A Message from CMM's Executive Director
Who is now my Neighbor?
 
This is the title of part of the "At My Neighbor's Table" interfaith potluck conversation and CMM series in Needham scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, 2020, 6 - 7:30pm. It follows continuing protests and the national events associated with Dr. Ibram Kendi in building an Anti-Racist Movement (2pm today with The Boston Globe ), the Poor Peoples Campaign on Saturday, June 20, a call for a time of Prayer and Fasting outside the yet to be renamed Faneuil Hall on June 23 rd at 3pm for 24hrs.

Where do we go from Here: Chaos or Community?  (1967), the question asked in the book of that title by Martin Luther King prior to his assassination . Perhaps our answer lies in the story of the healing of the boy with an evil spirit, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21).

Times will not be the same once we discover who our neighbor is.

It is time to ask whether we are blinded to this question by the spirit of racism, materialism, and militarism.

  • This is a time for “Faiths Together for Social Justice” – the new CMM Vision Statement.
  • It is a time for self-reflection and for changing habits. See the American Bar Association’s Syllabus: 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge ©
  • It is time to discover our neighbor’s identity and to reach out to our neighbor in such meaningful ways as identified by CMM’s Shelton Oakley Hersey:
 
Four Ways to Help:

  1. Listen to the audio interview by Robin DiAngelo, the author of White Fragility on why she doesn’t think most white people care about racial injustice.
  2. Make a commitment to purchase take-out at a Black-owned business/restaurant from your neighborhood once per week.
  3. Register to purchase and deliver groceries to a family who is quarantined and/or in need of groceries (you can use online grocery delivery).
  4. Read and learn about Campaign Zero and the many organizations that deserve your help. Join the movement and make calls to your political leaders. Consider funding those working to make these macro changes ($10 goes a long way!).

Other events fill the calendar stretching from Juneteenth up to the Fourth of July , days that will challenge our sense of neighborliness. Some of these include the following:

 
Black Lives Matter Rally: 2pm – Today, Dorchester: Join in a multi-cultural, -lingual, -ethnic, and -class rally in support of the Black community. Advocate for liberation from mass incarceration, over policing, and state-sanctioned violence. (Town Field Park, near Fields Corner, 1565 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA 02122.)

Funk the Police - Juneteenth Edition : 5pm – Today, Ronan Park: A night of reflection, truth telling, music, poetry, comedy, and art all about the fight against police brutality. Fundraiser for ongoing grassroots organizing efforts of Mass Action Against Police Brutality. (Ronan Park Dorchester, Mt. Ida Road (MBTA Fields Corner) 135 Adams Street Dorchester, MA)
 
Real Talk Part 2: Race in Boston : Boston Praise Radio & TV 102.9 FM and livestreamed on The New Democracy Coalition Facebook page . Guests include: Aziza Goodnight Robinson, Bill Wright, Barry Lawton, Cong. Joe Kennedy, Judith Foster, Councilor Charles Yancey (Ret.), Sen. Nick Collins, Kevin Peterson, Carole Copeland Thomas, Councilor Frank Baker, Rep. Nika C. Elugardo, and Joseph Feaster, Esq.
Saturday, June 20, 2020, 7 – 10am
 
Louis D. Brown Peace Institute's Reset 2020 :  A healing dialogue for men impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss.
Saturday, June 20, 2020, 9 - 10am

Juneteenth For Rayshard Brooks : Join Violence In Boston Inc. & Black Lives Matter Boston as we march from the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center to the State house.
Monday, June 22, 2020, 2 – 5pm

Abolitionist Teaching and the Future of Our Schools : A conversation with Bettina Love, Gholdy Muhammad, Dena Simmons and Brian Jones about abolitionist teaching and antiracist education.
Tuesday, June 23, 2020, 5 – 6:30pm

Virtual Civil Rights Reception hosted by Lawyers for Civil Rights: At this event, they will honor visionary leaders on diversity and inclusion, and shining the spotlight on our courageous clients, with special guests, including business, government, and community leaders.
Thursday, June 25, 2020, 5:30 – 6:30pm

iConnect EBH Summer : Transforming inner city neighborhoods one child at a time for rising 5 th – 8 th graders. Project based math and ELA, website building and virtual recreation.
July 7 – August 7, 2020, Monday – Friday mornings.
Unpacking Structural Racism: Exploring and Deconstructing White Privilege and Power

Wednesday, June 24, 2020, 6 - 7:30pm (Please sign on by 5:45pm)

Please kindly respond by Sunday, June 21st to receive a few pre-readings.

Event Zoom link will be sent to registrants when sales end at 12pm on June 24th.

Note to those who register(ed): The zoom link will be sent to the registered email just after 12pm on June 24th. There will be breakout rooms during this presentation, so if you register(ed) for multiple tickets and wish to separate for the breakouts, do log on with more than one device in separate rooms.


Part of the "At My Neighbor's Table" interfaith potluck conversation series in Needham

The eyes of our nation witnessed the killing of another Black man in police custody on May 25, 2020. COVID-19 has disproportionately claimed the lives of black and brown persons. Our country is on a precipice and we are collectively calling for action. Together we will take a closer look at structural racism and how to recognize it and when to speak out against it.

Lisa Bibuld  is a licensed psychologist who has worked primarily with children and families in the greater Boston area. Lisa is also on the board of Families Organizing for Racial Justice – FORJ and served as a FORJ school leader for Newton North High School. Lisa has worked as a parent workshop trainer as well as co-facilitated workshops on race and diversity.

Amy Behrens  is a parent coach and co-founder and former coordinator of Newton's Families Organizing for Racial Justice - FORJ. She advises the FORJ board and works with school teams of faculty and parents. Amy runs anti-racism and interfaith workshops for teachers, parents, students, and community groups in addition to running her private parent coaching practice. Her strong interests in mindfulness, non-violent communication, and personal and spiritual development inform both her coaching and her teaching work.

Sponsored by:  Needham Diversity Initiative, Needham Human Rights Committee, Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, Temple Beth Shalom, First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist, Bahá'í Community of Needham, Christ Episcopal Church of Needham, Congregational Church of Needham UCC