The Faith & Politics Institute

✨ORAL HISTORY PROJECT SPOTLIGHT✨ Cohort 1 Fellow Cameron Randle, - President Rufus E. Clement, The Longest Serving President of Atlanta University Project Description: For my Oral History Project, I interviewed Dr. J. Fidel Turner, Dean of School of Education at Clark Atlanta University who shared the rich history, legacy, and leadership of President Rufus Early Clement. Dr. Clement, the sixth President of Atlanta University, was the longest serving president in the history of the institution. He won election to the Atlanta Board of Education in 1953 and was the first Black to be elected to an official office since the Reconstruction Period. Clement was born in 19000, in Salisbury, North Carolina. After receiving his Ph.D., he taught and held many administrative titles in his career. He was appointed as President of Atlanta University in 1937. While President Clement served on the American Council on Education, The United Negro College Fund, and was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the United Service Organization. Clement served as president until his death in 1967. The School of Education at Clark Atlanta University was named after President Clement in 1966 because of his dedication and future of education. View Cameron’s full project: https://lnkd.in/eszet4es #OralHistory #Atlanta #ClarkAtlantaUniversity #Education #HBCU 

✨ORAL HISTORY PROJECT SPOTLIGHT✨ Cohort 1 Scholar Camila Gómez, - Caring for the Community, Loving Thy Neighbor Project Description: In the diverse borough of Queens, nestled in Elmhurst, the New Life Community Development Corporation (NLCDC) was born from the New Life Fellowship Church's desire to empower their immigrant-rich community. Established in 1994, the NLCDC burgeoned from humble beginnings, offering an array of programs catering to various needs, regardless of economic or citizenship status. Rooted in love, cultural consciousness, and youth investment, it exemplifies effective grassroots activism. Originating from a small church, the NLCDC now embodies community engagement, from food pantries to youth empowerment initiatives, embodying a model of inclusive empowerment and transformation. View Camila’s full project: https://lnkd.in/exgVqsTp #OralHistory #Queens #NewLifeCommunityDevelopmentCorporation #Empowerment 

✨ORAL HISTORY PROJECT SPOTLIGHT✨ Cohort 2 Fellow Rawan Abhari - My Grandfather is from Sabbarin: The Story of Palestine Project Description: This oral history tells the story of my grandfather Mustafa Abulibdeh. I decided to interview my grandfather about his direct experience from what has been called the Nakba of 1948 in Palestine. My grandfather always speaks for Palestine and issues that relate to it in his journalism career but I wanted his personal answers to what he experienced, even though he was young at the time. He currently lives in Amman, Jordan working as a journalist. View Rawan’s full project: https://lnkd.in/efB9i9xX #OralHistory #Palestine #Journalism 

✨ORAL HISTORY PROJECT SPOTLIGHT✨ Cohort 1 Fellow Kevin Linder, - A Conversation With My Father Marion Linder In celebration of Veteran’s Day we showcase Kevin’s oral history video sharing the story of his father, Marion Linder, a Vietnam war veteran. Project Description: My oral history project was an interview with my father, Marion Linder, who served two tours of duty in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. The entire interview spanned the course of several hours and traced his life experiences from his childhood in the segregated south and navigating segregate schools in Atlanta through his forcible conscription into the army during the Vietnam War and his experiences defending abstract democratic values for a country overseas that he and his family did not have at home in the United States. The interview was very much a labor of love and the raw footage encapsulates an important American experience that risks being lost to the passage of time. #OralHistory #VietnamVeteran #Family #VeteransDay 

✨ORAL HISTORY PROJECT SPOTLIGHT✨ Cohort 1 Leader Peter Dumas, - Our Beloved Community: Mr. Juan S. Jones The Oral History Project with Juan Jones was not by accident. I consider Mr. Jones a dear friend and a person that I admire. Mr. Jones has had an extraordinary life from a child who was taught to “Do your very best. Do not try to be the best; just do your very best every day in everything you do.” Raised in South Carolina, Mr. Jones and his family have had a rich history spanning centuries filled with unfathomable inequality struggles and purposeful achievements, driven by an unwavering faith in God, family, and their beloved community. This story is just the tip of the iceberg. View Peter’s full project: https://lnkd.in/eDZ5PMtC #OralHistory #BelovedCommunity #Faith 

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Announcing FPI’s new program coordinator Kristy Wallace Grant! Kristy serves as the Program Coordinator for the John Lewis Scholars and Fellows Programs and Institute Programs for the Faith & Politics Institute. She has spent her life in the work of justice from grassroots organizing to community activism to restorative practices and more. As an undergraduate student, she studied Afro-American Studies and Public Policy at the University of Maryland (UMCP). Kristy earned her graduate degree in Urban Studies from Moody Graduate School (MGS) in Chicago, IL. After spending a decade in Miami, FL serving as a community organizer, She returned to Washington, DC in 2019 to continue pursuing professional development in peace-building that promotes healing and reconciliation. Kristy currently lives in Hyattsville, MD. Please join us in welcoming Kristy to FPI! 🎉 

Announcing FPI’s new program coordinator Kristy Wallace Grant! Kristy serves as the Program Coordinator for the John Lewis Scholars and Fellows Programs and Institute Programs for the Faith & Politics Institute. She has spent her life in the work of justice from grassroots organizing to community activism to restorative practices and more. As an undergraduate student, she studied Afro-American Studies and Public Policy at the University of Maryland (UMCP). Kristy earned her graduate degree in Urban Studies from Moody Graduate School (MGS) in Chicago, IL. After spending a decade in Miami, FL serving as a community organizer, She returned to Washington, DC in 2019 to continue pursuing professional development in peace-building that promotes healing and reconciliation. Kristy currently lives in Hyattsville, MD. Please join us in welcoming Kristy to FPI! 🎉 

✨ORAL HISTORY PROJECT SPOTLIGHT✨ Cohort 1 Scholar Travis Waters - A Conversation on The City of Apopka Project Description: Nestled a couple of miles north of Mickey Mouse's Magic Kingdom in Florida is South Apopka, a predominantly Black community of approximately 7,000 residents. While most kingdoms and castles are surrounded by moats and lush landscapes, South Apopka is surrounded by overflowing landfills and sewer treatment facilities that emit putrid smells—facilities that the more affluent neighborhood across the tracks, known as the City of Apopka, chose to place in this community. South Apopka residents, including my family, were primarily responsible for putting the City of Apopka on the map as an agricultural power. They toiled in the scorching hot Florida sun in Orange groves to achieve this. Now, decades later after the days of sharecropping and Jim Crow segregation, Black Apopkans are now demanding their fair share from the City while contending with gentrification and ongoing lack of opportunity. This oral history project recounts my conversation with Ms. Francina Boykin, a local historian and family member, about Apopka's history and its current crossroads. View Travis’s full project: https://lnkd.in/gN3bUmYZ #OralHistory #ApopkaFlorida #Gentrification

John Robert Lewis Scholar Nelson Lin shares his experience on FPI's Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama. Complete your application to the JRL program now for a chance to go on the trip yourself! https://lnkd.in/eNBbgBqd