Meeting Up In Memphis at AAMFT

Several of us from Teams II, III, and IV met up in Memphis, Tennessee recently at the annual conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. These young women and men are either graduates of the COAMFTE-approved training program in marriage and family therapy at ACU, or they hope to be come August, 2009.

The poster session, "From Therapy to Advocacy, Principles to Practice: A Story of Two Groups," is actually a work in progress of several of these social justice teams from ACU. So, within a "poster" context at AAMFT in which attendees walk past, take a look, stop to converse, and then move on to the next poster, we were able to talk to some people about the efforts that we have often talked about on these pages.

In this one, we engaged creative people, Aaron Long and Joshua Hinson of Ada, Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation, to help us to construct a meaningful poster that compares and contrasts narratives of African American farmers and the people of the Chickasaw Nation. While there are striking differences, there are some striking similarities, especially around devotion to the land and land loss.

Here are some of the people who helped put this together, Tim Parker, Michelle Finley, Kimberly Cherry, Rebecca Culver, Ruqayyah Samia, Ty Mansfield, and Daniel Haile. Let us know if you have questions about the poster or this event.

Here they are.....Team IV

Here are the good people who have formed Social Justice Team IV here at Abilene Christian University and the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. Justice is important to them, matters of faith course through their veins, and making the world a better place for all is what they hang their hats on. A little hyperbolic? Likely, but, frankly, I'm excited about the ideas that are being tossed about these days by this group of students, and pleased to be walking alongside them. So, here are Ty, Ruqayyah, and Daniel. You may remember that Ruqayyah and Ty attended the Black Land Loss Summit in Whitakers and Tillery, NC back in February, 2008. More will be posted about them under justice teams over the next few days along with the direction of our work. Thanks to Jeff Emery for the photography.

She's been there

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity (along with 2 other colleagues) to talk about the work that the social justice teams here at ACU have been doing. It was an opportunity to discuss research, the situation with Black Farmers and the USDA, and the importance of taking therapy to advocacy on a micro and macro level in society. Most importantly, it was a time to educate others in the field of MFT about a group of individuals in our nation who are facing continued discrimination and hardship. After giving our presentation about the importance of addressing social justice issues not only in the therapy room but also on the broader societal level- the audience seemed to be stirred by the information. One man in particular raised several questions as to the legitimacy of the claims that discrimination has truly occurred. It is a difficult reality to accept that racism is still very much alive on individual and institutional levels, but I believe the way to change is through honest questions and conversations. I believe I was given an opportunity to be a soft voice of truth for this man- and perhaps others in the audience - about the need for acknowledgement and action against this problem. I believe this man was influenced. Perhaps he was able to take in a piece of what was said. And perhaps if just one more person acknowledges this discrimination, then I would say the presentation was a success.

Sarah Hugman
Justice Team III

Another significant invitee

Righteous causes can never have too many advocates. John Edwards is from North Carolina, and though he has pulled out of the Democratic race for the presidency, he remains a significant voice for poverty and for other causes that matter to this country. Here is a letter that we'd recommend that you cut and paste and send to him, this at the request of Gary Grant, BFAA president, and organizer of the 10th Annual Black Land Loss Summit.


February 6, 2008

The Honorable John Edwards
John Edwards for President
410 Market Street, Suite 400,
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Dear Mr. Edwards:

We are requesting that you accept the invitation of the leaders of the 10th Annual Black Land Loss Summit to attend and serve as the keynote speaker for the Awards Luncheon at the 10th National Black Land Loss Summit – at the Historic Franklinton Center at Bricks, Whitakers, NC. The luncheon is scheduled from 12:30 - 2:00 pm, Saturday, February 15, 2008. The Summit runs from Friday afternoon, February 15 through Sunday midday, February 17, 2008.

We are just a little over two weeks from the Summit. In the last 90 days, three Black farm families have faced legal actions resulting from years of discrimination by lenders to them and in particular by the USDA. On Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 12 noon the land (approximately 250 acres) of the wife and heirs of Mr. Roland Hardy, Enfield, NC was auctioned off on the steps of the Halifax County, North Carolina Court House. On Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at high noon on the steps of the Halifax County Court House the family farm of James A. Davis, Sr., James A., and Linda Davis, Jr. family was scheduled for auction - more than 200 acres at stake; and the heirs of Matthew and Florenza Moore Grant in the New Deal Resettlement community of Tillery North Carolina are facing a Writ of Execution. The Consent Judgment was signed by Mr. Grant in 1981 which the Department of Justice missed its deadline for filing for renewal. Now the DOJ is attempting to force the sale of approximately 250 acres of land.

All together, this means that almost 1,000 acres of prime farm, timber, and development land is basically being stolen from the hands of those who have worked to own it and provide for their families and heirs, and all resulting from discriminatory actions by the FmHA/FSA more than 20 years ago or part of the “two Americas” that you so aptly describe. This is just in Halifax County, North Carolina and those that we know of. These are not isolated cases.

