N.C. NAACP President Reverend William Barber II will be speaking at the University of North Carolina on Friday, March 23 in a culmination of "Poverty Awareness Week."
The event, held in the Campus Y Ballroom at 11 a.m., will address the issues of poverty and their relation to social justice and race. It will be followed by presentations by local agencies about the opportunities to volunteer and aid in ending homelessness. Participating agencies include but are not limited to:
- Neighbor House
- Teens Climb High
- Joblinks
- Triangle Youth Services (drop-in center on Franklin St.)
- Women's Center
- IFC
- Family Violence Prevention Center
- Orange Co. Rape Crisis Center
- Hidden Voices
Rev. Barber is the pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, started by a group of newly freed men and women in Wayne County, N.C. after the Civil War. Dr. Barber's inspirational leadership in bringing and leading 4,800 grassroots people to Raleigh on February 10, 2007 to present a comprehensive anti-poverty, anti-racism and anti-war People's Agenda to the N.C. Legislature has become the talk of the Civil Rights Movement and the NAACP nationally.
Rev. Barber has preached, and lectured all over the country. He has lectured at the National Convocation Harambi Institute, the National Convocation of Christian Churches, and National Black Ministers Retreat and was the guest preacher for MLK Jr. Lecture Series at Duke University.
Other events taking place throughout the week include the BOXOUT in the pit on Thursday night starting at 6pm. Students and community members are invited to sleep out in the Pit for a night to raise homelessness awareness on campus. The BOXOUT begins with dinner provided by Nourish International for $3 at 6:00 and continues with a panel at 7pm of speakers including Mayor Kevin Foy; Town Council member Sally Green; Chris Moran, Executive Director of the IFC; and formerly homeless community member, Stephen Kirton. Campus a cappella groups, local bands, and documentaries will also be included. Entertainment will include The LORELAIS, The ACHORDANTS, ASCELLA VEGA (rock cover band), The NOTHING NOISE (a campus band) and SABABA (Jewish A Cappella group).
Aside from dinner, all food is free for participants.
All participants will also be entered to win DOOR PRIZES worth over $300! Stick around until morning and you just might get bagels and coffee provided by Alpine Bagel.
Come, hang out, and don't forget to invite all your friends...
Questions/Comments: MikeTarrant@unc.edu or http://campus-y.unc.edu/index.php
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My first reaction to this:
My first reaction to this: Awesome! Rev. Barber kicks butt and it will be a great a great experience for students to be exposed to a force of nature like him. Also like the connection to local nonprofits.
Second reaction: The Campus Y has a ballroom now? Things have changed since I was a student activist working out of that partially condemned building. ;-)