Two-Way Street

Draft Mission Statement
The mission of Two-Way Street of Transition Carrboro-Chapel Hill is to heal the disconnect created in our community by systemic racism and other forms of oppression. We recognize that our society disconnects us from each other and the environment, and that a healthy, sustainable community is one filled with these connections.

We will heal and connect by:
• Creating a safe learning space within the group to make mistakes and correct each other, and provide and expand opportunities for broader, richer, and deeper relationships.
• Engaging with and supporting existing community groups that do anti-oppression work, and acting as a bridge for those seeking involvement with those groups.
• Actively promoting anti-oppression trainings and supporting individual anti-oppression work.
• Identifying and pursuing actions we can take as a group to create connections and cultivate a truly inclusive and reciprocal community dialogue.

This group generally meets at 6 pm at the Midway Business Center, 109 N. Graham Street, Chapel Hill (the parking lot and entrance are at the rear, on Merritt Mill Road, between Franklin and Rosemary). See calendar to confirm dates.

The meetings are, of course, totally open, so invite/bring anyone you want!

See below for notes on what has been discussed at previous meetings and for reports on our past activities.

Finally, we are assembling here a list of worthy programs in our community that need more volunteer help. Our goal is to list activities that will give you the opportunity to be engaged with a part of the community other than your own. You will be giving assistance and receiving new awareness at the same time. In other words, you will be…

…Walking on the Two-Way Street!

Parents Advocating for Children Together! needs volunteers to mentor kids in the “Breakfast Buddies” program. Show up at school from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. one to three days a week to give a special child a breakfast boost of attention. To volunteer or get more information, email info@chcpact.org.

Reports of Past Activities

News Flash: 2-Way Street Joined Action October 18

by Barbara Janeway

At the Chapel Hill Town Council meeting on October 18, three members of Transition’s Two-Way Street group joined with about 25 activists and town employees to stand in support of repealing North Carolina General Statute 95-98. This would restore collective bargaining power to town and university workers. See link here to background info:
http://www.ueunion.org/policy_wr.html.

In a chaotic future, workers’ rights will be more at peril if we do not succeed in restoring their basic rights.

As the Town Council held its regular meeting, members of NAACP and the UE150 union stood in the back of the room, staging a silent protest of the suspension of town employees. Two-Way Street spontaneously decided to join the protest in lieu of its regularly scheduled meeting.

Back-to-School Bash

by Barbara Janeway

The Back-to-School Bash was held Saturday, August 14, 2010, at Faith Tabernacle Oasis of Love Church and at the Rogers Eubanks Neighborhood Association’s new Community Center. The event was organized by the Rogers Eubanks Neighborhood Association and the Coalition to End Environmental Racism, and members of Two-Way Street attended and helped out. The Bash was awesomely organized and carried out with joy and focus. Under blue sky and billowy clouds, beneath the comforting shade of large old oak trees, the Community Center came alive as children picked up their new backpacks filled with supplies for the new school year. Families and folks picnicked on fried fish and hotdogs, enjoying time together and making plans for success in this coming year. Hundreds attended!

We helped the Community Action Committee for the Success of All Students to administer surveys to collect neighborhood members’ thoughts on the school system.

Notes from past meetings

Some members of the group will probably attend the Dismantling Racism Workshop offered in Hillsborough October 8-9. The workshop is offered by dismantlingRacismWORKS. The workshop will include storytelling based on our own life experience; a look at personal, institutional, and cultural racism; a history of the race construct, white privilege, and internalized racial superiority and inferiority; caucuses for whites and people of color; visioning; and moving from analysis to action. If you are interested in attending, email here to let us know, because there may be a discount if we sign up as a group.

At a couple of our meetings, we discussed the fact that long-time residents of the largely African-American Northside neighborhood of Chapel Hill are getting pushed out by rising property taxes brought about by gentrification. We discussed the possibility of addressing this by lobbying for revised property tax codes or attending meetings where developers get plans approved by the town.

We have also talked about holding events with food to get to know each other. Another idea is to hold a meeting where we hear the stories of both current Northside residents and former residents of the neighborhood who have already been pushed out and are commuting long distances to jobs at UNC.