Friday, October 27, 2017

Why do we need Quaker history, and what kind of history do we need?


My first book dealt with the history of Western unprogrammed Friends
and was published in 2000. It's a compilation
of articles from Friends Bulletin, the magazine I edited.
It is out of print, but available through Amazon and other
publishers.
On October 26 I took part in an interesting phone workshop on Quaker history sponsored by the Western Friend. It was the first online workshop I have ever taken part in, and I want to commend Mary Klein for organizing it and for providing excellent background readings and good questions to ponder. I also want to commend her for choosing Zoom as our platform. It worked extremely well. I was able to hear and see everyone clearly.  Given problems I’ve experienced with other conferencing platforms, I was deeply impressed by Zoom. To learn more about the Western Friend, see https://westernfriend.org/Welcome




History helps us to discover and forge our identity as Quakers

Our discussion began with a Friend pointing out that our Quaker identity depends in great measure on knowledge of our history, and I agree. I once heard James Baldwin say, “To know where we are going, we need to know who we are. To know who we are, we have to know where we have been.” These words ring true. History helps us to know where we came from, who we are, and how we can chart our future. Several Friends spoke about how studying Quaker history was important for their spiritual formation as Friends. Knowing our history also helps us collectively to be a faith-based community sharing a common vision and goals.

We need to know everyone’s story, not just the dominant narrative

Jim Summers reminded us that we need to know not just one but multiple histories—the stories told by marginalized people are just as important as the stories told by dominant groups. Privileged Quakers have prided themselves on treating Indian fairly, opposing slavery, championing the rights of women, etc. All of this is true, up to a point. But African American Friends have helped us to realize that Quaker history is also rife with racism (not to mention, sexism and homophobia). That’s why we need to read and take to heart books like Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship. The same is true of our history with Native Americans; we need to hear what First People think of Friends, and that means reaching out and including them in historical conferences, as Jim tried to do. To have a complete history, everyone involved must be at the table, sharing their stories.

I must add that we need to hear the multiple perspectives on Quaker history representing the broad theological spectrum of Quaker thought and action.  We need, for example, Howard Brinton’s take on liberal Quakerism, which I once thought was “true Quakerism” and now realize is just one facet of a multifaceted gem. We also need English Christocentric Friend John Punshon’s Portrait in Grey, Wilmer Cooper’s A Living Faith (written from a Wilburite, FUM perspective), Walter Williams’ The Rich Heritage of Quakerism (the perspective of what Elton Trueblood calls a ‘majority’ of Quakers, i.e. Evangelicals), and finally, Ben Pink Dandelion, an English Friend who tries to be inclusive and comprehensive of all the branches of Quakerism. In addition to reading these different takes on Quaker history, we can also benefit from going back to original sources and struggling to understand what they are saying.

Know Nothings Vs. Know-It-Alls

Eric Moon pointed out the misuses of history among some Friends. He observed that some Friends think they are superior because they know Quaker history. They believe that just because they read about Quakerism, they understand the spirit that inspired early Quakers and how to be a Quaker in today’s world. They are like some birthright Friend who (as Brinton pointed out with some irritation) “think they know when they do not.” At the other extreme are Friends who are proud of knowing nothing about Quaker history, perhaps because Quakerism is a mystical and Spirit-led religion and being a mystic means living in the Eternal Now. A Friend who had mystical experiences observed that these extraordinary experiences tend to come very rarely and we need to talk about them later and put them into perspective. As Brinton notes, Quakerism encourages us to come together in “that which is Eternal,” but we also need to have an intellectual understanding of our faith. Knowing our history helps us to know each other in “that which is temporal,” i.e. in our humanity.

Prophets and Heretics Are Revered…Only After They Are Safely Dead and Written Up in History Books

Joe Magruder pointed out that many of the great achievements of Friends, like the Underground Railroad, were undertaken in opposition to mainstream Quakers. “You could get read out of Meeting for being involved in the Underground Railroad,” Magruder noted. “Especially in Hicksite Meetings.”
I pointed out the debt that Quakers owe to “heretics” like Elias Hicks and Lucretia Mott. This is a topic I wrote about in a blog you can read.
The gist of what I say is an old, old story: prophets aren’t usually appreciated in their home towns or home meetings.

