Before April 10, 2010: "I would have said you are crazy."

This post was written by Janell Duberry, leadership team member at Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan.

Hope in Action day on April 10, 2009, for me, was a success. It was beautiful to see how many people came out from each site to show their support for the campaign. We had a great location outside, which made the event open for everyone to see and hear what was going on. The day's Agenda was organized well. I loved the public narratives, Marshall Ganz gave an amazing speech, and the closing prayer from Bishop Thomas (who confirmed me three years ago) really ended the event the right way. I felt that time-management was one of the key things that made the day so successful. Whether it was welcoming people to the event, or helping with registration, guiding the guests through Trinity Church, or helping setting up lunches, everyone from each site pitched in to help keep to the day's agenda. This movement and this day’s event symbolized what Hope in Action is about. We were a group of individuals from different backgrounds and places working collectively to help make a difference.

For my particular site at the church of the Holy Spirit, I was happily surprised to see the number of members who came out to support us. Like everyone there, we could have been anywhere on a Saturday afternoon; we chose that to be at Trinity Church to show our support for economic justice. What I loved most about the day was the collective decision-making process and how each leadership team member facilitated their own small group. I was nervous because I had never facilitated before, but excited at the same time. It was amazing to see how everyone was engaged in conversation and respected each other’s ideas and opinions. I found it quite informative because some of the things that were mentioned, I wasn’t aware of. An example of that is that a majority the families of the students who attend the after school program do not attend the Church of the Holy Spirit. We touched on issues that we knew were problems like the lack of tutors - only one tutor for every ten kids.

We recognized the need for more activities like science workshops, the arts, dance, photography, etc. to keep the children stimulated, and I think it was the first time that we were really were able to hear feedback from the members. What their likes and dislikes were, what some of their concerns were and how we can work together to make our 'Youth with a Choice' tutoring program even better. What also made the experience so great was being able to put a name to the faces of people from church: people you see and may had said hi to but never really knew their names or had a conversation with. Another positive was that, unlike previous community organizing events I've attended this year, the decision making process didn’t feel rushed. We had time to have a really great dialogue between one another and everyone in the room appreciated it.

When I was first approached to be part of Hope In Action and to join the leadership team, my reaction was NO. I do not have time for this and do not want to be bothered. Then I attended the MLK campaign kickoff event, and seeing how passionate people were was contagious. This campaign showed me that I too could be a leader; that we all can take on leadership roles; and that we shouldn’t sell ourselves short. Being part of this movement required me to step far out of my comfort zone. Public speaking is a fear of mine. If you said that I would be getting up in front of hundreds of people and giving a public narrative, I would have said you are crazy. The campaign at times was stressful and scary but I am part of something that is bigger than myself, which gave me a sense of empowerment, pride, and purpose.