:90% And it, and it, they produced a map 547 00:40:45.769 --> 00:40:52.559 A:middle L:90% , geographic study that indicated, unsurprisingly that most of 548 00:40:52.559 --> 00:40:55.889 A:middle L:90% the marijuana arrests were being conducted in predominantly African american 549 00:40:55.889 --> 00:41:00.429 A:middle L:90% neighborhoods. So that began, uh, that was 550 00:41:00.440 --> 00:41:05.340 A:middle L:90% the genesis of what became known as the Durham Fade 551 00:41:05.349 --> 00:41:10.630 A:middle L:90% campaign. And Durham fade raised questions about policing and 552 00:41:10.630 --> 00:41:16.409 A:middle L:90% racial disparities in Durham uh, made policy proposals to 553 00:41:16.409 --> 00:41:22.230 A:middle L:90% reduce racial disparities in the police, in policing. 554 00:41:22.610 --> 00:41:28.239 A:middle L:90% Uh, This came home with particular force for decia 555 00:41:28.909 --> 00:41:32.079 A:middle L:90% , when one of our yo Durham participants, a 556 00:41:32.079 --> 00:41:37.039 A:middle L:90% young man named Louis Little was arrested. He was 557 00:41:37.050 --> 00:41:44.320 A:middle L:90% , he had been enrolled as a student at, 558 00:41:44.329 --> 00:41:47.000 A:middle L:90% at, at north Carolina Central University. His first 559 00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:50.550 A:middle L:90% year, he had graduated from high school, successfully 560 00:41:50.550 --> 00:41:55.079 A:middle L:90% graduated from Mario Durham employment readiness program. And he 561 00:41:55.079 --> 00:42:00.219 A:middle L:90% had been, uh, he had been with some 562 00:42:00.219 --> 00:42:04.500 A:middle L:90% friends when they found a man who had been shot 563 00:42:04.510 --> 00:42:07.489 A:middle L:90% in the street. They were, they were walking 564 00:42:07.489 --> 00:42:09.550 A:middle L:90% through the neighborhood and came across a man who had 565 00:42:09.550 --> 00:42:13.260 A:middle L:90% been injured. They called the police. When the 566 00:42:13.260 --> 00:42:16.769 A:middle L:90% police arrived, they did a very brief assessment and 567 00:42:16.769 --> 00:42:21.489 A:middle L:90% interview of folks in this situation in the neighborhood and 568 00:42:21.489 --> 00:42:27.269 A:middle L:90% wound up arresting Lewis. Um he was taken to 569 00:42:27.269 --> 00:42:31.480 A:middle L:90% jail the, the preliminary grounds for suspicion. They 570 00:42:31.480 --> 00:42:36.110 A:middle L:90% had were quickly dispelled. There was no weapon, 571 00:42:36.500 --> 00:42:38.480 A:middle L:90% he had no, there was no gunshot residue, 572 00:42:38.480 --> 00:42:42.079 A:middle L:90% there was no witness who had seen him do anything 573 00:42:42.079 --> 00:42:45.780 A:middle L:90% . His friends said corroborated his story about why they 574 00:42:45.780 --> 00:42:51.349 A:middle L:90% were in the neighborhood. He wound up staying in 575 00:42:51.349 --> 00:43:00.340 A:middle L:90% jail for weeks though, because of because of basically 576 00:43:00.340 --> 00:43:05.250 A:middle L:90% the suspicion that he had done it without any without 577 00:43:05.260 --> 00:43:10.869 A:middle L:90% any evidence. And um, and this was indicative 578 00:43:10.880 --> 00:43:15.989 A:middle L:90% of the reason why so many in the black community 579 00:43:15.099 --> 00:43:21.409 A:middle L:90% were not cooperating with the police. We're not reporting 580 00:43:21.409 --> 00:43:23.449 A:middle L:90% crimes. They were afraid that they would, this 581 00:43:23.460 --> 00:43:25.960 A:middle L:90% illuminated the way the reason they were afraid that they 582 00:43:25.960 --> 00:43:32.500 A:middle L:90% would become the target of an investigation and because of 583 00:43:32.510 --> 00:43:35.889 A:middle L:90% , because of their race, because of the way 584 00:43:35.889 --> 00:43:37.550 A:middle L:90% that they looked, well, he did get out 585 00:43:37.550 --> 00:43:44.630 A:middle L:90% free, but that certainly energized the CIA's involvement with 586 00:43:44.630 --> 00:43:47.349 A:middle L:90% fade and support for the fade agenda, which included 587 00:43:47.349 --> 00:43:53.019 A:middle L:90% things like requiring police to obtain a written consent form 588 00:43:53.800 --> 00:44:00.039 A:middle L:90% when for voluntary search of vehicles. Uh, the 589 00:44:00.050 --> 00:44:01.940 A:middle L:90% , the, you were, if you were pulled 590 00:44:01.940 --> 00:44:06.929 A:middle L:90% over by a police officer in Durham, you were 591 00:44:06.940 --> 00:44:09.250 A:middle L:90% more than seven times, like more likely to be 592 00:44:09.260 --> 00:44:13.599 A:middle L:90% asked to have your vehicle searched by that police officer 593 00:44:13.599 --> 00:44:16.250 A:middle L:90% if you were black than if you're white. Uh 594 00:44:16.250 --> 00:44:20.909 A:middle L:90% , and that's, that's actually true around north Carolina 595 00:44:20.920 --> 00:44:23.219 A:middle L:90% , but it was even more so in Durham. 596 00:44:23.690 --> 00:44:28.989 A:middle L:90% And so, um, we made a campaign to 597 00:44:28.989 --> 00:44:31.250 A:middle L:90% get written consent from drivers. They would have to 598 00:44:31.250 --> 00:44:37.250 A:middle L:90% inform drivers that they have the right to decline the 599 00:44:37.260 --> 00:44:39.090 A:middle L:90% request to search their vehicle and that they would have 600 00:44:39.090 --> 00:44:44.260 A:middle L:90% to sign that authorization. Uh It was there was 601 00:44:44.260 --> 00:44:49.730 A:middle L:90% a campaign to um uh for racial equity training for 602 00:44:49.730 --> 00:44:52.030 A:middle L:90% police officers. There was a it was uh we 603 00:44:52.030 --> 00:44:58.800 A:middle L:90% had a demand to um also have simple possession of 604 00:44:58.800 --> 00:45:05.389 A:middle L:90% marijuana uh identified as the lowest law enforcement priority to 605 00:45:05.389 --> 00:45:07.260 A:middle L:90% be. So that possession of marijuana would be treated 606 00:45:07.340 --> 00:45:13.480 A:middle L:90% as on par with a traffic ticket with driving without 607 00:45:13.480 --> 00:45:15.920 A:middle L:90% a seatbelt, basically not something that you would be 608 00:45:15.920 --> 00:45:21.510 A:middle L:90% arrested for individually as as unless it were combined with 609 00:45:21.510 --> 00:45:23.650 A:middle L:90% a more serious offense, you wouldn't be charged with 610 00:45:23.650 --> 00:45:30.480 A:middle L:90% it. Um So, and we successfully got the 611 00:45:30.480 --> 00:45:34.159 A:middle L:90% Human Relations Commission of Durham to recommend most of these 612 00:45:34.159 --> 00:45:37.760 A:middle L:90% measures, and additional ones such as uh such as 613 00:45:37.769 --> 00:45:45.519 A:middle L:90% revitalizing uh and um and giving more enforcement authority to 614 00:45:45.530 --> 00:45:51.320 A:middle L:90% the civilian police review board of Durham. Um And 615 00:45:51.329 --> 00:45:54.039 A:middle L:90% these were enlarged adopted by the City Council. They 616 00:45:54.039 --> 00:45:59.190 A:middle L:90% did not adopt the lowest law enforcement priority change for 617 00:45:59.190 --> 00:46:01.579 A:middle L:90% marijuana, but we've got their advocates still working on 618 00:46:01.579 --> 00:46:06.039 A:middle L:90% that. But that is an example of how a 619 00:46:06.039 --> 00:46:13.300 A:middle L:90% system change would make an economic difference to folks that 620 00:46:13.300 --> 00:46:16.260 A:middle L:90% we have been providing direct services to. The difference 621 00:46:16.269 --> 00:46:21.789 A:middle L:90% is, you know, would be an adolescent