Further, we have been informed that US District Judge James Robertson in the Eddie Wise and Dorothy Monroe Wise et al. vs. Dan Glickman, Secretary, USDA has denied class status to the claimants. This will only serve to hasten the final nails in the coffins of many other women, Black and small family farmers. Your urgent attention is needed.

Realizing that you have just come off the Presidential Campaign trail and time with your family is of the utmost value, we respectfully request your assistance along with your message of change and hope that you continue to bring to North Carolinians and others across the nation.

The Summit’s attendance usually represents more than 20 states, including farmers, researchers, activists, elected officials, and other interested citizens. This year, the USDA Office of Civil Rights committed to attending and appearing on the panel entitled “10 Years After Pigford.” This issue is part of what helps to make the two Americas and will have even more profound impact on small family farmers and poor people as the new biotechnologies for alternative fuels raise prices on other products and items of every day need and use. You have been a great speaker on behalf of the working class in this country. Farmers and their families must be included in this body of “workers.”

We would be honored to have you, a former senator for North Carolina and Presidential candidate to pay tribute to farmers with your presence.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Yours for the Survival of the Black Farmer, and on behalf of the Social Justice Team at Abilene Christian University,



Waymon R. Hinson, Ph.D.

May be of interest

Back during the ACU lectures in September, members of Social Justice Teams I, II, and III, along with ACU and LCU profs spoke on the topic "The Voice of God Speaks to Injustice:
The Prophets, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Community of Faith" in a one-afternoon forum. We attempted to weave together a complex set of threads: farming, large and small, Black and White; the plight of the Black Indians; social justice traditions; Old Testament prophets; Jesus of Nazareth; the Stone-Campbell Movement; and various arenas within which to advocate on behalf of marginalized people.

For those who are interested, that voice recording is available. Here are the links. Once you are at iTunes, then go to iTunes U, then ACU, then Ministry & Theology, and then Lectureship 2007. Once you're there, hit "artist," then look for the names "Wes Crawford" or "Waymon Hinson," and then you can download it for free.

Once you have listened to it, let us know what you think about it. If you'd like to get a copy of the power point presentation that we used that day, give us a holler on this site and we'll send it your way.

Conversations about things that matter

Here are some personal reflections from Josh Oliver, member of Social Justice Team II that will make us stop and pay attention:

"I went out to eat lunch today with a colleague of mine from work. While enjoying our meal, the topic of discussion turned to deep family secrets and out of that came a conversation on racism in our families and our country. We began talking about how our mutual families living in Louisiana seem to live in a different world with regards to race than we do. We talked about the fact that there are serious issues of race that are alive and thriving in our country right under our noses and it is so hard to believe that it is still going on. My friend told me a story about his relatives that went to Louisiana for his wedding and while shopping in a small store, a black individual refused to look him in the face. When this relative asked my friend what the looks were for, my friend had to point out that it was "reverse racism" at work. My friend went on to tell me about other people he knew from East Texas who were still requesting that their senior proms with school be segregated.

I began talking about the fact that racism is not just running rampant on an individual basis, but it takes place in organizations, federal organizations even, where people in these situations should feel as though they are being taken care of, and they are not. We went on to talk about the fact that people are different from us and they act different from us, but they do not deserve to be treated differently than anyone else.

We talked further about how education could help the situation so much. My friend shared with me the fact that after the storm hit New Orleans, all of these individuals who were from families without a father figure and whose mother would have children in order to draw a larger welfare check and would stay single in order to draw even more welfare, would probably steal in order to support themselves through this difficult time because that is what their family had been doing for generations. We talked further about how this family would not know any better than to act like this and they had no positive role models, so it would be no surprise that they would move to cities such as Dallas and Houston and the crime rate would go up.

Katrina should have opened the eyes of the nation to the injustices that were going on in these parts of our country, in this land that was devastated and instead of turning to their families for support, these families would have to fend for themselves in order to survive, but the country's eyes were not opened and these minorities continue to suffer. There is education that needs to take place both with the minorities and whites as well if things are going to change.

Despite the great conversation that we had, what troubled me the most was when my friend and I left this small, cozy BBQ joint, I noticed a man with a thick goatee and his wife sitting behind our table finishing our meal. The man wore a mechanic's shirt and sat straight up in his seat staring into space without saying anything. His wife glared at me as she took a bite of an onion and then quickly looked away from me. As I was leaving, I saw her through the window shaking her head in frustration and speaking with an angry look on her face. It bothered me that I could not have a conversation about the hurt and pain other individuals were going through without being judged and ridiculed for it. It makes me angry that our conversation would cause someone to be so angry and frustrated with me because of what they overheard. We were not planning on speaking to them, but we did.

As we were leaving, my friend, who noticed the looks as well, grinned and said, 'If you don't like what we are saying, you could speak up.' He and I spoke up."