FCCH Volunteers at Feeding the 5,000 Event

On Saturday November 23, 2024, 18 members of First Congregational Church of Hudson travelled to The Remedy Church, Akron, to participate in its community outreach event, Feeding the 5,000. Volunteers helped community members “shop” for food from Remedy's food pantry and packed “grab and go” bags of groceries. Stay tuned to weekly church communications for information about future volunteer opportunities with Remedy as well as visits to Remedy church services.

MLK Day Celebration January 19

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day Coalition is planning a free event to honor the civil rights leader's life and legacy on Sunday, January 19 at 4 p.m., at First Congregational Church of Akron, 292 E. Market St.

The theme for the celebration is Protect, Educate, and Nurture Our Children.

Speakers include the Rev. Marc A. Tibbs of Centenary United Methodist Church and Pastor Deante Lavender of The Remedy Church. The celebration also features:

• Performances by a combined choir under the direction of Donell Phipps.
• Contributions from Akron’s civic and faith leaders.
• The Martin Luther King Jr. scholarships presentation, a partnership with the Akron Branch NAACP that provides hope and opportunity for local youth.

From Akron Beacon Journal

Social Justice Advocacy Ministry of Federated Church: Discussion on National Reparation Efforts

The Social Justice Advocacy Ministry of Federated Church in Chagrin Falls is hosting two panel discussions about racial repair/reparations efforts taking place in NE Ohio.

The first program takes place Monday, January 13.

The second program is scheduled for February 10 and the discussion will be expanded. It will update folks on National Reparation efforts with two short videos. There will be a short discussion on some directions Colleges and Universities are taking in light of recent legal decisions that dilute Affirmative Action efforts.  

Both programs take place at the church's Family Life Center, 16349 Chillicothe Rd., Chagrin Falls.

Saturday, March 8

Dreamtown: The Quest for Racial Equity in Shaker Heights, by Laura Meckler

Ohioana Book Award Winner

Can a group of well-intentioned people fulfill the promise of racial integration in America?

About the Book (from Amazon):

In this searing and intimate examination of the ideals and realities of racial integration, award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler tells the story of a decades-long pursuit in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and uncovers the roadblocks that have threatened progress time and again―in housing, in education, and in the promise of shared community.

In the late 1950s, Shaker Heights began groundbreaking work that would make it a national model for housing integration. And beginning in the seventies, it was known as a crown jewel in the national move to racially integrate schools. The school district built a reputation for academic excellence and diversity, serving as a model for how white and Black Americans can thrive together.

Meckler―herself a product of Shaker Heights―takes a deeper look into the place that shaped her, investigating its complicated history and its ongoing challenges in order to untangle myth from truth. She confronts an enduring, and troubling, question―if Shaker Heights has worked so hard at racial equity, why does a racial academic achievement gap persist?

In telling the stories of the Shakerites who have built and lived in this community, Meckler asks: What will it take to fulfill the promise of racial integration in America? What compromises are people of all races willing to make? What does success look like, and has Shaker achieved it? The result is a complex and masterfully reported portrait of a place that, while never perfect, has achieved more than most and a road map for communities that seek to do the same

Saturday, April 19

My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Reesma Menakem

About the Book (from Amazon):

In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology.

The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. Menakem argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn't just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans—our police.

My Grandmother's Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide. It:



• Paves the way for a new, body-centered understanding of white supremacy—how it is literally in our blood and our nervous system.

• Offers a step-by-step healing process based on the latest neuroscience and somatic healing methods, in addition to incisive social commentary.