arrested 622 00:46:21.800 --> 00:46:27.610 A:middle L:90% under policing practices prior to the policy change being entered 623 00:46:27.619 --> 00:46:31.769 A:middle L:90% into the criminal justice system. Um having that that 624 00:46:31.769 --> 00:46:37.789 A:middle L:90% record become an obstacle to college enrollment to future employment 625 00:46:38.280 --> 00:46:43.210 A:middle L:90% , having access only to low wage jobs, having 626 00:46:43.679 --> 00:46:46.170 A:middle L:90% to future home ownership, having that record be an 627 00:46:46.170 --> 00:46:51.900 A:middle L:90% obstacle to accessing credit, to being able to get 628 00:46:51.900 --> 00:46:54.730 A:middle L:90% loans even to in times of crisis, being able 629 00:46:54.730 --> 00:47:02.510 A:middle L:90% to access government assistance uh in poverty. Whereas with 630 00:47:02.519 --> 00:47:07.960 A:middle L:90% those policy changes, where you where you turn the 631 00:47:07.960 --> 00:47:12.789 A:middle L:90% faucet and turn the faucet down, the likelihood of 632 00:47:12.800 --> 00:47:15.570 A:middle L:90% being caught up in the criminal justice system. You 633 00:47:15.570 --> 00:47:20.000 A:middle L:90% open up opportunities for education, for credit for employment 634 00:47:20.380 --> 00:47:23.170 A:middle L:90% , that have a tremendous impact on whole communities. 635 00:47:23.179 --> 00:47:28.590 A:middle L:90% I mean, you think, um, it's tremendous 636 00:47:28.599 --> 00:47:30.409 A:middle L:90% to what that would leverage. So I'm gonna play 637 00:47:30.409 --> 00:47:37.889 A:middle L:90% a little video about the Durham fade campaign, uh 638 00:47:37.900 --> 00:47:39.400 A:middle L:90% issued before the mayor and the City council. We 639 00:47:39.400 --> 00:47:43.519 A:middle L:90% talked about the fact that we're speaking about racial bias 640 00:47:43.530 --> 00:47:46.210 A:middle L:90% and racial profiling and police brutality, um, in 641 00:47:46.210 --> 00:47:51.489 A:middle L:90% the african american community that is definitely a race based 642 00:47:51.500 --> 00:47:58.219 A:middle L:90% problem. Uh, we're talking about structural and institutional 643 00:47:58.219 --> 00:48:00.170 A:middle L:90% racism and that work has to be done not only 644 00:48:00.179 --> 00:48:02.639 A:middle L:90% with the Police department, but by the city and 645 00:48:02.639 --> 00:48:05.849 A:middle L:90% we need our mayor and we need our city officials 646 00:48:05.860 --> 00:48:08.329 A:middle L:90% to be courageous enough to speak about the problem uh 647 00:48:08.860 --> 00:48:14.789 A:middle L:90% is really concerned about being held hostage by control. 648 00:48:15.469 --> 00:48:20.440 A:middle L:90% This is the situation of control, every citizen's constitutional 649 00:48:20.440 --> 00:48:36.469 A:middle L:90% rights. What a there are no one will be 650 00:48:36.480 --> 00:48:59.300 A:middle L:90% discussing the challenges a piece of paper with a I 651 00:48:59.309 --> 00:49:02.320 A:middle L:90% have a way and really supposed to be free radical 652 00:49:02.329 --> 00:49:07.199 A:middle L:90% pay my way as a as a time they work 653 00:49:07.210 --> 00:49:08.380 A:middle L:90% because that's where I come from. So if you 654 00:49:08.389 --> 00:49:12.480 A:middle L:90% don't, you know how you're using, because I 655 00:49:12.480 --> 00:49:15.519 A:middle L:90% want to stop until you guys, people of colour 656 00:49:15.530 --> 00:49:19.760 A:middle L:90% , LGBTQ people and young people face harassment and discrimination 657 00:49:19.760 --> 00:49:22.900 A:middle L:90% by the Police department on a daily basis. And 658 00:49:22.909 --> 00:49:25.880 A:middle L:90% for this reason, we wholeheartedly supported the five recommendations 659 00:49:25.880 --> 00:49:37.400 A:middle L:90% put forward by the same coalition. We'll be right 660 00:49:38.309 --> 00:49:46.300 A:middle L:90% . So that's an example of making of organizing for 661 00:49:46.300 --> 00:49:51.500 A:middle L:90% systems change in a way that has a significant economic 662 00:49:51.510 --> 00:49:59.329 A:middle L:90% impact on a marginalized community. Um, We also 663 00:49:59.329 --> 00:50:04.829 A:middle L:90% became involved in 2012, began to explore relationships with 664 00:50:04.829 --> 00:50:07.860 A:middle L:90% worker justice uh, programs. There's a, there's 665 00:50:07.860 --> 00:50:14.059 A:middle L:90% a national organization called Jobs with Justice that seeks to 666 00:50:14.059 --> 00:50:21.119 A:middle L:90% partner faith communities with unions with labour organizations, faith 667 00:50:21.119 --> 00:50:27.320 A:middle L:90% communities and other grassroots community organized organizations with with labour 668 00:50:27.320 --> 00:50:32.440 A:middle L:90% rights organizations to develop partnerships of support. So that 669 00:50:32.449 --> 00:50:36.909 A:middle L:90% which was, it was very timely because about a 670 00:50:36.909 --> 00:50:39.630 A:middle L:90% year after we began meeting with jobs for Justice in 671 00:50:39.630 --> 00:50:45.170 A:middle L:90% 2012, Then in 2013, we we were contacted 672 00:50:45.179 --> 00:50:51.099 A:middle L:90% by the raise up$15 an hour campaign of fast 673 00:50:51.099 --> 00:50:55.750 A:middle L:90% food workers and the our Walmart campaign of Walmart employees 674 00:50:55.760 --> 00:51:00.730 A:middle L:90% seeking uh, to raise their wage to uh, 675 00:51:00.739 --> 00:51:06.730 A:middle L:90% $12$13 an hour. Um, and we were 676 00:51:06.730 --> 00:51:13.500 A:middle L:90% able to start doing education with our congregations are constituency 677 00:51:13.510 --> 00:51:15.590 A:middle L:90% about worker rights. Now this is particularly significant for 678 00:51:15.590 --> 00:51:20.630 A:middle L:90% north Carolina because north Carolina has been one of the 679 00:51:20.630 --> 00:51:23.960 A:middle L:90% most anti union states in the country. Uh They 680 00:51:23.969 --> 00:51:28.969 A:middle L:90% literally killed off most of the unions back in the 681 00:51:28.969 --> 00:51:35.570 A:middle L:90% 19 twenties with anti union violence. Um and since 682 00:51:35.570 --> 00:51:39.309 A:middle L:90% then, uh it's been very difficult for workers to 683 00:51:39.320 --> 00:51:45.630 A:middle L:90% organize uh union representation, but the uh, but 684 00:51:45.639 --> 00:51:49.820 A:middle L:90% it has been revived in north Carolina, there has 685 00:51:49.820 --> 00:51:53.949 A:middle L:90% been successful organizing done, but people do not connect 686 00:51:53.960 --> 00:51:58.800 A:middle L:90% with worker rights organizing culturally. It's just not part 687 00:51:58.800 --> 00:52:01.070 A:middle L:90% of our history for most households in north Carolina. 688 00:52:01.449 --> 00:52:05.780 A:middle L:90% So, again, bringing to bear the language of 689 00:52:05.780 --> 00:52:10.150 A:middle L:90% spirituality and faith. The testimony to the values behind 690 00:52:10.150 --> 00:52:15.699 A:middle L:90% labor organizing, behind workers rights is a significant element 691 00:52:15.710 --> 00:52:20.170 A:middle L:90% to opening up the possibility for that to happen. 