REP: Educating, Empowering, and Paving the Way

Meeting the educational needs of refugee children and families 

 

Camela Echols Blackmon, known as “Cam,” is a native Memphian. She got her start working as a social service director for the United Methodist Neighborhood Centers running a thrift store and distributing food baskets and clothes to those in need. Although she worked well with the community, she felt called to do much more than hand out food and clothes. Feeling the call to empower others toward self-sufficiency, she remembers the quote “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.”

Cam’s work with refugees began when she met a lady named Ruth Lomo. Ruth is a Sudanese refugee who settled in the Binghampton area in 2001 with a goal to educate and empower other refugees to lead successful, non-dependent lives. Cam connected with Ruth while Ruth was in search of a place to hold her after school program. At the time, Cam worked in a facility that had available space and Ruth began to use the facility. It was through the sharing of Ruth’s stories as a refugee coming to America that Cam discovered her true passion and joined forces with Ruth to create an empowerment program for refugees.

During our time together, Cam shared a story of an encounter with a refugee mother who could not speak English but was able to gesture what she was in need of. After listening to the woman’s needs, Cam sent her home with toiletries and other household items. Excited about the connection she had made with the woman, Cam shared her encounter with Ruth. Although Cam had made a bond and established a rapport with the lady, Ruth explained the importance of encouraging the mother to enroll in English classes which would enable her to get a job and eventually provide for her family on her own.

Ruth, Cam, and a volunteer by the name of Rachelle Pichardo continued this work of advocating, educating, and bringing awareness in the Memphis schools to the educational needs of the children and their families. In 2002, they began an after-school program with 12 Sudanese, Somalian, and Afghani refugee children. The program soon involved to include ESL (English as a Second Language) and Pre-GED courses for parents of the children.

Years later, they began searching for a location where those who were part of the program could have easy access and walk to the location. In 2007, R.E.P. (Refugee Empowerment Program) moved into a then newly-renovated place known as The Commons, a shared space operated by the Center for Transforming Communities, where they have remained. Since its initial start in 2002, R.E.P. has grown from a 12-child after-school program to one that has educates 350 plus refugees comprised of more than 20 different nationalities. 100% of its 18 high school graduates went on to pursue post-secondary education or trade school.

When asked about the future of R.E.P., Cam envisions it as a program for refugees run by refugees. Moving forward, she wishes to establish a transitional school where refugee youth would spend 18-24 months mastering core academic skills such as English and math to better prepare them for success in the public school system.  R.E.P. continues to remain a safe place where all, regardless of religion, nationality, language, or tribe affiliation can come, learn, be empowered, and empower and strengthen others.


If you'd like to learn more, consider joining REP and other partners at The Commons on Merton (258 N. Merton) for an Open House on Dec. 2 from 6pm to 8pm.  Here is the invitation.

This story was contributed by Shalom Intern, Kory Turner a student at Drew Theological Seminary.

The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts

Celebrating the strength of coming together at The Commons

There are 21 stained glass windows at The Commons. It’s one of the perks of working here. Walking along corridors, up stairwells, into and out of the old sanctuary – Just about everywhere I go there are stained glass windows

.
Sometimes in the late afternoon the light comes through the largest window in the sanctuary and leaves a cascade of soft red and gold and green along the floor and walls. I’ve tried several times to catch this on camera, but the pictures don’t quite do it justice.

And now that daylight savings time has passed, it’s dark when I leave, so I’ve begun to notice just how vibrant our stained glass windows are from the outside. Staff and volunteers at the Refugee Empowerment Program teach ESL classes well into the night, and the stained glass windows in their third floor classrooms shine brightly in greens and reds and purples over Binghampton.

To most people, stained glass windows are associated with church. And of course that’s why we have so many at The Commons. The building we call “The Commons on Merton” was once Everett Memorial United Methodist Church, an anchor of the Binghampton community for almost 100 years.

