At the Greenspon Center we are listening, learning, and offering avenues for creating change everywhere – in Grier Heights, in Charlotte, and online.
Greenspon Center advocates supported a July 24th vaccine clinic with a Grier Heights Listening Session. Led by Karen Mello, Brent Scott, and James Lee, we set up a tent and table, listened, and learned from the community. We discovered how they are feeling about housing and health issues and built relationships with other organizers. We even took a moment to dance to the music as COVID tests and vaccines were given to those who stopped by. If you’re interested in representing the Greenspon Center as we listen and learn about community needs in neighborhoods experiencing, or at risk for, gentrification please contact Karen Mello at karenmello@icloud.com.
We need you to help with community research on the past and present of community organizing in Charlotte. As the Greenspon Center designs its future advocacy education programs, we recognize the need for research on Charlotte’s history of organizing – the successes and the failures. We are launching a significant Community Listening Project and invite you to be an interviewer/researcher. Researchers will be asked to attend one training and complete three interviews with Charlotte organizers. If you know of Charlotte organizers (past or present) who should be interviewed, let us know that as well. To take part in our community research, contact Judy Schindler, schindlerj@queens.edu.
The Greenspon Center is excited to announce our newest project, #How2FaceHate (#H2FH). On the website www.how2facehate.org, young people who have experienced acts of hate share their stories through short videos. They explain how they responded and remind other young people that they are not alone. The #H2FH site will grow to include resources that help people respond to different forms of hate. Our summer interns, Rhett Edens and Hannah Eccleston, are partners in the development of this project. The advisory board is made up of a diverse group of young people who are passionate about this work. If you or someone you know is interested in #How2FaceHate, we can be found at www.how2facehate.org where there is a contact page to begin the process of sharing your story. We can also be reached at how2facehate@gmail.com.