As we celebrate the hard work of each of our social justice teams and invite you to get engaged with our work, we take a moment to thank de’Angelo Dia for his incredible service to our Stan Greenspon Center as Advocacy Coordinator. Dia’s last day with our Center will be April 9th. As he continues in his role as Middle School Chaplain and Dean of Community Life at Trinity Episcopal and as the Social Justice Ministry leader for St. Paul Baptist Church, we are confident that we will continue to work together in expanding justice in our city. We are grateful for the leadership Dia has shown with our Criminal Justice team in moving us forward to support Criminal Justice Expungement Clinics and expanding the networks of congregations committed to this work.
Thank you Minister de’Angelo Dia!
The Affordable Housing Team is working hard to make equitable housing a reality in our community. In March, we hosted our second Faith in Housing workshop in collaboration with the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Project’s Arts & Advocacy Experience to inspire congregations to create affordable housing. Nearly 40 people joined in our interfaith prayer meeting, watched the Faith in Housing video, and learned from our panelists.
We look forward to hearing about the participants’ progress as they bring this concept back to their congregations. Our displacement subcommittee is exploring stories from displaced families and working on solutions to protect neighborhoods. Our county subcommittee is preparing to visit new and old County Commissioners to keep them informed about constituent concerns.
Our Immigrant Justice Team worked on a letter requesting data be made public with respect to ICE activities in NC. The letter was signed by Latin American Coalition, Stan Greenspon Center and Charlotte Women´s March, and sent to the Atlanta Field Office of ICE. The letter also highlights the institutions supporting the immigrant communities as they call for information and oversight. Both of these calls are public matters and a right in a representative democracy.
The Criminal Justice Team is excited to partner with Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, St. Paul Baptist Church, and Mecklenburg Council of Elders at the Expungement Clinic on Saturday, May 4, at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. This clinic is open to anyone interested in learning how to overcome the barriers that stop people with a criminal record from moving ahead in life. Click here for more information.