Allen University’s Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital’s Capital Campaign Recently Received a Boost From Colonial Life With a $100,000 Pledge

The gift is payable over a three-year period (2022-2024) and the funds will be used to:

• Support a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) summer camp for high school students ($7,500 annually)

• Support programming within The Boeing Institute on Civility – a national hub for advancing civil discourse in America ($12,500 annually)

• Name a classroom within The Boeing Institute on Civility ($40,000)

“Colonial Life’s support of Allen University through The Boeing Institute on Civility and the summer STEM camp for students is an investment in our future,” said Tim Arnold, president of Colonial Life. “This partnership aligns with our commitments to inclusion and diversity and providing students with equitable access to quality education.”

For Allen University, corporate partners have been instrumental in the tremendous growth and success the university has experienced in recent years. The technology infrastructure has grown exponentially with the deployment of a virtual server (cloud), universal tools for students, and 5g capacity across the campus. Grants and pledges from companies like Colonial Life are important to this continued growth.

“Colonial Life has been an extraordinary corporate citizen in South Carolina via its leadership and community-based programming, as well as its support of higher education. We are pleased to have the company as a contributor to the Waverly Hospital Restoration and Expansion Project, and a partner in other ventures that serve the greater good,” says Dr. Ernest McNealey, president of Allen University.

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About Allen University

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Allen University is accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 300334097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Allen University. For more information about Allen University, visit: www.allenuniversity.edu.

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Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company

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Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Unum Group, provides financial protection benefits to America’s workers and their families when the unexpected happens. The company offers workplace benefits, including disability, life, accident, dental, cancer, critical illness, and hospital confinement indemnity insurance. Colonial Life’s benefit services, education, and innovative enrollment technology supports over 87,000 businesses and 4 million workers. In 2020, Colonial Life paid more than $700 million in benefits to policyholders.

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ALLEN UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES HONOREES FOR ITS UNCF SCHOLARSHIP GALA

(Columbia, SC) – Allen University will host its upcoming 15th Annual UNCF “A Mind Is…” Scholarship Gala & Richard Allen Awards on Friday, January 31, 2020 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The reception begins at 6 p.m. with the formal program immediately following at 7 p.m.

The 2020 Richard Allen Award honorees are the Gamma Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Senator Darrell Jackson, Sr., Dr. Jennifer Clyburn Reed, Dr. Nancy Rhoads, and Senator John L. Scott, Jr. Named in memory of the founder and first bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Richard Allen award recognizes individuals who have led the way in educating youth and who have made exceptional contributions to the society.

The Gamma Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was chartered February 7, 1942 in Columbia, SC and is a part of the South Atlanta Region. The chapter has contributed over a half million dollars for scholarships

from its signature events, FashionettaTM and the Pink Ice Gala.

South Carolina Senator Darrell Jackson, Sr. was elected to the South Caroline Senate in 1992, becoming at the time the state’s youngest African American senator ever elected. Today, he continues to serve in the South Carolina Senate representing District 21, which is Richland County.

Dr. Jennifer Clyburn Reed has education and teaching experience that spans 27 years in South Carolina public education. Most recently, she co-coordinated the design and implementation of the Apple Core Initiative (ACI), a scholarship program in the USC College of Education for incoming freshmen into the teacher education program.

Dr. Nancy Rhoads is an assistant professor at Allen University, where she teaches law-related subjects. She also established and currently serves as the advisor for the Pre-Law Society, where she mentors students, encouraging and helping them apply to law school.

Senator John L. Scott, Jr. was elected to the South Carolina State Senate in 2008 and represents South Carolina’s Senate District 19. Most recently, he was successful in working to pass a bill to repair and rebuild the state’s crumbling roads and bridges

and to make them safer for all of South Carolina. This past year, he proposed legislation and worked to get the bill passed for a 4% cost of living increase for state employees. nitiative e of er t d es she m apply to

L-R: Gamma Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Senator Darrell Jackson, Sr., Dr. Jennifer Clyburn Reed, Dr. Nancy Rhoads, Senator John L. Scott, Jr.

For more information on the gala, visit www.allenuniversity.edu/gala/. You may also contact Dr. Teesa Brunson, director of development/ associate vice president for institutional advancement, at (803) 376-5724 or tbrunson@allenuniversity.edu.

AME UNIVERSITY, CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL LIBERIA SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

Monrovia, Liberia (January 14, 2022): The AME University (AMEU) and Conservation International (CI) Liberia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at promoting Liberia’s Young Conservation Leaders Program in internship, research, research analysis, and secondment activities. Under the MOU, CI will, among other things, support at least three (3) AMEU students to participate in field activities at CI field project sites, conduct three (3) training sessions for AMEU students, provide internship and job training opportunities for at least five (5) AMEU students annually, invite AMEU students to participate in CI national stakeholders’ workshops and training programs in Liberia and provide a working environment, including access to the internet and a desk at CI offices, for AMEU students to engage in online research.

Meanwhile, AME University, as part of the agreement, will build an internship placement program in curricula as a pre-requisite to completing degree programs, build the Research and Development Program into current coursework on research methods with the intent of helping to strengthen student ability to conduct standard field research, identify and nominate suitable candidates and ensure that students participate in CI field programs, meetings and information sharing workshops as requested and identify, nominate, or confirm all participants in CI internship and job-training opportunities. ❏ ❏ ❏ The president of AME University, the Rev. Dr. Alvin E. Attah, signed on behalf of the University while the country director of Conservation International Liberia, Peter Gayfl or Mulbah, did same for his organization.

EDITORIAL FOUNDER’S DAY MESSAGE TO THE CONNECTIONAL AME CHURCH

By Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield, Presiding Prelate of the 13th Episcopal District and President of the Council of Bishops

In 1984, at my first Founder’s Day as a pastor, a little girl asked her mother, “What was lost.” The reply was, “Nothing.” So the young girl asked again, “Then who?”

