Organizing for justice, equality, dignity, worth, and the enormous potential of all people

Toward A More Racially Just City, A Sustainable Economy

Good Jobs For All And Relevant, Equitable Education

Racial Justice and Police Accountability

Relevant Education System

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Good Economy Good Jobs

Good Affordable Housing

Health Care
Fair Courts
Worker Justice
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to Immigrants

Diversity

Greensboro, North Carolina

2012

SNAPSHOTS Of Our Year

The Road To Transitioning Greensboro To A More Just And Equitable City

2012, what a year! Barack Obama will continue to be President of the United States for the next four years. The last election, bitterly fought out for over a year, revealed the depth of confusion, division and, to some extent backwardness, that still exist in our nation. All of this signals enormous difficulties as well as great opportunities in the months and years ahead. The Obama ;presidency is transitional. On the one hand, world conditions will not allow the nation to go back to the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. On the other hand, the current economic order has exhausted itself. Therefore, for better or for worse, there must be a transition. We will either grind the poor and middle class into deeper and deeper poverty, despair and expanding wars, or we will find creative new ways to live. We believe that with visionary thinking and hard work on both the local and the national levels the transition can be towards a better more equitable future. We believe the Obama presidency means a greater window of opportunity for we the people to work towards forging a nation that has never existed. We cannot merely look to the past for a model. While learning from and building on the best of the past, we must envision and create something new together. Last year (2011) in our end of year brochure, we spoke of Greensboro as being close to a tipping point, a point at which the city (as a whole) can make significant progress forward or spiral decidedly downwards. As we enter 2013, we will put forth a comprehensive and challenging working paper that, combined with the work of many organizations and people in Greensboro, will, we believe, tip our city into becoming a more socially and racially just city with greater equality, equity, democracy, and compassion. For the last five years we have worked consistently with integrity to strategically locate the BCC to help transition Greensboro into a new era. This includes strengthening our relations with many individuals and organizations across class and racial lines, especially the religious community. We played the major role in mobilizing African American clergy to take a stand opposing NC Amendment One (a state constitutional amendment using sexual preference to punish millions of people). We, together with Faith Action, sponsored a very successful Black-Brown Week in September. Through civic engagement, including a broad Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) effort, we For the last five years we have worked greatly expanded our base with students and consistently with integrity to strategically youth. We have worked with the City and locate the BCC to help transition Greensothers on neighborhood-based energy efficiency work (stimulus money) in five grass- boro into a new era. roots neighborhoods. We have continued our Homeless Hospitality work, feeding approximately 200 people each morning, four days a week, as well as expanding our community garden. Most importantly, we have worked intensely on the double standards and corruption within the Greensboro Police Department (GPD). The latest egregious example of the GPDs blatant and evil abuse of power was revealed through their role in the conviction of Latino street group leader Jorge Cornell on federal racketeering charges. Our working paper is a call to action. It is designed to engage the broad population of Greensboro in a process of transitioning our city into an era of greater social and racial justice with greater compassion. The three interrelated and overlapping components of this proposal are: a) greatly reducing racial and social injustice, with a focus on the GPD; b) forging an economy that holds greater possibilities for productive employment for all who desire to work; c) making major adjustments in our education system, including teaching creative thinking, local history, and values of a truly democratic society including the training necessary for a sustainable economy. While work in all three of the above areas is concurrent, we are convinced that the social and racial injustice, currently headquartered in the GPD, is the necessary initial focus. Thank you again for your prayers and financial support in 2012. We need your help even more in 2013. We hope you will stretch a little to help us realize the goal of modeling the transition of our city into a more just and equitable city. Please make a generous donation on line or in the attached return address envelope. Yours for a Beloved Community,

Rev. Nelson and Joyce Johnson Receive the North Carolina A&T State University Human Rights Medal of Honor February 1, 2012