The Need for Sacred and Secular History

Quakers need to know our history because we are human and human beings are storytelling animals. In prehistoric times, we sat around campfires and shared stories—stories of spirits, of ancestors, of tribal triumphs and defeats. These stories were handed down uncritically from generation to generation and were accepted as true. History as we know it began when Greek historians like Herodotus questioned the stories told to him and trying to piece together a narrative of what “really happened.” Herodotus’ histories were colored and shaped by his value system and culture, of course, but his effort to be “objective” was an important step forward in human development.  The Greek word “history” means an “investigation,” usually of written documents.  Investigating and trying to create a reliable written record of the past is the origin of secular history.

People also need sacred stories.  Scriptures may or may not be factual but they contain wisdom and insights that inspire and challenge. Scholars ask of scripture, “Is this factual,” and “What is the socio-economic background of this story? Who is telling it and why?”  but people of faith ask equally important questions, “What can I learn from this story that will make a difference in my life and in the world?”

As Quakers, we need inspirational stories about our past achievements, but we also need factual accounts of our struggles and failings.  Brinton wrote history from a theological perspective that sometimes fails the test of objective history. He was interested in facts, but he was more interested in how these facts inform, and are informed by, our faith and our spiritual experiences. Larry Ingle, on the other hand, is an academic historian who is interested in the facts whether or not they help us in our faith journey as Friends. The same is true for Chuck Fager, who enjoys debunking Quaker myths and making us question hagiographies posing as biographies. Friends like Fox and Woolman and Lucretia Mott were amazing people and role models, but they had shortcomings and flaws just like us. We need history that helps us understand not only great men and women, but the social and economic forces that influenced and shaped them.

We also need to know the stories of people who are more like us. Not just the spiritual giants, but what Henry Cadbury called “common folk.” That's why I love to hear the spiritual journeys of my fellow Quakers since they, too, are doing Important work to “build a better peaceful world,” as Henry Cadbury said when the Society of Friends received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947:

"Common folk, not statesmen, nor generals, nor great men of affairs, but just simple men and women, if they devote themselves … can do something to build a better peaceful world."

These oral histories are invaluable to social historians who interested not only in notable people but in how "common folk" lived their lives. Brinton's study of Quaker Journals is a good example of using these primary sources to create a picture of the broader society of Friends. 

We talked mainly about biographical history, not social, religious and economic history. These kind of historical accounts help us to place events in a larger intellectual perspective. Much of it is not easy reading, like Doug Gwyn’s Seekers Found and Apocalypse of the Word. But we need such histories to understand the larger context and trajectory of our Quaker movement.

History as a Way to Build Community

Arthur pointed out another, more down-to-earth use of history: to bring us together around shared stories. He told us about how he enjoyed learning about the history of Orange Grove Meeting, including the story about how various Meetings had donated the benches. Learning these stories helps us to feel connected with our Quaker past, and with each other.  

My Personal Story as a Non-Academic, Spirit-led Quaker Historian

Let me close by sharing my personal investment in Quaker history. Each of the books I edited or wrote arose out of a deeply felt personal need. That’s not unusual, even among historians. My pastor wife Kathleen used to say that pastors preach what they themselves need to hear. Historians study what they themselves feel a burning need to know. Herodotus, for example, wrote his famous book about the Persians and the Persian war because the Greeks had just defeated the Persian empire and “saved Greece.” This was a defining moment for the Athenians, and Herodotus wanted to know more about who the Persians were, and what actually happened. So did his contemporaries.

When I became editor of Friends Bulletin, I wanted to know more about Western Quakers. I had arrived in California in 1988, and became editor of Friends Bulletin ten years later, but I still felt like a newcomer. I decided to put together a collection of writings from Friends Bulletin that would provide a documentary history of unprogrammed Friends in the West and help Friends like me understand the story of unprogrammed Friends in the Western USA. David La Shana, an Evangelical Friend, had written an excellent book about Quakers in California but there was nothing comparable written from Beanite Quaker viewpoint. That’s what A Western Quaker Reader tried to do.


After completing this book, I grew increasingly interested in the intersection between mysticism and activism—a subject that continues to fascinate and inspire me. Brinton called Quakers “activist mystics” and I began to research Quakers who fit that description. I was attracted to Gene Hoffman, who became my mentor and friend. A deeply spiritual woman, she was in many ways a mystic as well as an activist because of all the inner as well as outer work she has done. I began collecting material to write her biography when the World Trade Center was attacked—a moment that changed everything. I realized that Gene’s work perspective was extremely relevant and needed. While our leaders were calling for a perpetual war on terrorism, Gene reminded us that terrorists were people we needed to understand.