692 00:52:20.550 --> 00:52:22.420 A:middle L:90% Um and that's something that we've invested a good bit 693 00:52:22.420 --> 00:52:25.630 A:middle L:90% of time in, particularly with churches with, with 694 00:52:25.630 --> 00:52:30.949 A:middle L:90% christian churches, because they're the dominant christian churches are 695 00:52:30.949 --> 00:52:35.309 A:middle L:90% the dominant religious community in Durham, in north Carolina 696 00:52:35.320 --> 00:52:37.949 A:middle L:90% . And so that's one reason why in the last 697 00:52:37.949 --> 00:52:43.070 A:middle L:90% year we've produced a bible study curriculum on workers rights 698 00:52:43.150 --> 00:52:46.360 A:middle L:90% , so that study groups, discussion groups in churches 699 00:52:46.369 --> 00:52:52.619 A:middle L:90% , could have a resource that would connect the scriptures 700 00:52:52.630 --> 00:52:57.409 A:middle L:90% text that they had that they were familiar with in 701 00:52:57.409 --> 00:53:01.250 A:middle L:90% the framework of workers rights issues and helped to connect 702 00:53:01.260 --> 00:53:06.320 A:middle L:90% those dots for them particularly well, we wound up 703 00:53:06.320 --> 00:53:10.809 A:middle L:90% drawing especially to focus was the sabbath commandment, uh 704 00:53:10.820 --> 00:53:14.949 A:middle L:90% , that you shall observe the sabbath and keep it 705 00:53:14.949 --> 00:53:19.809 A:middle L:90% holy and and uh introducing the perspective that that was 706 00:53:19.809 --> 00:53:23.389 A:middle L:90% one of the earliest worker rights legislation, Everybody gets 707 00:53:23.400 --> 00:53:27.849 A:middle L:90% a day off everybody. And the old testament is 708 00:53:27.849 --> 00:53:30.510 A:middle L:90% very clear about that, no matter if he, 709 00:53:30.510 --> 00:53:34.130 A:middle L:90% if it's the lowest slave or your highest paid Forman 710 00:53:34.139 --> 00:53:37.829 A:middle L:90% , everybody stops working for a day, no matter 711 00:53:37.829 --> 00:53:42.269 A:middle L:90% what it costs you. And so even more broadly 712 00:53:42.269 --> 00:53:45.320 A:middle L:90% economically. And we explore this throughout the curriculum, 713 00:53:45.329 --> 00:53:47.960 A:middle L:90% that the way that that's developed in the biblical tradition 714 00:53:47.960 --> 00:53:51.570 A:middle L:90% , in the old testament by the profits and on 715 00:53:51.570 --> 00:53:55.059 A:middle L:90% into the new testament in the early church was that 716 00:53:55.059 --> 00:54:02.969 A:middle L:90% that that commandment demonstrated that profitability was not the final 717 00:54:02.980 --> 00:54:07.469 A:middle L:90% arbiter of how economic activity was to be conducted. 718 00:54:07.940 --> 00:54:15.349 A:middle L:90% That that profitability, productivity did not have absolute say 719 00:54:15.360 --> 00:54:20.190 A:middle L:90% on how economic activity was to be conducted. There 720 00:54:20.190 --> 00:54:23.400 A:middle L:90% were humanitarian values that had to be brought to bear 721 00:54:23.409 --> 00:54:29.329 A:middle L:90% and to even given top priority at times, even 722 00:54:29.329 --> 00:54:31.420 A:middle L:90% at least once a week. So that was bringing 723 00:54:31.420 --> 00:54:36.559 A:middle L:90% that faith language to bear makes a difference now. 724 00:54:37.340 --> 00:54:40.090 A:middle L:90% Uh, so that connects some of the economic issues 725 00:54:40.099 --> 00:54:45.159 A:middle L:90% . The, a lot of our clergy, I'm 726 00:54:45.159 --> 00:54:46.929 A:middle L:90% gonna show you a couple of videos, a lot 727 00:54:46.929 --> 00:54:52.289 A:middle L:90% of our clergy got involved then with the moral Monday 728 00:54:52.289 --> 00:54:58.090 A:middle L:90% campaign last year in 2013, um William Barber when 729 00:54:58.090 --> 00:55:01.269 A:middle L:90% he became president of the north Carolina, uh double 730 00:55:01.269 --> 00:55:04.960 A:middle L:90% A C. P. Uh I think it's 2000 731 00:55:04.960 --> 00:55:08.800 A:middle L:90% and six. Uh he began to what was called 732 00:55:08.809 --> 00:55:14.199 A:middle L:90% Historic Thousands on jones street Movement or the Forward Together 733 00:55:14.199 --> 00:55:19.309 A:middle L:90% Movement that would have a large rally once a year 734 00:55:19.309 --> 00:55:24.139 A:middle L:90% in february each year bringing diverse interest groups, labor 735 00:55:24.150 --> 00:55:30.130 A:middle L:90% peace, women's rights voting rights groups together on one 736 00:55:30.130 --> 00:55:36.659 A:middle L:90% day to lobby the Legislature for for better representation and 737 00:55:36.659 --> 00:55:40.119 A:middle L:90% policies on behalf of marginalized groups. This included workers 738 00:55:40.119 --> 00:55:45.610 A:middle L:90% rights groups. Um And they were, so he 739 00:55:45.610 --> 00:55:51.400 A:middle L:90% had this movement organizing then in 2000 12, uh 740 00:55:51.409 --> 00:55:54.949 A:middle L:90% the uh the leadership of the House and the Senate 741 00:55:54.960 --> 00:56:01.900 A:middle L:90% uh changed over to uh republican leadership that undertook some 742 00:56:01.900 --> 00:56:08.139 A:middle L:90% significant policy changes. Um They declined in 2013 after 743 00:56:08.139 --> 00:56:13.400 A:middle L:90% they came into office. They declined to extend Medicaid 744 00:56:13.409 --> 00:56:16.050 A:middle L:90% to 500,000 north Carolinians as part of the health care 745 00:56:16.050 --> 00:56:22.340 A:middle L:90% reform plan. They declined to uh to extend unemployment 746 00:56:22.340 --> 00:56:28.500 A:middle L:90% benefits to 900,000 North Carolinians, basically, the the 747 00:56:28.510 --> 00:56:31.099 A:middle L:90% federal government was going to pay the Vor majority of 748 00:56:31.099 --> 00:56:36.170 A:middle L:90% those benefits, but they declined to pay the small 749 00:56:36.170 --> 00:56:40.239 A:middle L:90% states portion. And so 900,000 North Carolinians lost federal 750 00:56:40.250 --> 00:56:45.500 A:middle L:90% and state unemployment benefits because of that. So, 751 00:56:45.510 --> 00:56:50.690 A:middle L:90% uh and they started making changes and voting rights laws 752 00:56:50.699 --> 00:56:53.349 A:middle L:90% . Um, there was a whole range of changes 753 00:56:53.349 --> 00:56:58.690 A:middle L:90% that they were making on uh policy regarding poor and 754 00:56:58.699 --> 00:57:00.739 A:middle L:90% voting access that had to be addressed. So Doctor 755 00:57:00.750 --> 00:57:06.849 A:middle L:90% Reverend Barber organized the campaign of civil disobedience in response 756 00:57:06.849 --> 00:57:09.900 A:middle L:90% to this. Led by clergy in the communities. 757 00:57:09.900 --> 00:57:13.610 A:middle L:90% Because part of the important frame of the Forward Together 758 00:57:13.610 --> 00:57:16.579 A:middle L:90% movement had always been, this is not simply interest 759 00:57:16.579 --> 00:57:22.289 A:middle L:90% group organizing. We are explicitly doing this on the 760 00:57:22.289 --> 00:57:25.619 A:middle L:90% basis of values that are spiritual communities are bringing to 761 00:57:25.619 --> 00:57:30.530 A:middle L:90% bear on this. And so, um, that 762 00:57:30.530 --> 00:57:34.980 A:middle L:90% was the moral monday campaign from the beginning, was 763 00:57:34.989 --> 00:57:37.920 A:middle L:90% about, uh, what was about bringing our spiritual 764 00:57:37.920 --> 00:57:43.789 A:middle L:90% values to bear on public policies that affected the poor 765 00:57:43.800 --> 00:57:47.019 A:middle L:90% and the marginalized. And so, um, you 766 00:57:47.019 --> 00:57:50.360 A:middle L:90% will, I'm just going to play a bit of 767 00:57:50.360 --> 00:58:08.389 A:middle L:90% this one and then say closing. So this is 768 00:58:08.389 --> 00:58:15.239 A:middle L:90% the third week demonstrators, comedies documents some of this 769 00:58:15.239 --> 00:58:29.079 A:middle L:90% obedience power legislature trying to empower organizations working poor people 770 00:58:29.219 --> 00:58:35.119 A:middle L:90% that led us across gender, sexuality