South Jersey NOW-Alice Paul chapter hosts guest speaker on civil rights on Feb. 11

Civil Rights, Then and Now: 50 Years Later the Struggle for Racial Justice Continues

On Wednesday, Feb. 11 South Jersey NOW-Alice Paul chapter, is honored to have as our guest speaker Reverend Julia Chaney-Moss, preceded by a discussion of chapter activities.The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. and is held at the First Baptist Church, located at 19 West Street in Moorestown. Enter via side door closest to municipal parking lot and Carl’s Shoe Store.

Speaker will be Rev. Chaney-Moss, whose brother James Earl Chaney and two other civil rights workers, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, all in their early 20s, were murdered by the KKK in Meridian, Mississippi on the first day of a summer-long crusade to register voters. During Freedom Summer 1964, 900 volunteers including many black and white college students joined the push to enable African-Americans to vote. That effort was met with violence, resulting in arrests, beatings and church bombings, as depicted in the newly- released film “Selma”. In 2014, President Obama awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom to Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner as “unsung heroes who sacrificed their lives in the fight for freedom, justice and equality.”

Chaney-Moss is a sought-after motivational speaker and was keynote speaker at the Church Women United event honoring Dr. King in the Chapel at the United Nations. From 1998–2009, during International Women’s Month, she facilitated, “A Grand Gathering of Sisters,” a program she created to offer spiritual healing and empowerment to women.

Chaney-Moss will discuss how race and racism continue to play a role in American society and the ways in which America has, and has not, moved forward since 1964. After making a short presentation, she has asked that the evening be an interactive one. Please bring at least one question with you and jot down others as you hear her speak. We hope that you will join us for this very powerful, riveting and inspiring evening.

For information or directions, please contact Anita M. Sopenoff at anitafinancial@comcast.net.