“I recognized that terrorists were people who had grievances, who thought their grievances would never be heard and certainly never addressed,” wrote Gene. “Later, I saw that all parties to every conflict were wounded, and that at the heart of every act of violence were unhealed wounds. I began to search for ways we peace people might help to heal these unhealed wounds.”

Her words had a profound influence on me, and many others. Editing a collection of Gene’s writings led to go to Israel/Palestine as part of the Compassionate Listening Project with Leah Green. Listening to the many sides of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict was a profoundly moving, life-changing experience.

After writing a biography of Gene—one in which I honestly described her complicated and at times problematic life—I decided to write a biography of Howard and Anna Brinton, “reinventors of the Quakerism in the 20th century”. I did this in part because this couple had shaped my understanding of Quakerism and I wanted to get to know their story more deeply. Having access to Brinton’s unpublished memoir, I spent over a decade exploring their lives and thoughts by reading many original sources. At the end of my research, I felt that I had a much better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of liberal Quakerism.

One discovery I made in my research was that Howard Brinton "invented" our Quaker Testimonies. How he did it is important. Instead of focusing on what Quakers believed (as in a creed), he focused on what Quakers do. Trained as a scientist, he was using the scientific method--observing behavior and making generalizations.  I also realized that many Friends misunderstand Brinton's intention. He was not trying to create a set of dogmas or principles to live by. He was trying to describe how Quakers lived their faith. Eric Moon has rightly pointed out that Friends who use the Testimonies as a kind of dogma or guiding principles are missing the point. Quakers are supposed to be guided by the Inward Light, not by outward principles. The Testimonies are about what we do. Studying history can help us to put into our perspective our current beliefs and practices. See https://laquaker.blogspot.com/2013/06/seeing-light-through-prismreflections.html

My most recent venture into history was a slim collection of short biographies called Transformative Friends. This book came about when I was given the opportunity to facilitate a series of talks about important Quakers at Pacific Yearly Meeting, I thought: Why not focus on Quakers from the previous generation who have had an influence on the current generation of Quakers? I felt these close-to-home stories could help inspire and challenge us to become better Quakers.

Right now I am being drawn to George Fox in part because of his prophetic witness and his ability to launch a movement. Fox is a challenging figure—one Friend described him as “crazy” and he definitely suffered from depression and manic episodes, as Larry Ingle suggests. But he was also the founder of a powerful movement that continues to exert a profound influence to this day. As I studied Fox’s life, I realized that he was not only prophetic, he was a master organizer. I became increasingly enthusiastic about sharing this understanding of Fox with Quakers who are trying to figure out how to respond to the Trump regime. How do we create a movement that will transform our American society the way that early Quakers transformed their society (I am thinking particularly of Pennsylvania, Quakerism's "holy experiment") and left a lasting imprint on history?

For me, history has many uses, but the most important one for me personally is to help me to figure out my place in an ongoing saga that is sacred as well as secular. As a person of faith, I believe that history is not just a series of random or predetermined events  (or as Toynbee said facetiously, "one damned thing after another"). To me, it is an unfolding story in which a Divine intention is being revealed through our human choices and actions, guided by the Spirit, and also through Divine interventions like the death and resurrection of Christ.  I feel as if the work I do, modest as it is, contributes to the redemptive story that we see revealed in the Bible and in the lives of people like George Fox, John Woolman, Lucretia Mott, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. I hope to continue studying, writing (and making) Quaker history for as long as God sees fit to let me do so.

You can order my books at Amazon, and also at:


Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Green Light Victory Celebration Was a Huge Success for a Divested and Often Neglected Part of Pasadena


I'm pleased to report that the “Green Light Victory Celebration” that took place on Saturday, October 21. was a success. Over two hundred people gathered at the New Hope Church parking lot to celebrate. Among them were pastors,  enthusiastic volunteers, activists, and community leaders such as City Councilman Tyron Hampton. There was a Hat Fashion Show, music, free hot dogs, cake, snacks, bike repair, haircuts, a really free market with seeds, plants, clothes, etc  a raffle (including a piano), complete streets and bike safety demos, health fair, and more, as you can see from this poster. 



Why is this community celebrating? Jill Shook, one of the founders of the North Fair Oaks Initiative, explained that this event is the culmination of three years of community organizing.

