Community Engagement News

February 17, 2020

In This Issue:

Miami-Dade Interfaith Coalition Tackles Gun Violence, Unnecessary Arrests, and Other Issues

Nursing Faculty, Students to Provide Health Screenings in Hollywood on April 4

Sophomore Holly Kachler Remains in Campus Election Engagement Role

Barry Representatives Participate in City of Hollywood Event for Black History Month

Next Tuesday’s Deliberative Dialogue Focuses on Sex Education in Schools

Community Engagement Symposium Set for Last Wednesday of March

Organization Looking for Volunteers, Donations for Saturday’s World Social Justice Day Event

Miami-Dade Interfaith Coalition Tackles Gun Violence, Unnecessary Arrests, and Other Issues

Barry Hosts PACT Justice Ministry Team Assembly

Gun violence, unnecessary arrests, community IDs in relation to immigration, and affordable housing are the key issues currently on the agenda of an interfaith coalition in Miami-Dade County.

The coalition named PACT (People Acting for Community Together) met on Barry’s Miami Shores campus earlier this month to get an update on efforts to address the issues and preparations being made for major annual events. Thirty-two members attended the PACT Justice Ministry Team Assembly.

Regarding gun violence, the assembly noted that in Miami-Dade, young people aged 18–24 were “most likely to be affected by gun violence – both as a shooter and as a victim.” The assembly noted further that less than 0.1% of the population was responsible for most of the violence, tied largely to “small, street-level conflicts between groups of young men.” Yet, the assembly observed, “there has been no substantial strategy to intervene in the lives of these group members.”

Concerning unnecessary arrests, PACT participants were reminded that “every year, over 26,000 adults in the state of Florida sit in jail for first time, nonviolent misdemeanor offenses.” Based on its research, PACT “confirmed that many people are in jail for all the wrong reasons – not because they are a threat to society,” but because of unpaid fines related to driving and licenses, and mental health issues.

PACT has proposed a “County-approved Community ID,” which, it says, “would greatly improve quality of life for so many people, like immigrants, foster youth, the homeless, seniors, and returning residents (who have just completed prison sentences).”

The cost of housing in Miami-Dade “is reaching crisis levels and it is forcing people out,” the PACT Justice Ministry Team Assembly also noted.

Four Barry Service Corps Fellows assigned to the Faith in Action team – Javier Bracho Muñoz, Cindy Luc, Lise-Berthe Laurent, and Alexis Toussaint – facilitated activities during the assembly on February 3. Liz James of Barry’s Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) provided supervision.

The PACT North Rally will take place next Monday (February 24). The agenda will include updates on issues being addressed by the coalition and reports on preparations for PACT’s Nehemiah Action, which is scheduled for March 16. That event is expected to attract more than 1,500 people, and PACT will ask public officials to make commitments to implementing specific solutions to the identified issues.

“Our goal is to have more than 120 people from Barry at the Nehemiah Action,” said the CCSI’s Liz James. “We are asking an increased number of faculty and staff to join students at the event.”

PACT is a coalition of 40 congregations – churches, synagogues, and mosques – and two universities representing more than 50,000 people in Miami-Dade County. A "direct action” organization, PACT aims to unite, organize, and train leaders from diverse congregations, schools, and community groups to build a powerful community voice and hold officials accountable to achieve systemic change by promoting fairness, justice, and democracy throughout the county. 

For more information about PACT activities and how to get involved, contact James at ljames@barry.edu or 305-899-3728.

Nursing Faculty, Students to Provide Health Screenings in Hollywood

on April 4

Nursing faculty and students will provide health screenings and educational activities to the community at the 2020 Health and Wellness Fair in the City of Hollywood (Broward County) on April 4.

The event is designed to improve the health of the local community while supporting Barry’s core commitment of collaborative service.

The Health and Wellness Fair will take place in Hollywood’s Young Circle ArtsPark from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For further information, contact Dr. Corvette Yacoob, director of the nurse practitioner program in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, at CYacoob@barry.edu.