“Who what,” her mother responded.

“Who was lost,” asked the daughter.

“No one,” said the mother.

“Why are we celebrating Founder’s Day if no one was lost,” the little girl said in a much louder voice.

“Hush, just celebrate,” the mother finally said.

So, what do we do with this question? Why are we celebrating if nothing is lost?

We are in our Founder’s Day season, the hallmark for the African Methodist Episcopal Church. For us, this is the best season of the year. We gather. We remember. We reflect. We treasure. We gather in the houses of love; we call churches to remember the dedicated servants who built the foundations on which we stand while reflecting on our history (AME and beyond). We celebrate the legacy of Richard, Flora, and Sarah Allen. We enact, recite, and sing our history as a people of triumph and tenacity.

What a treasure we have in two centuries of AME memories, accomplishments, firsts, and historical overcoming at every turn—on every continent. Every general conference and annual conference reminds us from whence we came and how far we still must travel. The list is long: First black denomination, first black university started by blacks for blacks, oldest continuous ownership of property, expansion to Canada, Africa, and the West Indies, first African American congresspersons and representatives, first woman bishop. During this time of the year, we, as proud AMEs, renew our commitment to continue the legacy of Allen.

We remember our trials, our sorrows, and our mistakes. We proclaim the work of the church and preach triumph over disappointment with remembrance of the greatness and miracles we have witnessed. We are overcome with joy when we recite history, accomplishments, and victories. Our failures have never overtaken our faith. The spirit of Richard Allen leads and inspires us, and we celebrate this most wonderful time in African Methodism.

This year many issues confront us, hurt us, challenge us, and raise the credibility of the church of Allen. This year for many, it is a challenge to celebrate amid a deadly pandemic, plaguing racial pandemic, churches laboring under the weight of economic challenges, and clergy who are facing the possibility of financial devastation and death of loved ones.

How have we come this far: The goodness of God. How did we make it through crisis: It was a miracle from God? What shall we sing in this strange place? God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. How do we remember that God has restored us before? We tell the story of how our God empowered us to build a church of former slaves and slaves; how we march in the victory of voters’ rights, started Wilberforce University with no money but a vision, and built great cathedrals the same way.

We take a moment on this Founder’s Day to reflect even in uncertainty. We are the church of Allen, built on a foundation of hope, responsibility, and faith. We are the church of Allen, moving forward but never leaving our history behind. We are the church of Allen, scattered yet connected. Our Founder is not lost. We still celebrate.

Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield Guest Editorial

HUNGER STRIKE

By Rev. Jazmine Brooks, News Editor

Since the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, at least 19 states have passed at least 34 laws relating to the right to vote. These laws set off a chain reaction of resistance from local organizations to national faith coalitions who all agree that voting rights attacks must be interrupted. Among the most notable is Joe Madison’s hunger strike, which began on November 8, 2021. He is 72 years old, has been on strike for now 67 days, and intends to continue striking “until Congress passes, and President Biden signs, the Freedom to Vote Act or the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act” (Joe Madison).

There is a long history of hunger strikes as a tool of non-violent political action that can cost the lives of those participating. The purpose has been to bring attention to those protesting and appeal to the consciousness of those in power. These are the extremes to which those invested in democracy are willing to go; it is a death they are willing to choose.

Similarly, on January 6, 2022, 25 black faith leaders began a 10-day hunger strike to demand the U.S. Senate to act on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act on or before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. While the host organization is Faith for Black Lives, led by the Rev. Stephen A. Green, many of the hunger strike participants are faith leaders who are simply committed to the cause. According to the Rev. Green, three-quarters of those participating are clergy and pastors in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME).

Green attributes the overwhelming presence of AME clergy to the history of the AME Church being formed in the spirit of liberation and reconciliation. He names this moment a “renaissance of resistance” directly tied to the events of January 6, 2020. “The insurrection continues,” he says. “These attacks on voting rights are a continued assault on the democracy…So, our call is from insurrection to resurrection. Let us resurrect democracy and the right to vote.”

The Rev. Green was joined in the interview by the Revs. Rodrecus Johnson and Darien Jones, both AME pastors who shared their hopes toward the restoration of voting rights at the conclusion of the hunger strike. The Rev. Jones was clear that while he is skeptical of the Senate’s ability to do what is necessary for black people, he relies on God’s power to intervene as a divine encounter in the face of great political injustice. The Rev. Johnson agreed, adding that “should there be issues [with passing the bills], we will escalate.”

The spiritual discipline of abstaining from food that undergirds this effort is a “theo-political act grounded in historical relevance.” As Green admits, the group recognizes that “we’re up against authoritarianism and fascism” and that we are leaning on the history of “immeasurable progress and non-violent resistance being an effective action” to resist what he identifies as “tyranny.”

The historical grounding of the group spans from biblically inspired hope to the work of Civil Rights leaders whose work the Rev. Jones states is currently being undone. They are committed to the hope of realizing God’s kingdom come on earth and God’s will being done by the power of collective resistance.

The call to action made by the Rev. Green states that “as faith leaders, we are called to speak truth to power and to raise the conscience of this nation through moral resistance. This moment requires sacrifice and a l Th f d deep commitment to radical love in action to redeem the soul of this nation and to protect our democracy.” Since the initial call, the list of clergy joining the strike continues to grow—the Revs. Traci Blackmon, Otis Moss III, Jamal Bryant, William Lamar have joined along with about 40 young people who gathered at the U.S. Capitol on January 13, day 7 of the hunger strike.

The group will continue to escalate efforts if the demands for voting rights are not met on or before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. ❏ ❏ ❏