“A community that has felt isolated and voiceless now has found its collective voice by successfully asking and receiving what they want,” Shook explained. “Several years ago, when we surveyed over 150 people, including the 18 businesses and 10 churches in the North Fair Oaks area, we found that one of the biggest concerns is traffic, noise and feeing safe. Many who initially never dreamed that this problem could be addressed, have shown up at City Council and other public meetings. As a result, seven of fifteen items that the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative has requested have been approved, including a $268,000 traffic signal by Pasa-Alta Manor and New Hope Church.”

Although the signal won’t be installed until 2018, a green light is already on, hope is resurrecting. A number of organizations have contributed to this event: Day One (a community-based nonprofit, igniting change), Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA), AARP, Complete Streets Coalition, Orange Grove Quaker Meeting, Impact, and Hannah’s Descendants

“This is just the beginning,” said Shook. “Other items on the community’s wish list include economic development (such as an ice cream and coffee shop), affordable housing, more youth engagement, and other initiatives to address crime, safety and beauty.”

The North Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative was birthed out of the IMA, the oldest association of African American Churches in the greater Pasadena area. Its vision derives from Zachariah 8: 4-5: “Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets”


For me, one of the highlights of the day was the "Hat Fashion Show," organized by Bertha Downs. Such fun!



Monday, October 23, 2017

In honor of Rod, a brother who took his own life



Brothers on a Journey. Rod is in the front row to my right, with his arms crossed in front of him just like me.

For the past few years I have attended a men's group called "Brothers on a Journey" every Monday night at All Saint's Episcopal Church. This week we suffered a painful loss. One of our brothers committed suicide. He was a talented musician who played guitar and wrote lyrics for a punk rock band with the quirky name "The Urinals." As their website explains:


"With Rod's involvement [in 1998], the Urinals evolved into an animal with a similar skew but a different texture than what had come before. The minimalist lyrics (Leaving Train Falling James called them "punk haiku") were intact, the song structures continued to confound with their simplicity, and the tunes themselves regularly hewed to a length less than 150 seconds. What was different was Rod's contribution as a rock guitarist who knows his way around a good pop phrase and a distortion pedal.




John, Kevin, Rod Barker in 2001 (Photo by Kat)
"In October of 2003, the band released a CD of new material, WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS NOT. With this, the Urinals offered two statements: their alternate-universe debut album, and a 20-years-later follow-up to the 100 FLOWERS album. It proved that the band could both refuse to grow up and age gracefully.

"In May of 2005, the URINALS were flown to Beijing by the PRC to play at the week-long CHAOYANG INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL. Upon their return, work began on an autobiography of the band (which continues to the time of this posting.) In October of 2005, Rod Barker left the band."

Since leaving the band, Rod's life became increasingly difficult and he went from job to job, barely making ends meet. The longest tenure was at the Huntington Library/Garden, where he worked for seven years. 

Several  years ago his  young niece was murdered. Rod couldn't handle the pain of her tragic death, succumbed to depression and attempted suicide. He spent a brief time in a mental institution, and lost all his possessions, including his musical instruments and all his CDs, music, etc. He lost everything that he cherished, and the pain of this loss was overwhelming.

He also suffered from physical ailments that kept him in constant pain, and our broken medical system didn't provide the care he needed. He received SSDI but not enough to cover his rent and food. He lived in fear of being evicted, and sometimes had to resort to asking friends for charity, which he found mortifying.

Our little band of brothers did all we could to support Rod. Some of us visited him, some brought him food, and others helped him with his paperwork.  We also provided him with emergency funds.

Despite our help, and words of encouragement, he felt hopeless. He felt that the only way out of his misery was to take his own life. He repeatedly asked us not to report him to the authorities because he feared going back to a mental institution more than he feared death. Death, for Rod, was the key to unlock his prison of guilt and despair. 

Rod was very critical of the psychiatric system. What he experienced when institutionalized felt punitive and emotionally destructive, not therapeutic. On the other hand, he deeply appreciated his therapist, whom he saw for twenty years. 

He also was outraged at the treatment he received from Social Security. After trying in vain to help him get the benefits he deserved, I went with Rod to the office of Congresswoman Judy Chu, to see if her intervention could facilitate the logjam. Chu's aide was very helpful, but Rod died before receiving the SSDI benefits he deserved.

