March 9, 2016
Moving Ferguson forward Recipes
Elevate your Easter brunch
Community Voices
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By Charlotte R. Beard
(From left) Pastors Josh Privitt, Rodrick Burton, Daryl Meese and Kingston Arthur work as facilitators for the Ferguson Forward discussion groups.
Photo by Sara Hardin
Ferguson Forward discussion group brings residents together to open hearts and minds
Around Town
By Sara Hardin
Dessert First raises all time high
The clinking of silverware and the hum of friendly conversation fills a room on the lower level of Ferguson Christian Church, where each Thursday night a group of Ferguson residents and individuals seeking change can be found paving steps toward the healing of their community. After everyone has eaten their fill and introductions are made, pastor of Woven Community Church Daryl Meese begins to facilitate discussion. “A significant part [of Ferguson Forward] is to help people listen to one another, to feel that they are being heard, and also to develop a sense of understanding,” says Meese, founder of Ferguson Forward. “By that I don’t mean that I know the feelings or the situations of my neighbor, but I have space for them to be different from mine, and compassion for the fact that we have life that is sometimes drastically different from our own. The boundaries that have opened up in Ferguson are not unique to Ferguson. They’re not unique to St. Louis or Missouri; they’re everywhere. One question I always ask is ‘Who is the other?’ That’s always somebody that exists.” The peace with which sensitive issues are handled among those gathered for the Ferguson Forward discussions is a testament to the connection they feel to their community. Many participants
have been Ferguson or North County residents for most of their lives, and the heartache for the adversity and misunderstanding being experienced in their community is felt universally throughout the attendees. Meese began the meetings in October 2014; two months after the shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson unleashed a wave of unrest that garnered international attention and debate on the subject of police brutality. “One of the reasons why [Ferguson Forward] is very important is because after all that happened, just to go back to a status quo of ‘now things are peaceful’ is not useful,” says Rodrick Burton, pastor at New Northside Missionary Baptist Church and site facilitator for Ferguson Forward. “You hear so many people talk about how there needs to be a conversation. Rarely are there actually conversations, rarely are people talking to one another. There has to be a conversation with the other side in a nonthreatening way. When people are at a protest, there’s little conversation going on; people are shouting at each other. When people sit down together in a setting that I believe Daryl has been very intentional about, with a meal where people can talk to each other, it is much more effective.” The meetings are structured around
certain components including listening, learning and leading. Sometimes, documentaries are shown that trace history and problems associated with race, economics and education. If the conversation is especially engaging or successful, more time is spent on deepening the discussion. Organizations and opportunities that can be utilized for the group to enter the community and make an impact have been discussed among the participants See MOVING FERGUSON FORWARD page 2
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