and abilities to 771 00:58:35.130 --> 00:58:38.949 A:middle L:90% act and speak collectively against the justices experience on our 772 00:58:38.960 --> 00:58:44.039 A:middle L:90% jobs in society at this time. Not only do 773 00:58:44.039 --> 00:58:49.239 A:middle L:90% we not have a rising tide raising up for robots 774 00:58:49.280 --> 00:58:51.769 A:middle L:90% and fishing boats along with the yachts, we've got 775 00:58:51.769 --> 00:58:53.960 A:middle L:90% the folks on the yacht actively shooting cannonballs and the 776 00:58:53.969 --> 00:59:04.050 A:middle L:90% rest of the everything for the power of the employers 777 00:59:04.170 --> 00:59:08.369 A:middle L:90% to exploit this device. To increase the power, 778 00:59:15.619 --> 00:59:21.090 A:middle L:90% systematic effort by the legislatures in this escape to undermine 779 00:59:21.090 --> 00:59:23.639 A:middle L:90% that fact, you removed the rights of the people 780 00:59:23.650 --> 00:59:28.809 A:middle L:90% of north Carolina, things that you do not deployed 781 00:59:28.809 --> 00:59:31.079 A:middle L:90% abroad. At least you can save yourself. Things 782 00:59:31.079 --> 00:59:35.780 A:middle L:90% are okay at home. I didn't never think of 783 00:59:35.789 --> 00:59:38.780 A:middle L:90% my military career. I have to come to defend 784 00:59:38.789 --> 00:59:45.599 A:middle L:90% the constitution of the United States to get the missiles 785 00:59:45.610 --> 00:59:49.360 A:middle L:90% in. And right now, I want to send 786 00:59:49.360 --> 00:59:52.500 A:middle L:90% up to the mark. I'm all the nights when 787 00:59:52.510 --> 00:59:57.349 A:middle L:90% you raise sales taxes, raising taxes on the veterans 788 00:59:57.960 --> 01:00:05.289 A:middle L:90% . When you cut benefits, you used to say 789 01:00:05.289 --> 01:00:09.389 A:middle L:90% to each other semper fi. Always faithful faithful brothers 790 01:00:09.389 --> 01:00:17.800 A:middle L:90% and sisters from Army, Air Force to defend democracy 791 01:00:19.059 --> 01:00:22.739 A:middle L:90% . We are risking losing the week that we have 792 01:00:22.969 --> 01:00:27.750 A:middle L:90% but we are also risking the rights and dignity of 793 01:00:27.760 --> 01:00:32.369 A:middle L:90% future generations. Education of our talking. Being sacrificed 794 01:00:32.380 --> 01:00:44.800 A:middle L:90% before governor McCrory and married men are engaging in no 795 01:00:44.800 --> 01:00:52.550 A:middle L:90% matter what seems to be coming out. And if 796 01:00:52.550 --> 01:00:57.099 A:middle L:90% you can stand there with yourself for life because you 797 01:00:57.099 --> 01:00:59.849 A:middle L:90% think a woman should have a choice, well then 798 01:00:59.849 --> 01:01:01.469 A:middle L:90% you have no right to call yourself for a life 799 01:01:01.480 --> 01:01:09.239 A:middle L:90% when you deny healthcare,€2 million to show the 800 01:01:09.250 --> 01:01:24.969 A:middle L:90% rising of the sun right now is the time for 801 01:01:24.969 --> 01:01:32.579 A:middle L:90% us because these are issues that they call back so 802 01:01:32.590 --> 01:01:36.789 A:middle L:90% we can exercise our right now. I just want 803 01:01:36.789 --> 01:01:45.519 A:middle L:90% to sit there and dictate Constitution together jail. There's 804 01:01:45.539 --> 01:01:57.849 A:middle L:90% a real small to be arrested. Those who operate 805 01:01:59.750 --> 01:02:07.079 A:middle L:90% the Constitution said secret political society, secret love, 806 01:02:07.829 --> 01:02:12.719 A:middle L:90% secret and dangerous to the liberties of the people. 807 01:02:12.980 --> 01:02:15.869 A:middle L:90% And in our Constitution says it shall not be tolerated 808 01:02:16.070 --> 01:02:22.280 A:middle L:90% . So you should not be arresting us for exposing 809 01:02:22.289 --> 01:02:28.949 A:middle L:90% what's happening. You should not be arresting us shining 810 01:02:28.949 --> 01:02:31.929 A:middle L:90% and unaffordable moral life on the tragic policies that are 811 01:02:31.940 --> 01:02:36.300 A:middle L:90% being passed in the back room. We go in 812 01:02:36.309 --> 01:02:39.159 A:middle L:90% hopes that somebody's conscience will be and they will change 813 01:02:39.170 --> 01:02:42.489 A:middle L:90% and they will realize that once they got elected, 814 01:02:42.500 --> 01:02:45.559 A:middle L:90% they're not republicans, not democrats. They're supposed to 815 01:02:45.570 --> 01:02:47.059 A:middle L:90% operate for the good of the whole and the common 816 01:02:47.070 --> 01:02:57.289 A:middle L:90% good a job to be down. And as we 817 01:02:57.289 --> 01:03:04.460 A:middle L:90% walk to our house that we built and paid for 818 01:03:04.469 --> 01:03:12.019 A:middle L:90% , remember God worship Love is on the side of 819 01:03:12.030 --> 01:03:21.179 A:middle L:90% the window and the neighbor. So let us go 820 01:03:21.300 --> 01:03:22.969 A:middle L:90% , the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord 821 01:03:22.980 --> 01:03:27.489 A:middle L:90% basis face to shine upon you and be gracious. 822 01:03:27.489 --> 01:03:30.650 A:middle L:90% Is the Lord that his countenance upon you and give 823 01:03:30.659 --> 01:03:43.079 A:middle L:90% you peace now and forever more. So, bringing 824 01:03:43.079 --> 01:03:46.730 A:middle L:90% that language of spiritual values to bear on public policy 825 01:03:47.099 --> 01:03:51.940 A:middle L:90% is an important work in organizing in the south for 826 01:03:51.940 --> 01:03:53.909 A:middle L:90% economic justice. Because as much in the south, 827 01:03:53.909 --> 01:04:00.559 A:middle L:90% there's definitely a culture history of separating not only government 828 01:04:00.570 --> 01:04:08.460 A:middle L:90% but economic activity from religious life. That church is 829 01:04:08.460 --> 01:04:13.760 A:middle L:90% what you do for your personal life, Salvation and 830 01:04:13.769 --> 01:04:16.329 A:middle L:90% doesn't have much to do, or it's not to 831 01:04:16.329 --> 01:04:19.860 A:middle L:90% be discussed in connection with the way you do business 832 01:04:19.940 --> 01:04:25.559 A:middle L:90% , that's business or that government, This is religion 833 01:04:25.780 --> 01:04:29.530 A:middle L:90% and faith and the two shall not meet. Now 834 01:04:29.530 --> 01:04:31.219 A:middle L:90% , there's good. Uh, now this is not 835 01:04:31.219 --> 01:04:35.400 A:middle L:90% an assault on church state separation. It's not about 836 01:04:35.409 --> 01:04:40.179 A:middle L:90% getting the government to institute religious practices, but it 837 01:04:40.179 --> 01:04:43.650 A:middle L:90% is about bringing our religious values to bear in the 838 01:04:43.650 --> 01:04:46.980 A:middle L:90% public square for shaping public policy for common good for 839 01:04:46.980 --> 01:04:51.510 A:middle L:90% issues of common good. What we see in in 840 01:04:51.519 --> 01:04:59.519 A:middle L:90% mass society is often that when political actions becomes become 841 01:04:59.519 --> 01:05:05.420 A:middle L:90% disconnected from one's core identity values, that is when 842 01:05:05.789 --> 01:05:10.809 A:middle L:90% the, the, the public, the common public 843 01:05:10.809 --> 01:05:15.300 A:middle L:90% , the grassroots, becomes disengaged from political action. 