Nelson N. Johnson Executive Director

Joyce H. Johnson Jubilee Institute Director

The Pathway To Greensboro Becoming A Great City

Can Greensboro become a truly great city, modeling a new way of living with high moral/ethical standards and a deep appreciation of our environment, while forging a sustainable economy that provides good work for all who desire to work? Thats a tall order; however, it is a goal worthy of pursuing.
Historically a textile, insurance and transportation hub, Greensboro is in the process of redefining itself. The city has to change. The question is how can the tens of thousands of voices and hands be involved in a creative process of bringing forward something beautiful, functional and new? Greensboro is one of the We must now most di- supply the will, verse cities imagination, and in the south creativity to make with over the best use of this 15 tongues spoken by moment history has students at given us. one of its high schools. Greensboro has also earned the reputation of having among the best public parks and road systems in the state, including four interstate highways. The City will soon complete an impressive urban greenway loop. It will feature walking paths, parks, recreational facilities, biking paths, outdoor classrooms, and art show spaces. Greensboro is a growing center for arts, with a number of performing arts centers. There is also considerable open space in and near the city, suitable for farming, small gardening, and other creative uses. Seven institutions of higher learning are located in Greensboro, with the largest two being the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A&T State University. These colleges and universities provide great reservoirs of youthful energy, talent, and creativity. On the other hand, over the last 50 years Greensboro has been both challenged and scarred by intense struggles in the Civil Rights, Black Power, and other social change movements. Some of these included the well known Sit-In Movement, initiated February 1, 1960. This was followed in 1969 by a struggle for equity and democracy, during which the predominately African American NC A&T State University was the site of the most massive armed assault ever made against an American University. In this struggle for democracy, there was massive destruction of property, a number of people were injured, and one student was killed for which no one has ever been held accountable. In 1979 Klan and Neo-Nazi members ambushed a legally planned anti-Klan and labor rights march, killing five people, wounding ten others, and terrorizing an African American public housing community. The assailants were criminally tried twice by all white juries and found not guilty. A third civil suit finally brought a modicum of justice. Related to the tragic murders of 1979, collaborating with and drawing from international models, Greensboro was the site of the nations first Truth and Community Reconciliation Process, beginning in 2001. However, the City Council initially voted to officially oppose this very democratic, restorative justice project. These few incidents merely touch the surface of the citys social landscape. What can we make of this quick and very incomplete snapshot? Well, Greensboro has experienced the best and the worst of human behavior in the last 50 years, all of which we can learn from. The resources, the experiences, talents and opportunities are all here. We must now supply the will , imagination and creativity to make the best use of this moment history has given us. What better way to spend the remainder of our lives!

Join The Journey Towards A Spirit of Justice and Democracy

By financially supporting the work of the Beloved Community Center

Stony The Road We Trod ...

Improving (reinventing) our local economy and education system are urgent tasks. However, to make progress in these areas we must prioritize our engagement of racial and social injustices. There are deep and abiding truths that must be grasped in order to overcome the legacy and persistence of racism so as to become a great city. Those truths require us to travel the stony road towards rectifying the policies that spawn and perpetuate the sub-culture of corruption and double standards within the Greensboro Police Department. This will be a difficult task, but great will be our reward, for we are persuaded that truth crushed to earth shall rise again. Below are a few examples. A full copy of BCCs working paper on transforming the city will be released on King Day, January 21, 2013.
On June 29, 2012, Lamont Armstrong, who was convicted of the murder A&T Professor Ernestine Compton in 1995, walked out of prison a free man for the first time in 17 years. He was freed because of the work of an innocence project associated with Duke University. We now know that the Greensboro Police Department (GPD) withheld evidence that clearly showed that Armstrong could not have committed the crime. To our knowledge, there is no investigation of the flawed investigation, including the improper use of an informant that led to the unjust conviction of Armstrong in 1995. The Lamont Armstrong case is not an isolated one, it is just one example of the sub-culture of corruption and double standards within the GPD. The culture of corruption and double standards is not new. In 1979 the GPD collaborated with Klan leader Eddie Dawson, paying him as an informant and providing him with the parade permit to attack a legally planned anti-Klan/ labor rights march and conference. With full knowledge provided by the informant that Klan and Nazis members were heavily armed and that they planned to disrupt and attack the marchers, the GPD withdrew all of its personnel from the area and betrayed its agreement to meet the marchers at the march starting point. This collaboration of the GPD and the Klan resulted in the murder of five community and labor organizers, the wounding of ten other people, and the terrorizing of an African American neighborhood. After three lengthy trials, GPD officers, together with Klan and Nazi members, were eventually found liable for wrongful death. The case of Jorge Cornell takes the corruption and double standards to another level. It involved a three-year pattern of extreme police harassment, police and informant provocation, and relentless false arrests. (The GPD brought 18 felony charges against Jorge Cornell without a single conviction.) The new level involved the GPD lobbying the U.S. Justice Department to collaborate with its evil design to bring racketeering charges that resulted in the Thanksgiving Eve Pressure Conviction of Jorge and two other young men It will take much more space and time than we have to adequately explore the magnitude and implications of the GPDs sub-culture of corruption and double standards and its involvement in this particular case of the abuse of police power. As the case of Ms. Eva Foster will make clear, the culture of corruption and double standards has not been sufficiently engaged by the Greensboro establishment or the public. In 2009, a white police officer handcuffed an 85-year-old African American lady, Ms. Eva Foster and forced her to the floor, fracturing her wrist. Ms. Foster was obviously an innocent bystander, conducting business in a public place, when a police stakeout action occurred. Ms. Foster filed a complaint nearly three years ago, yet no police investigation has occurred. Only after filing a legal suit in the fall of 2012 has Ms. Fosters case gotten any serious attention. Because of the unquestionable integrity of Ms. Fosters claim, combined with enormous community pressure put on the City Council, a portion of the case will hopefully be solved by the time this end-of-year report is published. However, without focused and sustained public pressure the subculture of double standards and corruption will remain within the GPD. Those of us concerned about justice, equity, and compassion for all must commit ourselves to bring about much needed improvements in our local police department.

