Durham Faith and Community Leaders Strategized Next Steps in the Fight to Secure Equal Rights for LGBTQ Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2017
MEDIA CONTACT
Mackenzie Harris, mharris@faithinpubliclife.org, (610)283-8879
Kahran Myers, kmyers@faithinpubliclife.org, (727)742-5193
Durham Faith and Community Leaders Strategized Next Steps in the Fight to Secure Equal Rights for LGBTQ Communities
DURHAM, NC — On Tuesday, October 10th, LGBTQ people of faith and allies gathered at The LGBTQ Center of Durham to discuss community needs to combat discrimination and developing faith-based strategies for advancing justice for all LGBTQ people in our communities and across our state.
Panelists included Qasima Wideman of the Workers World Party and Rev. Mykal Slack, who discussed finding joy and healing through community, how to build a stronger presence of open and affirming faith spaces, and the importance of community in these challenging social and political times.
Rev. Mykal Slack, Community Minister of Worship & Spiritual Care, Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism:
“Community is how we grow our faith — to be intentional about the ways we are connecting with each other, connecting with ourselves, and connecting with that which is beyond us.”
Quasima Wideman, Workers World Party:
“We hear this rhetoric, “love will win, love trumps hate’. When I love someone, I don’t sit idly by…For me, love looks like taking action. Love always looks like taking risks and facing danger.”
Rev. Melissa McQueen-Simmons, Many Voices: A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice, Charlotte:
“North Carolina is my home, and I love this community. This meeting, one of NC Faith Forward Coalition’s regional gatherings, opened space for LGBTQ people and allies to put our faith into action in North Carolina. By working together, grounded in racial and gender justice, we can build our community into a more just and inclusive home for all.”
The next NC Faith Forward convening is scheduled for Tuesday October 24th in Greensboro, NC at Founders Hall on Guilford College at 9:30 a.m. NC Faith Forward will discuss the role of faith communities in light of the current administration, to serve as sanctuary for undocumented families in North Carolina.
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The NC Faith Forward Coalition consists of seven organizations: Believe Out Loud, Equality North Carolina, Faith in Public Life, The Freedom Center for Social Justice, Many Voices: A Black Church Movement for Gay and Transgender Justice, More Light Presbyterians, and the National LGBTQ Task Force.