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Written by Keith Barber of YES! Weekly, March 9, 2011

…Reaching across racial lines has served as a primary theme of CHANGE since its inception as evidenced by the group’s successful efforts to help bridge the racial divide in Winston-Salem…

“One of the major impact’s of CHANGE’s work over the past 10 years is folks in Winston-Salem have come to believe their voice matters, Boyd said.

Equally important, the inspiration for the beginnings of CHANGE are reflected in the group’s daily work.

“It’s basically white people and black people joining together, listening to one another, talking to one another, finding out what’s going on in the community,” Boyd said…

The Rev. Darryl Aaron of Highland Avenue Baptist Church in Winston-Salem said CHANGE’s future is bright due in large part to its adherence to its core principles. “The beauty of CHANGE is it´s an organi- zation that gives people who see the disparity, the injustice and gives them a framework by which they can organize and fight that  injustice,” Aaron said. “It’s not politically driven; it is strictly about organizing people to exercise their full potential so all persons in the community might get the right piece of the pie.”

CHANGE draws people from all facets of the community regardless of political affiliation, reaching out to “everyone who wants to participate in eradicating justice and seeing the community live out its ideals,” Aaron said…

Sharee Fowler, a founder of CHANGE, said the to fully understand the ethos of the group, it is important to listen the voices of its members. Fowler related the testimony of several CHANGE members during a recent retreat.

“Attending his first delegates assembly, one leader said, ‘It was the largest gathering of diverse people I had ever seen in my life and the joy I felt was overwhelming,’” Fowler said.

“Another leader said, ‘CHANGE was my place of growing up and under- standing this call and being around a group of people who nurtured that.’” Fowler said a member of CHANGE’s lead- ership team summed up their experience in the organization by stating, “Understanding this isn’t you and me, this is us. We are doing this together. I have this wonderful sense that we are in this together.” Fowler said the training she has received as a leader of CHANGE has transformed her into a better teacher, professional and community member, and that is why the organization will remain viable and deeply engaged in the issues that affect all Forsyth County residents for decades to come. “I am a better everything because of CHANGE,” Fowler said. “I am a more engaged citizen, and I am more committed to the future of this community because of this organization. CHANGE has profoundly impacted my faith journey and my sense of hopefulness for the future. To be honest, I’m not sure I would have stayed in this community had it not been for CHANGE.”…

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CHANGE holds 1,050 member assembly with Republican and Democratic Council candidates

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Dispatch Article

Winston-Salem Journal Article

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Why Does Glenn Beck Hate Community Organizers? The Main Reason: They upend the power structure to give people at the bottom a better chance.

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