But, as their membership dwindled and the neighborhood around them changed, the leaders of Everett Memorial made a very courageous decision which resulted in a reimagining of what it means to be “church.” In the early 2000s, they gave up their church building to become The Commons, a shared space community that currently houses 5 nonprofits, 3 churches of various denominations, a food pantry, a local artist’s studio, and a handful of study groups and neighborhood organizations.

In the 6 months that I’ve been with the Center for Transforming Communities, I’ve gotten to know each of these groups – learned about their histories, personalities, and goals. Each one is different, distinct, but each one is also part of a whole, part of The Commons.

In that sense, each group at The Commons is like a pane in a stained glass window. Each is unique, with its own shape and color and texture, but when assembled together they form a pattern that is
infinitely more beautiful than they could hope to be on their own.

This year, the partners at The Commons have agreed to come together for an open house event benefiting the 5 nonprofit partners. Door of Hope, Memphis School of Servant Leadership, Refugee Empowerment Program, Memphis Immigration Advocates, and Center for Transforming Communities are pooling their resources and inviting all of their friends to visit The Commons, learn about the organizations that call this building home, and donate to support our shared vision for improving the Memphis community.
 
I hope you’ll stop by this Giving Tuesday (December 2nd, from 6:00pm-8:00pm) for food, music, and a tour of The Commons.  Because of the generosity of some of our past supporters, we will be able to match any donations given on Giving Tuesday and through the end of the year 2 to 1 – meaning that your $25 will become $75, or your $50 will become $150. What better way to celebrate the holidays than to give back to support five wonderful organizations working to make Memphis a better place for all of us?

For more information about The Commons or our Giving Tuesday Open House, feel free to contact me at kenny@ctcmidsouth.org or 901-324-3005.

Servant Leadership: Living, Loving, and Learning in Community

Making a difference through radical love and inclusion

Not too long ago, I had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Floridia Jackson, a Memphis native who has most recently become the Director of the Memphis School of Servant Leadership. Floridia has been active with this school for several years. She started off with The School while in seminary. At the time, she was seeking a group of people that were “like-working” in that they shared in a common mission to make a difference in the world through radical love and inclusion, and work against oppression and other injustices. She was encouraged to move forward in this mission in the classes that she took on “the call” and “racism to reconciliation” at Memphis School of Servant Leadership.

Floridia Jackson, Director,
Memphis School of Servant Leadership

According to Floridia, the Memphis School of Servant Leadership is a school that seeks to “raise up Christian servant leaders for the church and the world.” All classes are free as the school recognizes that not everyone might be able to pay. Each individual in the classroom, whether teacher or student, are on a journey together. The teachers are referred to as companions instead of facilitators/teachers to reflect this principle.

Instead of a board of directors, the Memphis School of Servant Leadership has what is referred to as a ‘mission group’. In addition to managing the business and order of the school, this group meets together for spiritual development. The mission group gathers every two weeks to pray with each other about the direction the school should be going, shifts and changes in their personal lives as a result of their connection to the school, and ways in which spirit is calling them to work against oppressive and racist structures.

Floridia has enjoyed being a partner in The Commons, the shared space operated by Center for Transforming Communities. Every day at the office provides an opportunity to experience the God in others, be it someone reminding her of what’s going on in God’s global world, updates on the work other partners of The Commons are doing in the community, or an African woman nursing her child as she waits for her two other children who are in the Refugee Empowerment Program classes, reminding her of the way in which God loves and nurtures us.

In her own words, Floridia states that “Community is when we stop to pause, to see, to witness that God-life, God-force/energy in one another.” Imagine a world where people acknowledge and carry out the call to serve and live in true community. This is the work that is being done through the Memphis School of Servant Leadership.

Namaste’ (The divine in me acknowledges the divine in you)

Author:  Kory N. Turner

Kory is a seminary students at Drew Theological Seminary.  He is serving as a Shalom Intern at Center for Transforming Communities this summer.