844 01:05:15.789 --> 01:05:21.849 A:middle L:90% And so helping connect people's core identity, spiritual values 845 01:05:21.880 --> 01:05:26.639 A:middle L:90% with what is happening in the public square in public 846 01:05:26.639 --> 01:05:31.059 A:middle L:90% policy is essential for the future of community organizing for 847 01:05:31.059 --> 01:05:34.110 A:middle L:90% economic change. I believe I'm going to say one 848 01:05:34.110 --> 01:05:41.269 A:middle L:90% last word about the, from a theological perspective, 849 01:05:41.280 --> 01:05:43.969 A:middle L:90% part so part of the importance of the work of 850 01:05:43.969 --> 01:05:48.360 A:middle L:90% having religious communities involved in social change movements and helping 851 01:05:48.360 --> 01:05:51.980 A:middle L:90% to shape those movements is, as I said, 852 01:05:51.989 --> 01:05:58.500 A:middle L:90% overcoming that dichotomy of of and that results in the 853 01:05:58.510 --> 01:06:01.670 A:middle L:90% innovation of, of public mindedness on the part of 854 01:06:01.670 --> 01:06:08.489 A:middle L:90% individuals because it seems distant from their core values and 855 01:06:08.489 --> 01:06:12.309 A:middle L:90% identities. Uh, we need to bridge that gap 856 01:06:12.320 --> 01:06:16.300 A:middle L:90% and that our religious communities are essential for doing that 857 01:06:17.079 --> 01:06:21.340 A:middle L:90% . The second is more particularly theological and that and 858 01:06:21.349 --> 01:06:26.869 A:middle L:90% the reason some spiritual communities do not or cannot do 859 01:06:26.869 --> 01:06:29.500 A:middle L:90% , that has a lot to do with the type 860 01:06:29.500 --> 01:06:32.099 A:middle L:90% of theology. And now there's different theological framing is 861 01:06:32.099 --> 01:06:36.320 A:middle L:90% of particular moral issues and political issues that come to 862 01:06:36.329 --> 01:06:40.329 A:middle L:90% that come to bear in that. But I'm not 863 01:06:40.329 --> 01:06:45.460 A:middle L:90% speaking about so much those particular moral instructions uh, 864 01:06:45.469 --> 01:06:48.840 A:middle L:90% within particular communities that that bound or shape the way 865 01:06:48.840 --> 01:06:50.929 A:middle L:90% that they get involved in public issues, but more 866 01:06:50.940 --> 01:06:57.650 A:middle L:90% how God is identified, that there are religious communities 867 01:06:57.659 --> 01:07:02.510 A:middle L:90% , christian and non christian, that primarily identify God 868 01:07:02.519 --> 01:07:08.710 A:middle L:90% as operating through the existing systems of the world, 869 01:07:09.280 --> 01:07:11.739 A:middle L:90% that God's, uh, that, that, that 870 01:07:11.739 --> 01:07:15.699 A:middle L:90% the divine sovereignty, that the exercise of God's work 871 01:07:15.699 --> 01:07:20.570 A:middle L:90% in the world is being carried out primarily through the 872 01:07:20.579 --> 01:07:25.900 A:middle L:90% , uh, the systems established as they are. 873 01:07:26.179 --> 01:07:30.389 A:middle L:90% So as God ordaining the way things are. In 874 01:07:30.389 --> 01:07:33.409 A:middle L:90% other words, God, the way the world is 875 01:07:34.079 --> 01:07:38.960 A:middle L:90% the way that systems operate, the way that the 876 01:07:38.960 --> 01:07:44.489 A:middle L:90% economy operates is a reflection of the way God wants 877 01:07:44.489 --> 01:07:47.909 A:middle L:90% it. It's a reflection of divine intention and purpose 878 01:07:49.679 --> 01:07:56.099 A:middle L:90% . And that is, that is a theology that 879 01:07:56.480 --> 01:08:03.269 A:middle L:90% distances people from engagement with change. And there are 880 01:08:03.269 --> 01:08:09.969 A:middle L:90% certainly scriptures, christian and non christian hebrew bible chronic 881 01:08:09.980 --> 01:08:13.159 A:middle L:90% , that can be brought to bear to uh, 882 01:08:13.170 --> 01:08:17.619 A:middle L:90% to reinforce or underwrite that perspective. But there are 883 01:08:17.619 --> 01:08:21.479 A:middle L:90% , there's another theology framing that a lot of the 884 01:08:21.479 --> 01:08:26.960 A:middle L:90% communities and religious leaders who are involved in social change 885 01:08:26.960 --> 01:08:31.199 A:middle L:90% movements subscribed to as an alternative. Also attested to 886 01:08:31.210 --> 01:08:34.380 A:middle L:90% in the scriptures of the hebrew bible, of the 887 01:08:34.380 --> 01:08:40.090 A:middle L:90% new testament of the Koran, which is that uh 888 01:08:40.100 --> 01:08:45.739 A:middle L:90% , that God is at work to overcome injustice, 889 01:08:45.750 --> 01:08:48.520 A:middle L:90% inequity in the, in the system, the established 890 01:08:48.520 --> 01:08:50.449 A:middle L:90% world as it is in other words that the world 891 01:08:50.449 --> 01:08:56.239 A:middle L:90% is that has experienced right now is fraught with rebellion 892 01:08:56.239 --> 01:09:00.500 A:middle L:90% and resistance to God's purposes and intentions. And there 893 01:09:00.500 --> 01:09:04.340 A:middle L:90% are different, there's different language about how that plays 894 01:09:04.340 --> 01:09:08.380 A:middle L:90% out and what that means. But it but it 895 01:09:08.380 --> 01:09:12.000 A:middle L:90% is, I often address that just simply in terms 896 01:09:12.000 --> 01:09:14.579 A:middle L:90% of something that's very familiar to lots of people christian 897 01:09:14.579 --> 01:09:16.720 A:middle L:90% or non christian the Lord's prayer, which people don't 898 01:09:16.729 --> 01:09:20.579 A:middle L:90% think about in these terms very often, but in 899 01:09:20.579 --> 01:09:24.039 A:middle L:90% the Lord's prayer, our father who art in heaven 900 01:09:24.050 --> 01:09:26.409 A:middle L:90% , hallowed, be your name, your kingdom, 901 01:09:26.409 --> 01:09:29.960 A:middle L:90% come, your will be done on earth as it 902 01:09:29.960 --> 01:09:32.270 A:middle L:90% is in heaven. What is implicit in that is 903 01:09:32.279 --> 01:09:35.529 A:middle L:90% a theology of change? What is implicit in that 904 01:09:35.539 --> 01:09:41.939 A:middle L:90% is that in fact God's will is not being done 905 01:09:41.949 --> 01:09:45.460 A:middle L:90% on earth right now as it is as God would 906 01:09:45.470 --> 01:09:49.760 A:middle L:90% have it be that there is that that what we 907 01:09:49.760 --> 01:09:54.939 A:middle L:90% are to seek after from God is a change in 908 01:09:54.939 --> 01:09:59.750 A:middle L:90% the world. So looking at those fundamentally different spirituality 909 01:09:59.750 --> 01:10:03.369 A:middle L:90% ease of seeking to ally with a God who whose 910 01:10:03.369 --> 01:10:11.050 A:middle L:90% purpose is to change the way the world operates versus 911 01:10:11.060 --> 01:10:14.449 A:middle L:90% ally with a God whose purpose is to conform us 912 01:10:14.449 --> 01:10:16.729 A:middle L:90% to the way the world operates right now are two 913 01:10:16.739 --> 01:10:23.859 A:middle L:90% very different spirituality to effect significant social change for economic 914 01:10:23.859 --> 01:10:28.979 A:middle L:90% justice. We have got to get at these spiritual 915 01:10:28.979 --> 01:10:34.220 A:middle L:90% values and framing in order to draw together the constituencies 916 01:10:34.220 --> 01:10:38.850 A:middle L:90% we need in our communities to make these social changes 917 01:10:38.850 --> 01:10:43.680 A:middle L:90% for racial and economic justice. And with that, 918 01:10:44.250 --> 01:10:51.189 A:middle L:90% I will welcome your questions. Uh huh. Okay 919 01:10:56.560 --> 01:11:00.270 A:middle L:90% . Yeah. Question. Um, so a lot 920 01:11:00.270 --> 01:11:02.479 A:middle L:90% of, a lot of, well, first thank 921 01:11:02.479 --> 01:11:04.779 A:middle L:90% you for a wonderful presentation for a great presentation. 