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Editorial: We Need To Talk - And Listen
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From the Desk of Bob Simmons
At a speech in Charlotte on April 29, 2015, author and advocate Bryan Stevenson talked about the four essentials for establishing justice in America.
He said that we must
get close to people who are excluded and marginalized so we can recognize our shared humanity and understand their struggles. He said that we must help
change the narrative of their lives - the way their story is told - so everybody else can recognize and understand. He said that we must be
ready to do and to say uncomfortable things in our work. Finally, he said that we must
keep our hope alive, because without hope we will not have the strength to do the work.
Based on the news of last week's meetings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education as they dealt with issues of leadership and student assignment, a stranger to our community might get the impression that we suffer a hopeless racial and socioeconomic divide. But we know better. We know that out of the passionate exchange of ideas about difficult subjects hope is born.
Why are the subjects difficult?
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Survey on School Boundaries -
Let Us Know What You Think
Council for Children's Rights would like to hear from you! We are gathering information from Mecklenburg County residents about their opinions as they relate to Charlotte-Mecklenburg student assignment and redrawing school attendance boundaries.
We would love to have your participation. This
quick four-question survey should take no more than 5-minutes of your time. Tell us what you think!
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New Board Members Elected in January
The Council elected two new members to the board at its January 2016 meeting.
Attorney
Landon Eustace is an associate with Hunton & Williams whose practice focuses on the trading of loans, securities, derivatives and other interests in domestic and international companies. He has a J.D. from the University of NC-Chapel Hill School of Law and a B.A. from Howard University. A volunteer with Council's Custody Advocacy program, Landon has received numerous awards for his
pro bono service over the years. In addition to serving on the Council's board, he is a member of the board of directors of the Mecklenburg County Bar and serves on their Lawyers as Volunteers Advisory Panel.
Deborah Hampton is an executive assistant in the legal department at Bank of America. A native of New York City, Deborah has been actively involved in the Charlotte community and honored for her volunteer work since her arrival here in 2006. She serves as a custody child advocate with the Council, regularly volunteers for A Child's Place, and has organized a thank you event for all emergency workers in the Steele Creek neighborhood each year since 2009. In 2013, the Council named Deborah their Outstanding Volunteer of the Year at the annual Pro Bono Awards.
We are honored and delighted to welcome these new members of the board.
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Have you made your reservation for this special evening? Just two weeks away,
A Night For Children's Rights is going to be an evening you won't want to miss. Our annual fundraiser this year will focus on stories that inspire and challenge us: stories about the children we serve, stories about those stand and fight with us in this work. The evening will begin with a reception in the Spirit Square lobby at 6:00 p.m. on March 2nd, followed by a program in the McGlohon Theater. The centerpiece of that program will be a film written and produced by the award-winning team at
Wonderworld Creative.
A Night for Children's Rights is designed to raise both critical funding and awareness of what we all can do to impact the lives of children in our community and help to
Build Bright Futures.
March 2, 2016 ** 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square
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First Wednesdays Continue
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March 2, 2016
Children & Family Services Center
Room 520
12:00 p.m. -- FREE!
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Parents, professionals, all can benefit from this training focused on helping resolve conflicts in advocating for a child's special education needs for services and support. Bring an open mind, questions, and if you wish, your lunch.
Reservations requested at
[email protected]
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Young Ambassadors Host March Madness for Kids
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Save the Date -
Thursday March 24th - and plan on joining the Young Ambassadors Group for a lively evening of b-ball, pick-em games and fun. This annual gathering helps to raise funds to support the Council. The madness begins at
6:30 p.m. at
BlackFinn in the Epicentre.
What a great way to meet a group of smart and interesting young professionals who are committed to helping children in this community. Plus, there's beer! Mark your calendar and make plans to join us on March 24.
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Profile: Emily Tamilin 
When she was in the fourth grade, Emily Tamilin, Council's Director of Research and Public Policy, announced to her teacher that she wanted to be a child advocacy attorney. And since that day, as Emily explains, "my passion for the political process and the rights of underrepresented populations continued to grow (my BA is in Political Science and Women & Gender Studies). When I entered my master's program, I knew that I wanted to work with (and for) people whose voices are silenced. I am lucky enough to have found an organization that allows me to fight for all of these things." Emily shares more about her work and about some of the people who have influenced her in her journey in this month's staff profile. Read more here
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Bar Leadership Institute Dinner
Bob Simmons was asked to speak at the Mecklenburg Bar's Leadership Institute dinner in January on the topic of what it means to be a lawyer and a leader. He shared personal reflections and learnings from his professional and community work, remarking that leadership is often a result of persistence and simply saying "yes" when asked. "It is a privilege to be a lawyer because that is where peace is made and justice is found," he concluded.
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