The Spirit of The Commons

The POWER of SHARED SPACE

In China's culture the thought is often articulated through the concept and practice of feng-shui  -the system that governs spatial arrangements to create a sense of energy or aura. It is believed that when arranged properly with the necessary elements in the most appropriate location then that space has the potential to emit a power linked to prosperity, success, fulfillment. Another provocative idea regarding space, ergonomics, suggests space becomes powerful only when there is intent to design with maximum productivity and efficacy in mind.

Consider the space of 258 North Merton Street. Nestled in the Binghampton community...the Commons on Merton is a shared space community with over a dozen non-profit entities occupying the space. Each organization seeks to enhance the city/region by offering distinct services and opportunities that advance and promote noble work. Behind the work of these organizations exists a common thread that potentially enhances their respective work. The arrangement of these organizations within shared building space offers something powerful to the local landscape and to the region. Energy, vibration, resonance emerge from The Commons on Merton.

On a Tuesday afternoon you'll hear the chatter of young voices coming from the basement of the Commons on Merton. These children are gathering to exercise and expand their capacity to become better students and as children often do, they show their enthusiasm through their smiles and effervescence. There's an anticipation of what the moment holds for this robust group. Tutors of the Refugee Empowerment Program are in place preparing to offer guidance and assistance with a wide range of academic subjects, but at second glance the learning seems to be reciprocal -multi-layered even. The children offer something to those in position to tutor some lessons on culture, gratitude, humility, resilience.

One flight above the basement sits a sanctuary. As you walk in, the stained glassed windows cast a residue of bright colors onto the wall where a cross is suspended and gives a focal point for the entire room. The hardwood floors, an upright piano, and the arrangement of chairs speak to a sense of narrative, as if the room has stories to tell about the encounters it has held within these walls. It seems to offer a voice about history from the neighborhood ...about the neighborhood...about being a place of refuge for the neighborhood. Even now, in its current usage it speaks even louder about the treasured voices that use this hall as an acoustic chamber to resonate melodies of heavenly proportions.

The Binghampton Community Choir houses its' weekly rehearsals here. Members of the choir are predominantly residents of the neighborhood. They readily express their sense of ownership in the community. Part of their belief is that music has the power to elevate our humanity but also reduce us to the powerful, simple necessity of being heard. This choral community is fully engaged in sharing music through this neighborhood and the city, but it also embraces a sobering responsibility of serving as ambassadors from this neighborhood. This facility that houses their rehearsals seems to add volume to their voice...add harmony to their melody. The historicity connected to the old church building somehow offers a collective "amen" to this choir and its contribution to the community.

Three congregations also house worship services in the sanctuary: Binghampton UMC, Holy Pentecost (A Burundi Church-traditions are from Burundi in Central Africa), and Memphis Metropolitan Christian Church. The diversity of Christian expressions that come from each offer a glimpse into the diversity of the neighborhood and surrounding area. Binghampton United Methodist Church evolved from a remnant of those from the original owners of the property - Everett Memorial UMC and offers a communal spirit of hospitality.  It engenders an environment of transformation, and deepens one's faith through collective experience and understanding of scripture. There is an intersection here with God's grace.

At Holy Pentecost the rhythmic undertones of African drums sweeps underneath you as they echo throughout the building. Holy Pentecost offers an indigenous worship experience laced with fervor and passion. The gathering celebrates Christ in native tongue but communicates quite clearly a call to serve its families and peoples with the conviction of the gospel.

Occasionally, as you walk through the building you will faintly hear the soothing notes of violinist Anthony Gilbert. Here at the Commons Anthony offers affordable violin lessons to members of the community. He has a storied history serving as a part of symphonic groups. He speaks with reverence about the space that offers him solace, roots, and identity.