I met with Rod every other week or so, and sent him an email this week when he didn't show up for our Monday's BOJ meeting.  When he didn't show up for his therapist appointment, she went to his apartment. When he didn't respond, she called the police, who broke into his apartment and found his body. 

Rod's death came as a painful blow to the Brothers. He left a note commending us, but many of us felt guilty or depressed. Could we, should we, have done more?

One member of our group is a hospice chaplain and grief counselor, and another is a therapist. They led our group in a grief session. We were assured that it was okay to express our feelings, no matter what they were: sadness, guilt, grief, bewilderment, or anger.

I was surprised to learn that several members of our group had considered suicide, and others had family members or friends who had killed themselves. We shared our feelings, which was very cathartic.

I am not a liberty to share what others said--we have a strict code of confidentiality--but I can say we celebrated Rod's positive traits--his amazing knowledge of music, his wide reading, his thoughtfulness and also his quirky sense of humor. His email moniker was "laffatdoom." I recall a time when he shared with me religious jokes, the most memorable being: "How do you make holy water?" Answer: "You boil the hell out of it."

I shared with the Brothers about my own experience with a woman who was suicidal and transformed my life. In my sophomore year at Boston University, I was in a bad way. Living in a slummy apartment, an impoverished student too poor to buy food much of the time, but somehow able to afford pot, I felt like a character out of a Dostoevsky novel. What kept me going was the idea that I was a poet in the making. On scraps of paper  I wrote poems I felt were in the mode of Rimbaud and Ginsberg and Ezra Pound, dead poets whom I deeply admired. When I heard about a famous living poet who was giving her first workshop at BU, I applied and was accepted. For the next two years, I was in her workshops, surrounded with some of the most gifted and neurotic poets in New England. My life was utterly changed. I rediscovered my purpose and became editor of BU's literary magazine. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to this poet who believed in me. Her name was Anne Sexton.

She was very happy to be teaching at BU. She loved her students and was at the peak of success, reciting poetry with a jazz band called "Her Kind." When I graduated, I met with her and said I wasn't sure what to do with the rest of my life. She said, "Why not be a poet?"

I felt (and still feel) immense gratitude to Anne for all she gave me. Three years after I graduated, she killed herself. Her death was an enormous blow, and I stopped writing poetry for a long time. I decided to become a teacher of literature, instead of writing it.

Rod had the soul of an artist. An artist whose life ended in tragedy, like so many other artists who live on the edge. Please hold him in your prayers.



For Rod

You were alone at the end,
Alone in your apartment,
Falling apart, feeling you had no part,
No future, no new start,
But you weren’t without friends,
Friends who cared,
If only you knew!

If only you were aware,
We were thinking of you.
A small circle of brothers,
Broken, yet together,
For whom you weren’t “the other”
But one of us, we felt your pain,
We believed in you—at least, we tried--
And now your loss reminds us we remain
To honor who you were inside.
Respecting your decision, and your sad story.
Even if we saw you differently,
Star dust, fallen from grace and glory,
Into a world that seemed to have no future,
Only a painful past, a relentless now,
A story that drove you
To do what you felt you had to do.

Your heart was broken,
yet still the gold shone through:
Your love of music, times of inspiration,
And your righteous indignation
at how the broken are mistreated…

Let’s remember not to judge or label
The mystery that is you and me
Caught in a web of eternity.
Brother, I wish you peace and
A mind that’s free and clear
Of all that seemed dark here.
Go in peace, my brother, go in peace.
May your soul find blessed release.



--Anthony Manousos, Oct 14, 2017


Thursday, October 12, 2017

World Quaker Day at Orange Grove Meeting 2017


This is the third year that I have led an adult study about the Friends Committee for Consultation (FWCC) and World Quaker Day at Orange Grove Meeting, and I'm pleased that interest has grown. This year around 15 Friends attended, up from 5 people three years ago That's a 300% increase. We're trending in the right direction!

I presented a brief powerpoint about FWCC and then showed a video about Quakers from around the world sharing their experiences of worship and their Quaker faith. This video was shot at the beautiful Meeting House in Moyallon, Northern Ireland on the 27th and 28th June 2014. https://vimeo.com/107138178. We then had a discussion about FWCC and what it means to be a Quaker.

Jill led the children's program which included a bible passage, identifying spiritual gifts (and why diverse gifts are important), and then helping them make a "Quaker Tree" with each branch representing a different section of FWCC. This poster was shared at rise of Meeting so that the whole Meeting would know about World Quaker Day and FWCC.