Carrying The Spirit Of Justice Compassion And Democracy To Our City And Nation

In 2012 BCC staff traveled all over the country, spreading our message of building the beloved community. We also hosted several groups from around the nation. The primary focus of our work, however, remained in Greensboro and to a lesser extent in North Carolina. Our daily and weekly routine included receiving and feeding approximately 200 people daily, four days a week at the Homeless Hospitality House; working five neighborhood-based community building sites related to energy efficiency; engaging almost daily developments related to corruption and double standards in the GPD and criminal justice system; pursuing civic engagement work related to the 2012 local, state and national elections; partnering with clergy and other groups on community issues; supporting youth and student work connected to a range of issues, including farm laborers, police abuse, gang/street groups, same sex marriage, local and national elections etc; leading periodic grassroots history tours; and hosting weekly community roundtable discussions. What follows is a sketch of a little of our 2012 journey beyond the routine work described above.
TUNICA, MISSISSIPPI BCC STAFF ASSISTED IN TRAINING SESSIONS; NELSON & JOYCE MADE PLENARY
SPEECH ON RACIAL HEALING AT STATEWIDE CONFERENCE OF KELLOGG GRANTEES

GREENSBORO, NC BCC HOSTED FOUNDING CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF ELDERS.

MIT, CAMBRIDGE, MA BCC STAFF PARTICIPATED IN ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY SUMMIT.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CA NELSON & JOYCE MAKE PRESENTATION

ON PLACE BASED COMMUNITY HEALTH ISSUES, ORGANIZED BY COMMONHEALTH ACTON & JOINT CENTERS

CINCINNATI, OH BCC YOUTH PARTICIPATED IN CHILDREN DEFENSE FUND NATIONAL CONFERENCE. AND BCC STAFF MADE SEVERAL PANEL
PRESENTATIONS

NEW YORK, NEW YORK BCC STAFF MEMBER TRAVELED TO CUBA WITH VENCEREMOS BRIGADE. KNOXVILLE, TN BCC PARTICIPATED IN A CULTURAL
ORGANIZING INSTITUTE AT THE HISTORIC HIGHLANDER CENTER

UNIV. OF MASSACHUSETTS BCCPROVIDEKENOTE

SPEECH ON FUTURE OF TRUTH PROCESSES IN US.

WASHINGTON, DC BCC JOINED LAUNCH OF GREENSBORO DECLARATION EASTERN SHORE, MD BCC PARTICIPATED IN MOVING BEYOND HEALTH COMMUNITY SCOPING SESSION WASHINGTON, DC BCC STAFF PARTICIPATED IN THE END RACIAL PROFILING ADVOCACY WEEK GREENSBORO, NC BCC HOSTED SONG (SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND) REGIONAL CONFERENCE

NEW ORLEANS, LA NELSON AND JOYCE CONDUCTED TRAINING AT ANNUAL AMERICA RACIAL HEALING CONFERENCE RALEIGH, NC NELSON DELIVERED SPEECH AT CITYWIDE KING DAY PROGRAM GREENSBORO, NC BCC ORGANIZED AFRICAN AMERICA CLERGY TO TAKE PUBLIC STANCE IN OPPOSITION TO NC AMENDMENT ONE BY PURCHASING TWO ADS IN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

GREENSBORO, NC BELOVED COMMUNITY CENTER ANCHORED ABUSE OF STATE

NEW YORK, NY NELSON AND JOYCE JOINED WITH GRACE BOGGS AND AMY GOODMAN AT FOUNDRY THEATER PRESENTATION

The Beloved Community Center (BCC) is a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt community building organization, located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Formed in 1991, the organization is now 21 years old. Drawing on the nonviolent social change movement and specifically from the experiences of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the essential mission of the BCC is to strengthen the bonds of community in Greensboro, the state of North Carolina, and wherever we have the opportunity to engage with other people. Please join us in making our city, our state, and our nation more just and beloved for all.

Beloved Community Center of Greensboro Board Members

Mrs. Patricia Priest Chairperson Mr. Dale Tonkins Vice Chairperson Atty. Lisa Johnson-Tonkins Secretary Mrs. Deborah Underwood Treasurer Rev. Z. N. Holler Chairperson Emeritus Mrs. Carolyn Allen Ms. Juanita Brown Dr. Kathleen Casey Rev. Neils Chapman Atty. Dayna Cunningham Atty. Anita Earls Bishop Alfred Chip Marble Mrs. Vanessa Martin Dr. Maria Palmer Rev. Alma Purvis Mr. Ralph Shelton Mr. Steve Sumerford Mrs. Debra Tyler-Horton Mr. Edward Whitfield

Please use one of the following methods to make your donation today:
Return the Enclosed Self-Addressed Envelope ~or~ Online at www.belovedcommunitycenter.org For more information, please visit our website or visit our central office at:
417 Arlington Street Greensboro, NC 27406 (336) 230-0001 www.belovedcommunitycenter.org

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