The research phase of the J.U.S.T. (Justice United Seeking Transformation) social action project got off to a great start at the Research Kick-Off meeting, which was held on December 10th at the First Baptist Church of Ferry Pass. Six of our members participated in the research teams that voted on the final two local problems, one related to education and the other to criminal justice reform.
Two problems were adopted and are believed to be solvable at the local level. They were, in education, the low participation in Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) and Headstart programs, and in criminal justice reform, the high arrest rates for non-violent offenders.
The research phase will continue and will include reaching out to members of the community who have been identified as having related expertise and/or have the power to make the desired changes. We will also investigate how these problems have been remedied in other communities; since JUST Pensacola is part of a larger umbrella organization network, DART (Direct Action Research and Training) we will have access to the records of communities who’ve faced similar issues. We’ll see how they have approached their problems and what successes they have had.
This will prepare us for the final phase, our Direct Action. We will gather with other citizens, who are also led by their congregations, and present our investigations and research to the leaders who can effect change. We don’t yet know how many people will be physically present at the Direct Action meeting, but we do know that our 20+ congregations represent approximately 4,000 Escambia County constituents in an election year. Mark your calendars – the Nehemiah next J.U.S.T. Pensacola meeting will be held on Monday, April 27th.
The next meeting for the Criminal Justice Research Committee will be at 2:30 to 4PM on Tuesday January 7th at Allen Chapel AME Church. The address is 500 N.Guillemard Street in Pensacola. This is a wonderful opportunity to transform our faith, hope, and love into action. If you are interested in becoming more active in this social justice initiative, please contact Paula Montgomery.
Arnie Ondis