922 01:11:04.789 --> 01:11:09.380 A:middle L:90% A lot of what you had to say um, 923 01:11:09.390 --> 01:11:14.770 A:middle L:90% talked about or talked about organizations working together and in 924 01:11:14.770 --> 01:11:15.859 A:middle L:90% harmony around things. But I'm a little bit interested 925 01:11:15.859 --> 01:11:18.609 A:middle L:90% in some of the sort of nuances and tensions that 926 01:11:18.609 --> 01:11:21.880 A:middle L:90% might exist. So are there is so in deciding 927 01:11:23.260 --> 01:11:26.750 A:middle L:90% what groups to partner with, which particular causes to 928 01:11:26.760 --> 01:11:29.489 A:middle L:90% take up or which strategies to you? Are there 929 01:11:29.500 --> 01:11:32.399 A:middle L:90% places where there where sometimes you're going in a direction 930 01:11:32.399 --> 01:11:35.609 A:middle L:90% that everybody isn't completely with everyone values, values are 931 01:11:35.960 --> 01:11:40.170 A:middle L:90% comfortable with and how do you work to move through 932 01:11:40.170 --> 01:11:43.739 A:middle L:90% them? Yes, there are. There are absolutely 933 01:11:43.739 --> 01:11:45.260 A:middle L:90% . I mean, I'll tell you, I mean 934 01:11:45.260 --> 01:11:49.689 A:middle L:90% , with with the CIA's leadership for instance, um 935 01:11:50.560 --> 01:11:55.180 A:middle L:90% I mean, 3-2 years ago to almost three years 936 01:11:55.180 --> 01:12:01.020 A:middle L:90% ago there was a great deal of of apprehension of 937 01:12:01.029 --> 01:12:10.250 A:middle L:90% caution about stepping into workers rights advocacy because of again 938 01:12:10.250 --> 01:12:13.869 A:middle L:90% it was it's not something that was familiar. I 939 01:12:13.869 --> 01:12:16.170 A:middle L:90% mean, these were ministers and congregation leaders who were 940 01:12:16.170 --> 01:12:20.439 A:middle L:90% very committed to social justice work, but again, 941 01:12:20.439 --> 01:12:24.949 A:middle L:90% it was framed social justice work in their experience, 942 01:12:24.949 --> 01:12:28.729 A:middle L:90% had been campaigning for government, unemployment benefits for the 943 01:12:28.729 --> 01:12:33.250 A:middle L:90% unemployed, not so much for worker empowerment to shape 944 01:12:33.250 --> 01:12:36.180 A:middle L:90% the way that employment practices happened in the first place 945 01:12:36.850 --> 01:12:41.229 A:middle L:90% . So that was taking those steps can be challenged 946 01:12:41.229 --> 01:12:44.619 A:middle L:90% . What what helped make that possible though, was 947 01:12:44.630 --> 01:12:48.659 A:middle L:90% again, another was was the personal experience of having 948 01:12:48.659 --> 01:12:54.590 A:middle L:90% workers come forward with a plan who are willing to 949 01:12:54.590 --> 01:12:57.039 A:middle L:90% self advocate. I didn't show video here, but 950 01:12:57.050 --> 01:13:00.220 A:middle L:90% this the moral monday video show, there's one just 951 01:13:00.220 --> 01:13:03.970 A:middle L:90% like it, of fast food workers in Durham demonstrating 952 01:13:04.229 --> 01:13:09.350 A:middle L:90% , being arrested in Durham for taking public action. 953 01:13:09.359 --> 01:13:15.319 A:middle L:90% And when presented with folks who are willing to self 954 01:13:15.319 --> 01:13:23.750 A:middle L:90% advocate in that way, the leadership of sympathetic religious 955 01:13:23.750 --> 01:13:27.819 A:middle L:90% communities will often step up, take another step, 956 01:13:27.829 --> 01:13:29.800 A:middle L:90% will take another step. Now, there are things 957 01:13:29.800 --> 01:13:33.060 A:middle L:90% that are divisive within the community. There's um I 958 01:13:33.060 --> 01:13:38.939 A:middle L:90% mean, one of one turning point in the moral 959 01:13:38.939 --> 01:13:45.770 A:middle L:90% Monday campaign last year was when the legislature decided to 960 01:13:45.779 --> 01:13:50.779 A:middle L:90% uh amend the law regarding um access to abortions in 961 01:13:50.779 --> 01:13:59.550 A:middle L:90% Durham, uh the uh laws regarding medical uh medical 962 01:13:59.560 --> 01:14:06.390 A:middle L:90% requirements for performing abortions, and we're and defunded planned 963 01:14:06.390 --> 01:14:15.800 A:middle L:90% parenthood and the um planned parenthood met with the moral 964 01:14:15.800 --> 01:14:21.000 A:middle L:90% monday leadership Dr Barber and his associates and they decided 965 01:14:21.000 --> 01:14:29.630 A:middle L:90% that they would incorporate the planned parenthood campaign elements into 966 01:14:29.630 --> 01:14:35.579 A:middle L:90% the moral monday campaign movement. Um There were some 967 01:14:35.590 --> 01:14:40.470 A:middle L:90% uh there were some supporters and participants in the moral 968 01:14:40.470 --> 01:14:44.970 A:middle L:90% Monday movement who were not happy about that. Not 969 01:14:44.970 --> 01:14:48.710 A:middle L:90% many withdrew active involvement with it, but they did 970 01:14:48.710 --> 01:14:54.000 A:middle L:90% not show up at the rallies that's focused on those 971 01:14:54.010 --> 01:15:00.880 A:middle L:90% issues. But you lost some a handful of of 972 01:15:00.890 --> 01:15:06.569 A:middle L:90% progressive evangelicals, a number of radical Catholics who had 973 01:15:06.569 --> 01:15:15.270 A:middle L:90% been participating uh were lost in that um to some 974 01:15:15.270 --> 01:15:16.090 A:middle L:90% extent. So that was so yes, I mean 975 01:15:16.090 --> 01:15:19.750 A:middle L:90% , you do get there there there's yeah, I 976 01:15:19.750 --> 01:15:23.579 A:middle L:90% mean, there's always there are disagreements, but part 977 01:15:23.590 --> 01:15:27.970 A:middle L:90% of the part of the work is to try to 978 01:15:27.979 --> 01:15:33.220 A:middle L:90% negotiate those disagreements as they come up. And part 979 01:15:33.220 --> 01:15:38.779 A:middle L:90% of the work of part of the work of coalition 980 01:15:38.779 --> 01:15:45.739 A:middle L:90% building is to is to be willing to listen two 981 01:15:45.750 --> 01:15:50.180 A:middle L:90% Allies whom you had, not, whom you had 982 01:15:50.180 --> 01:15:54.260 A:middle L:90% not, who you were not allied with, to 983 01:15:54.260 --> 01:15:59.289 A:middle L:90% at least give them a listening a hearing and so 984 01:15:59.289 --> 01:16:03.479 A:middle L:90% that you're willing to explore the opportunity of extending your 985 01:16:03.489 --> 01:16:09.970 A:middle L:90% your your advocacy, your advocacy. But part of 986 01:16:09.970 --> 01:16:16.479 A:middle L:90% it is also um willing to enter alliances where that 987 01:16:16.489 --> 01:16:20.670 A:middle L:90% acknowledge you don't have to agree on everything. I 988 01:16:20.670 --> 01:16:25.539 A:middle L:90% mean, there are a whole lot of people from 989 01:16:25.539 --> 01:16:30.039 A:middle L:90% the from the jewish community who were involved in the 990 01:16:30.050 --> 01:16:35.340 A:middle L:90% moral monday movement who would have very different positions from 991 01:16:35.340 --> 01:16:43.149 A:middle L:90% me on on Palestinian justice. Um and it's interesting 992 01:16:43.529 --> 01:16:45.890 A:middle L:90% how that's just as an example also of how change 993 01:16:45.890 --> 01:16:50.810 A:middle L:90% movements organized um the in Durham, the rally that 994 01:16:50.810 --> 01:16:56.170 A:middle L:90% was organized uh after Ferguson, after the shooting of 995 01:16:56.170 --> 01:17:01.180 A:middle L:90% Michael Brown in Ferguson uh for police justice. Um 996 01:17:01.189 --> 01:17:06.449 A:middle L:90% the leaders of that explicitly connected what was happening with 997 01:17:06.449 --> 01:17:11.750 A:middle L:90% the Israeli attack