Septem ber 13, 2000
Page B3
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Volunteers rebuild burned churches, help promote Interracial harmony
O ver the past four years, m ore
than 1,800 volunteers have helped to
r e b u ild 14 A fr ic a n - A m e r ic a n
churches that were destroyed in an
e x tr a o r d in a r y ra s h o f r a c ia lly
m otivated arson attacks across the
country during the 1990s.
“ W e have to stand up against
acts o f terrorism ,” said J im Leamon, a
volunteer from V erona, N .J., who
helped to rebuild the Rice Chapel
A M E Z ion Church in Buffalo, S.C.,
last year. “ This church fam ily has
been hurt and it takes a partnership
effort to heal the hurt.”
T he reconstructed churches,
m ost o f w hich are the center o f
com m unity as w ell as spiritual life in
rural areas o f the southeast, were
r e c o n s tr u c te d b y v o lu n te e r s
o r g a n iz e d b y th e U n ita ria n
U niversalist Service C om m ittee, a
n o n s e c ta r ia n ,
hum an
r ig h ts
organization based in Cam bridge,
M ass.
Dr. Volora W ashington, executive
director o f U U SC, said the volunteer
w orkcam ps bring together people o f
all cultural and social backgrounds
w ho w ant to take a stand against
racism w hile helping to prom ote
u n d e r s ta n d in g
and
r e b u ild
com m unities as w ell as places o f
worship.
“This had been a truly great and
rew arding experience. I got to help
others and show that love prevails
over hate. This was an experience foil
o f love,” said Emily Eisenberg, o f
M cLean, Va., w ho was am ong 236
volunteers who helped rebuild the
Spring Hill AM E Zion C hurch in
Dillon, S.C.
The Rev. Robert Perry, pastor o f
R ice’s Chapel in Buffalo, S.C., said
the new church w as rebuilt at a cost
o f about $260,000, but the cost to the
church was reduced by 40 percent
b e c a u s e o f th e 6 ,0 0 0 h o u rs o f
volunteer labor.
• T im M c C a rth y , a fo rm e r
professor at C olum bia U niversity in
N ew Y ork City, organized groups o f
25 undergraduates to participate in
"alternative spnng break” workcamps
in South Carolina for the past two
years. Now a professor at Harvard
U n iv ersity in C a m b rid g e, he is
developing a new course, “ Race,
Justice and the A m erican South,"
and is w orking with the Service
Com m ittee to make participation in a
church rebuilding w orkcam p the
“centerpiece o f the course.”
M cC arth y sa id th e ch u rc h
rebuilding workcamps have always
been a valuable experience for the
students, as well as an opportunity to
m akeam oral statement against racism.
He recalled that when he arrived in
G adsden, S.C., in March 1998 with a
group o f C olum bia students, leaders
o f the South Richland Bible Way
Church were nervous about how the
volunteers w ould be accepted. “The
com m unity was really struggling with
the issue. It w as difficult for them to
accept the idea o f white people coming
in to rebuild their church that white
people had burned dow n.”
Celebrate the “Soul o f the City!
With
A
The Urban League of Portland
D r. W a s h in g to n s a id th e
w orkcam ps have attracted people as
young as 12 and as old as 81 who
have attested that the experience has
changed their lives and has m ade
them even m ore sensitive to issues o f
social justice.
M oreover, m any individuals and
groups have returned for a second or
third church rebuilding project, and
som e have m ade it part o f a more
form al learn in g ex p erien ce. F or
example:
• Bob N akam aru, o f Davenport,
Iowa, a sociology professor at Black
H aw k C ollege in M oline, 111. has
organized high school students from
his U nitarian U niversalist church to
p articip a te in ch u rc h reb u ild in g
w orkcam ps for the past three years.
“O ur youth have been studying black
h is to r y an d a tte n d in g b la c k
churches,” he said. “ It was tim e to
quit studying and get out and do
som ething.”
Dinner, Wednesday evening
October 4, 2000
wants you to save this date.
You will receive an invitation after Labor Day,
but please mark your calendar now for this
special occasion!
For more information, call the Urban League at
(503)280-2600.
Tickets: $ 175 each/ $ 1,750 for a table of 10,
$5,000 for Dinner Sponsorship.
Proceeds benefit The Urban League of Portland
and its program.
The Urban League of Portland, ION. Russell street, Portland, Oregon 97227
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To better serve a growing population and its increased
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reliance on modems, wireless phones, tax machines, and
pagers, the phone companies of Oregon have added a
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new 971 area code to the 503 area. This kind of change is not just occurring in
Forest
Grove
Vancouver
Oregon, hut throughout the country. And because the new codes differ in format from
Portland
previous codes that contained either a ‘I’ or a ‘0’ in the second digit, you should check
all specialized Central Office-based systems for compatibility. Some of these systems
may require reprogramming or upgrading. Cellular phones must he reprogrammed hv
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your cellular service provider.
* Salem
Falls City
Mill C ity
To test your equipment, call the new Oregon area code test line at
1-800-000-0000. If you have any difficulty dialing the new area
code, please call vour operator to assist you in placing your call.
The Oregon Telecommunications Association and Your Local Telecommunications Providers
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