HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
PROJECT ONE AMERICA
Photos: Judy G. Rolfe
SINCE THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED PROJECT ONE AMERICA, IT HAS BEEN STEADILY LAYING THE GROUNDWORK IN MISSISSIPPI, ALABAMA AND ARKANSAS TO MAKE EQUALITY MORE OF A REALITY IN THESE THREE STATES. Already, there has been a huge outpouring of interest locally, regionally and nationally. Across the South, pastors, business leaders, state and local lawmakers, students, straight allies and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have begun to mobilize. HRC recently announced the Project One America leaders in each of the southern states. Each has hit the ground running, and in August, they met in Washington, D.C., to strategize together and learn more about HRC’s work and resources in the areas of workplace,
HRC’s Joseph Ward (L) in Jackson, Miss.
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young woman nervously clutched a worn bible to her chest. “It took me a long time to admit to myself that
healthcare, religion, education and more. “All three state leaders are Southerners who have lived and worked in their communities for years,” says Karin Quimby, Project One Johnson America’s deputy director. “They bring to this work their considerable knowledge of what will or will not work in the South.” Rob Hill, the state director of HRC Mississippi, will be based out of Jackson. A United Methodist pastor for the past 12 years, Hill most recently led Broadmeadow United Methodist Church in Jackson for nine years. He also has served on various local boards aimed at helping youth, improving the Jackson community and providing resources for neighborhood revitalization. Based in Montgomery, R. Ashley Jackson is the new state director of HRC Alabama. Jackson, a native of Mississippi, is the co-founder of the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition. She moved to Alabama and started work for the civil rights power-
I am gay,” she said, asking how it was possible to be both gay and Christian. Another man stood up and talked quietly about his 12-year-old gay son. An older woman told how her church had asked her family members to sign a document saying they opposed marriage equality. A fourth man had to shut down his Facebook page after a deluge of people complained when he posted news about joining an LGBT-inclusive congregation. Each person had a different story. Each had a different struggle. They were among the 60 or so
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house, the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, as the liaison to the LGBT community. Jackson has also written for and has been featured in CNN’s “Gay in America” series. HRC Arkansas will be headed by Kendra R. Johnson, who will work out of Little Rock. Johnson studied at Spelman College and has a graduate degree from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, where her capstone project was entitled, “HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs in Arkansas: A Needs Assessment.” She most recently worked at Better Community Development; serves as the board chair of Southerners on New Ground, a regional continued on p. 13
who gathered on a recent summer evening — some from more than an hour away. They sat on folding chairs and wooden pews, arranged in a circle in the Beloved Community Church, an old brick building located on a quiet city street. Three Birmingham clergy spoke first, talking about the crucial need for every person to be able to find a secure place of faith. Project One America hosted similar faith gatherings — in Fayetteville, Ark., and Jackson, Miss. — also in partnerships with local churches and groups. In Fayetteville, a mother talked about
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when her son came out as trans. In Jackson, a young woman — and ally — said she was raised to “hate homosexuals.” Each gathering drew longtime activists, faith leaders and “those who are new to the conversation,” said Project One America’s Religion and Faith Associate Director Joseph Ward. “It’s clear that many Christians and other people of faith are ready to break the silence, and do what they can to build safer, more inclusive faith communities for LGBT people.”
LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL 2014
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