on Gaza, with the police attacks 998 01:17:11.760 --> 01:17:17.649 A:middle L:90% on Michael Brown and civilians in Ferguson. And so 999 01:17:18.029 --> 01:17:20.899 A:middle L:90% I think we've got to be willing to make connections 1000 01:17:21.149 --> 01:17:25.920 A:middle L:90% like that, but recognize that we're not going to 1001 01:17:25.920 --> 01:17:28.739 A:middle L:90% be able to bring all of our allies with us 1002 01:17:29.130 --> 01:17:31.789 A:middle L:90% in making some of those connections. Does that help 1003 01:17:31.789 --> 01:17:42.550 A:middle L:90% some? Sure, yeah, charlotte, Yeah, 1004 01:17:42.560 --> 01:17:45.659 A:middle L:90% yeah, charlotte has an I. F. Affiliate 1005 01:17:45.670 --> 01:17:50.859 A:middle L:90% uh that uh I don't recall what it's called, 1006 01:17:50.869 --> 01:17:55.060 A:middle L:90% but if you were to google charlotte community organizing, 1007 01:17:55.329 --> 01:17:57.859 A:middle L:90% you could find that also. They also have an 1008 01:17:57.859 --> 01:18:01.159 A:middle L:90% active chapter of an organization. I'm on the board 1009 01:18:01.159 --> 01:18:05.029 A:middle L:90% of called Action North Carolina, uh, that does 1010 01:18:05.029 --> 01:18:09.619 A:middle L:90% community organizing in charlotte and endure. Um, and 1011 01:18:09.630 --> 01:18:13.590 A:middle L:90% it's a different organizing model that's used than I. 1012 01:18:13.590 --> 01:18:15.619 A:middle L:90% A. F. But uh, works on a 1013 01:18:15.619 --> 01:18:18.140 A:middle L:90% lot of the same issues. Uh, the action 1014 01:18:18.140 --> 01:18:23.470 A:middle L:90% North Carolina work in charlotte is primarily around the immigrant 1015 01:18:23.479 --> 01:18:26.500 A:middle L:90% immigrant rights. So we just had, there was 1016 01:18:26.500 --> 01:18:30.989 A:middle L:90% just a big campaign around access to services, uh 1017 01:18:31.000 --> 01:18:33.649 A:middle L:90% , in the public school system in charlotte, that 1018 01:18:33.659 --> 01:18:39.689 A:middle L:90% action and see organized successfully. Um, so there's 1019 01:18:39.699 --> 01:18:41.640 A:middle L:90% , uh, yeah, if you look up action 1020 01:18:41.640 --> 01:18:44.609 A:middle L:90% north Carolina or, um, and I'm sure you 1021 01:18:44.609 --> 01:18:45.039 A:middle L:90% can find the name of the I. F. 1022 01:18:45.039 --> 01:18:48.529 A:middle L:90% Affiliate in charlotte also. Um, but that would 1023 01:18:48.529 --> 01:18:50.529 A:middle L:90% be, uh, and then there's a number of 1024 01:18:50.539 --> 01:18:55.659 A:middle L:90% good direct service organizations in charlotte as well that do 1025 01:18:55.659 --> 01:18:58.550 A:middle L:90% the firemen work of trying to relieve, do the 1026 01:18:58.550 --> 01:19:01.180 A:middle L:90% crisis, uh, relief work. But, uh 1027 01:19:01.189 --> 01:19:03.109 A:middle L:90% , for the systems change, I would look at 1028 01:19:03.109 --> 01:19:06.149 A:middle L:90% the I. F. Affiliate or action. What 1029 01:19:08.119 --> 01:19:12.470 A:middle L:90% ? Yeah. Another question came to mind. I 1030 01:19:12.479 --> 01:19:15.159 A:middle L:90% walked in late, so I apologize for that. 1031 01:19:15.159 --> 01:19:17.560 A:middle L:90% So I'm just beginning. But do you do you 1032 01:19:17.909 --> 01:19:21.960 A:middle L:90% , so I turned on the news in north Carolina 1033 01:19:21.960 --> 01:19:25.970 A:middle L:90% is always in the news. It do you think 1034 01:19:25.970 --> 01:19:28.750 A:middle L:90% that's what's going on in north Carolina with your organization 1035 01:19:28.750 --> 01:19:30.470 A:middle L:90% and the interfaith organization stepping up? Is that something 1036 01:19:30.479 --> 01:19:34.100 A:middle L:90% that, that's unique to north Carolina because of how 1037 01:19:34.100 --> 01:19:36.199 A:middle L:90% much that's going on that's in the news? Or 1038 01:19:36.199 --> 01:19:40.930 A:middle L:90% is this you, are you aware of this being 1039 01:19:40.939 --> 01:19:45.899 A:middle L:90% worldwide widespread nationally? Well, I mean, I 1040 01:19:45.899 --> 01:19:50.170 A:middle L:90% think that's a good question. Uh, we've got 1041 01:19:50.180 --> 01:19:55.819 A:middle L:90% , we have got some really good skilled gifted leadership 1042 01:19:55.819 --> 01:20:00.590 A:middle L:90% in north Carolina that's willing to work on, on 1043 01:20:00.600 --> 01:20:02.949 A:middle L:90% issues of the marginalized to take risks. Uh, 1044 01:20:02.960 --> 01:20:05.989 A:middle L:90% William Barber, you've got the folks at Southern Coalition 1045 01:20:05.989 --> 01:20:10.350 A:middle L:90% for Social Justice, you've got and, and part 1046 01:20:10.350 --> 01:20:13.029 A:middle L:90% of it is the, I mean, even if 1047 01:20:13.029 --> 01:20:15.609 A:middle L:90% you can get groups starting to take smallest, we 1048 01:20:15.609 --> 01:20:17.210 A:middle L:90% don't, you don't want to start out asking people 1049 01:20:17.220 --> 01:20:19.949 A:middle L:90% to get arrested at the state assembly. That's not 1050 01:20:19.949 --> 01:20:23.649 A:middle L:90% where people are going to start out by and large 1051 01:20:23.659 --> 01:20:26.300 A:middle L:90% . I mean, the clergy who are lining up 1052 01:20:26.310 --> 01:20:29.090 A:middle L:90% there. I mean, so, I mean, 1053 01:20:29.100 --> 01:20:30.239 A:middle L:90% they, most of them hadn't been around in the 1054 01:20:30.239 --> 01:20:33.170 A:middle L:90% civil rights movement, although there was, there was 1055 01:20:33.170 --> 01:20:35.680 A:middle L:90% a picture to show you one of the 82 year 1056 01:20:35.680 --> 01:20:40.149 A:middle L:90% old methodist minister who had been involved in the civil 1057 01:20:40.149 --> 01:20:42.689 A:middle L:90% rights movement who was arrested more money, but that's 1058 01:20:42.689 --> 01:20:45.020 A:middle L:90% not where you can get most people started, uh 1059 01:20:45.029 --> 01:20:47.149 A:middle L:90% , it's baby steps, you get people to take 1060 01:20:47.149 --> 01:20:51.229 A:middle L:90% steps of risk to take different part of that. 1061 01:20:53.170 --> 01:20:57.560 A:middle L:90% So, so right now, an example of the 1062 01:20:57.560 --> 01:21:00.239 A:middle L:90% kind of the intersection of economic justice and and community 1063 01:21:00.239 --> 01:21:05.310 A:middle L:90% and the racial justice work. Our most recent start 1064 01:21:05.310 --> 01:21:09.920 A:middle L:90% up, it's called Real Durham and it is to 1065 01:21:09.930 --> 01:21:15.750 A:middle L:90% organize circles of allies who are who who are not 1066 01:21:15.750 --> 01:21:23.630 A:middle L:90% poor around households of people in material poverty, to 1067 01:21:23.630 --> 01:21:28.760 A:middle L:90% be allies to them in getting employment, uh, 1068 01:21:28.770 --> 01:21:33.149 A:middle L:90% building their income, building their assets and addressing obstacles 1069 01:21:33.149 --> 01:21:38.869 A:middle L:90% , overcoming obstacles to that. Um, now part 1070 01:21:38.869 --> 01:21:41.390 A:middle L:90% of part of what's happening that, okay, so 1071 01:21:41.390 --> 01:21:43.939 A:middle L:90% initially we had lots of people who wanted to volunteer 1072 01:21:44.510 --> 01:21:46.350 A:middle L:90% because they thought, okay, I'm going to be 1073 01:21:46.510 --> 01:21:51.310 A:middle L:90% helping this person work out the ropes to getting an 1074 01:21:51.310 --> 01:21:57.930 A:middle L:90% electrician certificate at the community college and getting bus passes 1075 01:21:57.939 --> 01:21:59.869 A:middle L:90% for the first few months of work so they can 1076 