Sophomore Holly Kachler Remains in Campus Election

Engagement Role

Holly Kachler, a sophomore majoring in political science, is remaining in her role as a fellow for the Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP).

Monica Matteo-Salinas, the Florida/Georgia director of CEEP, made the announcement earlier this month.

CEEP is “a national non-partisan project that helps America’s colleges and universities get as many of their 20 million students as possible to register, volunteer in campaigns, educate themselves, and turn out at the polls.” The CEEP fellowship promotes voter registration and voter engagement.

Throughout the fall semester of 2019, Kachler served as Barry’s CEEP fellow and as a member of Barry’s Campus Democracy Project (CDP) Committee.

CEEP Fellows generally support voter registration, voter education, and voter engagement events. They are required to develop and implement a plan for administrators, faculty, staff, and student leaders to assist in registering and engaging students in the election process.

Barry Representatives Participate in City of Hollywood Event for

Black History Month

Last Tuesday evening, an adjunct faculty member in Barry’s School of Education provided a history lesson on African Americans’ struggle for voting rights and being subjected to voter suppression.

Clarence V. Walker, Jr. traced African Americans’ “long road to freedom” – from the founding of American democracy through the era of Reconstruction to the present day. He highlighted the challenges black men faced in the late 1800s, after being granted the right to vote; the 19th Amendment in 1920, which gave women the right to vote; and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Making a presentation at a Black History Month event in Hollywood, Walker showed how voter suppression is practiced today. He emphasized the need for the situation to be countered through education as “a social justice project.”

Dr. Glenn Bowen, executive director of Barry’s Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI), introduced Walker at the event, which took place at HollywoodCity Hall. Walker’s presentation set the stage for a panel discussion on “African Americans and the Vote,” the national theme of Black History Month.

Hollywood City Commissioner Richard S. Blattner was in the audience. Also in attendance, representing Barry, were Liz James, experiential learning coordinator; Stephanie Wong, CCSI administrative coordinator; and Dr. Heather Johnson Desiral, project assistant for the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).

Next Tuesday (February 25), a poetry/spoken word competition will take place at the same venue, with Johnson Desiral as one of the judges. Billed as the 4th Annual Talented 10th Poetry Slam, the competition is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. after an hour-long reception.

Next Tuesday’s Deliberative Dialogue Focuses on Sex Education in Schools

The academic year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series will continue next Tuesday (February 25) with a forum titled “Comprehensive Sex Education in Florida Schools: What Should Be Required?”

Scheduled for 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in Andreas 112, the forum will involve students and alumni, faculty and staff, and community members.

The CCSI organizes the Deliberative Dialogue Series as an approach to civic learning and engagement in addressing current social issues. Free and open to the public, the series brings together campus and community stakeholders to weigh perspectives on the issues and to work towards practical solutions.

For further information, contact CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien at cberrien@barry.edu or 305-899-4017.

Community Engagement Symposium Set for Last Wednesday

of March

The seventh annual Community Engagement Symposium will be held on the last Wednesday of March. "Engagement in Purposeful Projects: From Awareness to Action” is the theme.

Organization Looking for Volunteers, Donations for Saturday’s World Social Justice Day Event

YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade is seeking support for its World Social Justice Day event – a Hygiene Packing Party – this Saturday (February 22). In partnership with The Beauty Initiative, YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade will host the event at which donated items will be packed in support of the Help. Her. Period Campaign.

The event organizers welcome donations of the following items: bar soap, body wash, combs and brushes, conditioner, deodorant, lotion, razors, shampoo, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

The Beauty Initiative, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that caters to women and girls in need. Its inaugural initiative, Help. Her. Period, provides free menstrual necessities mainly to women who are experiencing homelessness or financial hardship. Girls in schools that do not provide feminine hygiene supplies also benefit from the initiative.

Established in 1919, YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade, Inc. is committed to eliminating racism and empowering women. According to information at its website, “YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade, Inc. is the leading voice for women and girls in South Florida because we confront social justice issues to make lasting, meaningful change.”