By Caroline Spikes
A new decision was made Monday night in the name of justice.
The Charleston Area Justice Ministry met on Monday night for their Annual Community Problems Assembly. The assembly allows the organization to vote in smaller groups on what issue they hope to focus on or implement for this next year.
They voted on whether they wanted to dive deeper into the existing campaigns or bring on a new issue on health care and housing.
Ultimately, they voted to not take on a new issue, but rather to focus on their current campaigns.
Hundreds of people showed up at Greater Saint Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church, which is the newest addition to the CAJM.
“I think it’s a wonderful cornucopia of people, that get together that believe in goodness and mercy and justice,” CAJM member Reverend Eduardo Curry said.
Prior to the assembly, different groups met throughout the year to discuss what they found most valuable in the low country.
Curry said he thinks the lack of housing is problematic.
“Trying to make sure we hold society accountable; Jesus said the poor will be with us always. This certainly is important to me as a pastor, is important to our congregants that we are in a multi-cultural community, make sure that the society knows that we are not asleep. We are awoke,” he continued.
They then discussed the update with their different campaigns as a larger group for what’s to come in this justice year.
Co-president, Adam Shoemaker, says the diversity within the organization helps them in this decision-making process.
“I think we cannot realize our aims related to the common good if we don’t organize a collective representation of what our area looks like, what the collective experiences are like,” Shoemaker says.
Some of their current campaigns they will aim for are:
- Ethical school governance
- Restorative practices
- Reducing racial bias in policing the Charleston and North Charleston police departments
- Environmental justice
- Healthcare access
- Affordable housing
Their decision to stick with their current campaigns will lead to their research kick-off which will happen next month.
“That’s when we break up into our theme groups, whether that be housing or education or the environment and there’s research done. There are interviews done with policy experts and elected officials to help us figure out what solutions can work in our locality,” Shoemaker says.
Shoemaker says they will bring that information to elected officials in the spring at their major event, the Nehemiah Action.
View the original story here.