01:21:59.869 --> 01:22:03.399 A:middle L:90% get around their jobs. But we've expanded that some 1077 01:22:03.399 --> 01:22:12.199 A:middle L:90% to include racial equity training to be your relationship with 1078 01:22:12.319 --> 01:22:15.560 A:middle L:90% black people in poverty has got to come from a 1079 01:22:15.560 --> 01:22:24.239 A:middle L:90% place of partnership and not not charity. And you've 1080 01:22:24.250 --> 01:22:29.710 A:middle L:90% got when you enter their lives, you can't do 1081 01:22:29.710 --> 01:22:35.439 A:middle L:90% that with the assumptions that our society at large puts 1082 01:22:35.439 --> 01:22:41.079 A:middle L:90% in place about that. You can't uh, you 1083 01:22:41.079 --> 01:22:45.460 A:middle L:90% know, the um, hold the documentary series, 1084 01:22:45.460 --> 01:22:50.039 A:middle L:90% racism, illusion, race, a powerful illusion that 1085 01:22:50.039 --> 01:22:51.829 A:middle L:90% gets at a lot of the history, a lot 1086 01:22:51.829 --> 01:22:56.649 A:middle L:90% of the framing that has to be overcome for people 1087 01:22:56.649 --> 01:23:00.680 A:middle L:90% to enter in genuine partnership to understand how much how 1088 01:23:00.680 --> 01:23:05.100 A:middle L:90% central racial discrimination has been to economic oppression in the 1089 01:23:05.100 --> 01:23:09.630 A:middle L:90% african american community. That the fact of the matter 1090 01:23:09.630 --> 01:23:15.380 A:middle L:90% is, you get you get the um, you 1091 01:23:15.380 --> 01:23:16.859 A:middle L:90% know, it is the lack of access to Social 1092 01:23:16.859 --> 01:23:21.770 A:middle L:90% Security by farm workers and domestic workers, the lack 1093 01:23:21.770 --> 01:23:28.119 A:middle L:90% of access by black veterans to uh, to housing 1094 01:23:29.000 --> 01:23:32.680 A:middle L:90% loans after World War Two and educational loans. The 1095 01:23:32.680 --> 01:23:36.729 A:middle L:90% lack of the red lining of African American communities by 1096 01:23:36.729 --> 01:23:41.819 A:middle L:90% financial institutions on into the 70s, Which the savings 1097 01:23:41.819 --> 01:23:45.569 A:middle L:90% and loan, then loan institutions then stepped on directly 1098 01:23:45.569 --> 01:23:48.409 A:middle L:90% into the 80s and that continued that way. And 1099 01:23:48.409 --> 01:23:53.729 A:middle L:90% you know, I mean, I mean, uh 1100 01:23:53.739 --> 01:23:57.140 A:middle L:90% , what was it, the June July Atlantic monthly 1101 01:23:57.140 --> 01:24:00.220 A:middle L:90% Tanaka, easy Coates wrote the article uh, that 1102 01:24:00.229 --> 01:24:02.989 A:middle L:90% really lays this out well about, you know whom 1103 01:24:02.989 --> 01:24:06.609 A:middle L:90% Wells Fargo goes to sell subprime mortgages. They go 1104 01:24:06.609 --> 01:24:10.649 A:middle L:90% directly to those neighborhoods that have been redlined back in 1105 01:24:10.649 --> 01:24:14.300 A:middle L:90% the seventies and still find african american homeowners there to 1106 01:24:14.300 --> 01:24:16.380 A:middle L:90% take advantage of with this. So it, again 1107 01:24:16.390 --> 01:24:24.970 A:middle L:90% , the economic disadvantaging of building on the decades and 1108 01:24:24.970 --> 01:24:28.600 A:middle L:90% centuries of racial oppression is something that has to be 1109 01:24:28.600 --> 01:24:30.239 A:middle L:90% learned if you're going to go into that community to 1110 01:24:30.239 --> 01:24:34.619 A:middle L:90% be allies for economic change and yeah, you still 1111 01:24:34.619 --> 01:24:38.569 A:middle L:90% got fine. You still gotta have organizations that, 1112 01:24:38.569 --> 01:24:41.180 A:middle L:90% do you know what D. C. I. 1113 01:24:41.180 --> 01:24:43.350 A:middle L:90% A. Is aiming to do in terms of helping 1114 01:24:43.350 --> 01:24:45.680 A:middle L:90% connect people with employers. You've got to be able 1115 01:24:45.680 --> 01:24:48.210 A:middle L:90% to build those relationships because folks need the job. 1116 01:24:49.090 --> 01:24:53.619 A:middle L:90% But they as much as the job, there's gotta 1117 01:24:53.619 --> 01:24:57.229 A:middle L:90% be a commitment to changing the kinds of relationships that 1118 01:24:57.229 --> 01:25:01.430 A:middle L:90% they've got to being allies together. Um So that's 1119 01:25:01.439 --> 01:25:06.470 A:middle L:90% um so that's some of the transformation I think that 1120 01:25:06.479 --> 01:25:11.119 A:middle L:90% has to take place in the way that we do 1121 01:25:11.989 --> 01:25:15.779 A:middle L:90% the both the social justice work and the direct advocacy 1122 01:25:15.779 --> 01:25:17.560 A:middle L:90% . I mean it's hard, it makes the work 1123 01:25:17.560 --> 01:25:21.159 A:middle L:90% more difficult than it is in the framework of charity 1124 01:25:21.170 --> 01:25:23.850 A:middle L:90% in a lot of regards. I mean, I 1125 01:25:23.850 --> 01:25:26.579 A:middle L:90% think the I know it's a struggle for some of 1126 01:25:26.579 --> 01:25:30.470 A:middle L:90% the advocates who are on the who you saw interviewed 1127 01:25:30.470 --> 01:25:33.250 A:middle L:90% on the fade presentations on the Durham fade video about 1128 01:25:33.260 --> 01:25:40.239 A:middle L:90% policing. Um This was the short fight. This 1129 01:25:40.239 --> 01:25:42.409 A:middle L:90% change with the City Council was the short fight. 1130 01:25:42.979 --> 01:25:47.119 A:middle L:90% The long fight. The long fight is getting people 1131 01:25:47.130 --> 01:25:53.130 A:middle L:90% who have been incarcerated to come out and be their 1132 01:25:53.130 --> 01:25:58.420 A:middle L:90% own advocates in that setting, That's the long fight 1133 01:25:58.989 --> 01:26:02.600 A:middle L:90% because where you want that that's that's the brass ring 1134 01:26:02.979 --> 01:26:08.880 A:middle L:90% , where you've got community empowered to be able to 1135 01:26:08.890 --> 01:26:13.090 A:middle L:90% help themselves to be their own advocates, so that 1136 01:26:13.100 --> 01:26:17.600 A:middle L:90% people like me can show up to back them up 1137 01:26:18.380 --> 01:26:21.729 A:middle L:90% , but that they are the ones who set the 1138 01:26:21.729 --> 01:26:25.359 A:middle L:90% agenda for the change that's needed. I mean, 1139 01:26:25.369 --> 01:26:27.579 A:middle L:90% with those campaigns, they're still going to be, 1140 01:26:27.590 --> 01:26:29.689 A:middle L:90% I mean, meetings like the one that I am 1141 01:26:29.689 --> 01:26:32.319 A:middle L:90% the Director of Durham can organized where we had 10 1142 01:26:32.329 --> 01:26:35.359 A:middle L:90% , 9 or 10 ministers from the community meet with 1143 01:26:35.359 --> 01:26:40.119 A:middle L:90% the city manager and his staff to go over the 1144 01:26:40.119 --> 01:26:44.920 A:middle L:90% fade recommendations and say this is why these are important 1145 01:26:44.930 --> 01:26:46.409 A:middle L:90% to us, why they are essential. We endorse 1146 01:26:46.409 --> 01:26:50.649 A:middle L:90% them. We want to see these endorsed. But 1147 01:26:50.659 --> 01:26:53.840 A:middle L:90% and that those meetings are going to continue to be 1148 01:26:53.840 --> 01:26:59.369 A:middle L:90% important from representatives of faith communities to have an impact 1149 01:26:59.369 --> 01:27:03.890 A:middle L:90% on civic leaders. But uh, but to have 1150 01:27:04.680 --> 01:27:13.380 A:middle L:90% to have directly affected people in leadership on setting the 1151 01:27:13.380 --> 01:27:21.789 A:middle L:90% agenda is the is really the long game. Thank 1152 01:27:21.789 --> 01:27:39.699 A:middle L:90% you. Oh!