All in all, it went went.  I am glad that our Meeting is becoming aware of the rich diversity of Friends around the world, thanks to FWCC.



Este es el tercer año en el que he dirigido un estudio de adultos sobre Comité Mundial de Consulta de los Amigos (CMCA) y el Día Mundial de Cuáqueros en Orange Grove Meeting, y estoy satisfecho de que el interés haya crecido. Este año alrededor de 15 Amigos asistieron, arriba de 5 personas hace tres años Eso es un aumento del 300%. Estamos en la dirección correcta!

Presenté un breve powerpoint sobre CMCA y luego mostré un video sobre cuáqueros de todo el mundo que comparten sus experiencias de adoración y su fe cuáquera. Este video fue filmado en la hermosa casa de reuniones en Moyallon, Irlanda del Norte el 27 y 28 de junio de 2014. https://vimeo.com/107138178. Luego tuvimos una discusión acerca de FWCC y lo que significa ser un cuáquero.

Jill dirigió el programa de los niños que incluía un pasaje de la Biblia, identificando los dones espirituales (y por qué los regalos diversos son importantes), y luego los ayudaba a hacer un "árbol cuáquero" con cada rama que representaba una sección diferente de la CMCA. Este cartel fue compartido al levantarse de la Reunión para que toda la Reunión conociera sobre el Día Mundial de los Cuáqueros y el CMCA.

En general, esta bien. Me alegro de que nuestra Reunión esté tomando conciencia de la rica diversidad de Amigos en todo el mundo, gracias al CMCA.












You're invited to our Green Light Victory Celebration on Oct 21!

For the past few years, I have been working with my wife Jill to help our neighbors in North Fair Oaks organize so they can determine the future of their community, and not let it fall into the hands of high end developers. The residents of this area have felt neglected by the City and lost hope of being able to effect change. Our Jobfest and other activities have drawn attention to this area and given its residents hope and the confidence to ask  the City for what they want. And their efforts have been successful, resulting in a traffic signal and seven of 15 items requested. That's why we are celebrating, and inviting you to join us. Here's a press release I just wrote. I hope to see you at this gala event: 

The residents of North Fair Oaks, a divested corner of Pasadena, are inviting everyone in and around their city to take part in their “Green Light Victory Celebration” on Saturday, October 21. There will fun for all, including a Hat Fashion Show, music, free hot dogs, cake, snacks, bike repair, haircuts, a really free market with seeds, plants, clothes and whatever else you to take or contribute, a raffle (including a piano), complete streets and bike safety demos, health fair, and senior activities at Rosewood Courts (1888 N Fair Oaks). This gala event will take place on Saturday, October 21, from 10 am to 3 pm at 1787 N Fair Oaks, Ave, in the New Hope Church Parking Lot. The Repair Café will take place from 10 am – 1:00 pm at 1781 North Fair Oaks.

Why is this community celebrating? To say thank you. Jill Shook, one of the founders of the North Fair Oaks Initiative, explained that this event is the culmination of three years of community organizing.

“A community that has felt isolated and voiceless now has found its collective voice by successfully asking and receiving what they want,” Shook explained. “Several years ago, when we surveyed over 150 people, including the18 businesses and 10 churches in the North Fair Oaks area, we found that one of the biggest concerns is traffic, noise and feeing safe. Many who initially never dreamed that this problem could be addressed, have shown up at City Council and other public meetings. As a result, seven of fifteen items that the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative has requested have been approved, including a $268,000 traffic signal by Pasa-Alta Manor and New Hope Church.”

Although the signal won’t be installed until 2018, a green light is already on, hope is resurrecting. A number of organizations have contributed to this event: Day One (a community-based nonprofit, igniting change), Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA), AARP, Complete Streets Coalition, Orange Grove Quaker Meeting, Impact, and Hannah’s Descendants

There will be a tour of each spot where the City of Pasadena will be helping to make the street safer and more beautiful.

“This is just the beginning,” said Shook. “Other items on the community’s wish list include economic development (such as an ice cream and coffee shop), affordable housing, more youth engagement, and other initiatives to address crime, safety and beauty.”

The North Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative was birthed out of the IMA, the oldest association of African American Churches in the greater Pasadena area. Its vision derives from Zachariah 8: 4-5: “Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets”

This project has been supported by non-religious as well as religious people, and all are welcome at this celebration.