Countless stories from varied partners exist within the halls of this shared space.The sentiment across the board offers a value of the communal spirit of the place. Whether it's Door of Hope, Families of Incarcerated Individuals, or the Memphis School of Servant Leadership a spirit...an energy lives here. Barbara Vann, member of Binghampton UMC, recounts one of the inaugural moments of making the "Spirit of the Commons" a tangible reality for the entire community

The concept/theme of power and positive energy emanating from a physical space seems to reverberate when shared space partners speak about the Commons. The distinct infrastructure married to the ethos of the place warrants an appreciation for intentional community.

-Matthew Lee-

Building hope for new Americans

Welcoming a stranger is a calling of faith in Binghampton

When Cam Echols thinks of her work as the executive director of the Refugee Empowerment Program (REP), she speaks of a calling that motivates her to open arms to strangers planting new roots in her Memphis neighborhood.

Welcoming a stranger is a calling of faith, she says.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” reads Hebrews 13:2. The people Cam serves may have entertained the angels, but a great many have also seen the darkness of this world.

Most are from war-torn regions of Africa — places like Burundi and Rwanda where some of the worst ethnic conflicts of the modern era have shattered countless lives.

When she meets them, they are starting from scratch in the United States, filled with a mix of hope and uncertainty.

“To come to a new country not knowing the language, the culture, the transportation or educations systems; it’s just frustrating, and to have some friends — some people that are passionate and want to help you — is so important,” Cam says.

REP was one of the first partners to become part of the network of nonprofit organizations and ministries working out of The Commons on Merton, the old United Methodist Church building that has been transformed into a hub of community transformation in the Binghampton neighborhood.

When refugees settle into the neighborhood, they struggle with the basics of life in a new land, but Cam points out their internal struggle to deal with the traumatic experiences of life in the face of brutality has traditionally been left untouched by service organizations.

“What we’ve not been good about doing in this city is (addressing) the post-traumatic stress syndrome, and how we deal with that is being neighborly and friendly,” Cam says.

“I think of the language of love — you don’t have to speak the same language but people understand when you care about them.”

The Commons brings people of all backgrounds together in the spirit of community, Cam says, and she finds great inspiration in this connectivity and the shared sense of purpose pulsing within the old building.

“It goes back to being what America was originally founded on: a melting pot; a true melting pot where all people of different ethnicities, colors and genders all have one community within the building,” Cam says.

By Kristian Partington, Axiom News

Youth find common ground in The Commons

Program overlaps benefit organizations serving families

In Tennessee, more than 150,000 children are indirect victims of crimes committed by close family members. When a loved one goes to prison, they are virtually lost to their family, and the impact of that trauma is a very real burden upon communities.

For more than 20 years, Families of Incarcerated Individuals (FII) has been helping families come to terms with the challenges they face when a loved one is sent to prison, either through direct support with health care or food access or through mentoring programs.

The group works out of The Commons on Merton, a shared space that brings together a range of community-building nonprofit organizations under one roof, led by the Center for Transforming Communities.

The close relationships among the groups working out of The Commons have a number of positive impacts on the work they do, says FII executive director Marquetta Moore-Nebo.

“The whole concept of The Commons is to bring in other nonprofits and . . . we all can mesh in some areas and benefit from one another,” Marquetta says. “It’s great because it’s almost like having everything in-house.

“It’s almost like the whole feeling of program sharing, where you can’t do everything so we all work together to make sure all the pieces of the puzzle are put together.”

She sees the benefits of this collaboration on a regular basis, especially in terms of the young people served by the different organizations within The Commons.

She recalls youth events hosted by FII involving young people connected to the Refugee Empowerment Program, and she says such events are a great example of how the various groups interact.

“We invite some of those youth to help them get acclimated, not only to America, but to our neighborhood as well,” Marquetta says, noting it provides all children an opportunity to mingle outside of classrooms and learn from each other. 

All of these young people are dealing with some form of trauma in their lives and within The Commons, a common ground is found and the young people strive to overcome hardships to grow and succeed in designing a better future.

By Kristian Partington, Axiom News
Photos courtesy of Focus for the Good