Martin Luther King Celebration on Monday

All Saints’ Chapel and the School of Theology Committee for Diversity and Reconciliation are co-sponsoring the annual All Saints’ Chapel MLK Service recognizing the life of Martin Luther King Jr., at 4:45 p.m., Monday, Jan. 19, in All Saints’ Chapel. Students and faculty of the School of Theology, University faculty and staff, and members of the community will read selected excerpts from the life and works of King. This will mark the 30th year that the Sewanee community has gathered for this purpose.

University Carillonneur John Bordley will perform a short recital with works honoring King at 5:45 p.m., as people move from All Saints’ to the Bishop’s Common.

At 6:30 p.m., the community is invited to share a potluck dinner and celebration in the Bishop’s Commons Hearth Room. The keynote speaker will be Rev. Dr. Deborah Jackson, associate dean for community life at the School of Theology. Students will share poetry and dance, and everyone will join together in song. The Sewanee Praise Choir, under the direction of music professor Prakash Wright, will perform selections chosen for the occasion.

The African-American Alliance, the Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace, the School of Theology, and the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs, are the co-sponsors of the service and dinner. 

The events are free and all are welcome to attend.

Details for Upcoming Election on Nov. 4 : Council Candidates Named, Early Voting, Photo IDs

The Tuesday, Nov. 4, general election is 10 days away. Voters will need a valid government-issued identification card to participate. The candidates for the Community Council have been announced, and plans are being made to celebrate on election night.

Early voting for the general election is at the Franklin County Election Commission, 839 Dinah Shore Blvd., Winchester. The office is open 8 a.m.–noon on Saturday, Oct. 25; and 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., weekdays until Thursday, Oct. 30. 

For the election of new members to the Sewanee Community Council, early voters should go to the Provost’s Office, 8 a.m.–noon, and 1:30–4:30 p.m., weekdays, Oct. 24–Oct. 30.

In Sewanee voters will be selecting seven new members of the Community Council. 

The only contested election is in District 3. Annie Armour, Pixie Dozier and Paul Evans are the candidates for two seats. Armour is seeking re-election to represent this district.

In District 1, David Coe is running unopposed for re-election. In District 2, Bill Barton and Theresa Shackelford are running for the two vacancies; Shackelford is an incumbent in District 2. In District 4, Dennis Meeks and Andrew Sampson are both unopposed in their bid to return to the Council. 

The Franklin County general election ballot includes: governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives 4th Congressional District, Tennessee House of Representatives 39th District, and four amendments to the Tennessee state constitution [see the Oct. 17 issue of the Messenger for details about the proposed amendments]. A link to a copy of the general election ballot is at <www.franklincotn.us/departments/election_commission/>. 

A photo ID is required to vote early at the Franklin County Election Commission, and on Nov. 4 at polling places. Since 2011 all voters in Tennessee are required to show a current government-issued photo ID: acceptable IDs are a current driver’s license or DMV-issued ID card, military ID, or U.S. passport; school-issued IDs, library cards, birth certificates or other forms of ID do not meet the requirement. 

The voting rights committee of the Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace (CCJP) is offering assistance for registered voters who do not currently have a valid ID. Registered voters with fixed or low incomes may be able to get an ID for no cost. For more information or to schedule assistance call CCJP at 598-9979.

After the polls close, CCJP is hosting its annual election night party and potluck, 7–9 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the home of Susan Holmes and Greg Maynard, 230 Tennessee Ave. Please bring a dish or snack and drink to share throughout the evening as the group watches the election results on television. For more information contact Charles Whitmer at (931) 636-7527 or email <charles.whitmer@gmail.com>.

Sewanee Community Center Enters its 13th Year : Organizers Remember Early Challenges

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Now in its 13th year, the Sewanee Community Center (SCC) is a shining example of what can be accomplished through determinism, volunteerism and follow-your-dream passion. Unique in its no-fee policy, the center is available free of charge to any individual or group hosting a program or event open to the public. Users charging for lessons or classes pay a modest $5 per hour. For private parties, a $10 donation is suggested, but many give more.

Thirteen years ago, the SCC was an unused building with broken windows, buckled floors, a collapsing foundation, and a foul sewage odor permeating the premises. SCC manager Rachel Petropoulos describes the building today as “bright, sunny and friendly.” More than 800 people of all ages and walks of life pass through the doors each month, with activities scheduled on every day. The diverse array of programs include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, dance lessons, yoga and a weekly farmers market.

The structure previously housed the University ROTC program and before that, served as an Army barracks. Moved to its present location on Ball Park Road in 1969, the building became the home of the Sewanee Senior Citizens’ Center and a Youth Center offering free after-school care. Attendance declined as after-school care became more widely available, and when Sewanee Elementary School began offering free after-school care, the Youth Center closed.

In early 2002, Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace (CCJP) board member Lisa Rung proposed CCJP lease the vacant building and turn it into a community center. Past president of the Youth Center board, Rung saw the potential in the building which offered a large, open room for activities and a small room for a CCJP office.

Much sighing and head-shaking followed when the CCJP board inspected the building, but in June 2002 the board voted to lease the building from the University for $10 per year and test-drive the community center idea.

CCJP sent out a survey asking the community what activities they wanted to see at the Center, met with the Sewanee Community Council to discuss the project and applied to the Community Chest for operating expenses based on the budget of the Youth Center, which the Community Chest had fully funded in the past. CCJP received less than a fourth of the requested amount.

Robin Hille Michaels, CCJP director in 2002, said, “One of the biggest challenges was convincing the community the center was not for CCJP’s benefit, but for the community’s benefit.”

In Sept. 2002, CCJP established a Community Center steering committee including non-CCJP board members. To help fund repairs, CCJP paid the center for office space, contributed its budget surplus and hosted a spring music festival to benefit the center from 2003 to 2005.

The center received gifts of paint, a phone, answering machine, ceiling fan and light fixtures. Volunteers cleaned, carted off trash from under the building, painted, refinished the floors, installed a gravel walkway and landscaped the entrance.

“They said it couldn’t be done,” Rung remembered, citing opposition to the no-fee use policy and the debate over whether the center should offer programs or merely provide an affordable facility and let the community decide what it wanted. Those arguing for community-determined use of the facility won the debate. From 2002 to 2005 the Community Chest annually increased its funding, eventually contributing $7,700 for repairs. Another generous $4,000 gift for repairs came from the University, along with many cash gifts from individuals and organizations.

By early 2007 the center had earned nonprofit status and its own bank account, separate from CCJP. The center hosts fund-raisers to pay for repairs and improvements like new windows and upgrading the kitchen for commercial kitchen use. An annual Community Chest gift pays most operating expenses and the manager’s salary. Donations cover other needs.

Asked what she’d like to see in a new facility, Petropoulos said, “What we need is what we have, but a little bigger, a little more polished.” A conference or meeting room would be nice, she added.

“The center is serving the community well. It’s very low stress, budget-wise and program-wise. We want to keep those things going.”

To schedule use of the center, contact Petropoulos at 598-9979 or email <rpetropo@gmail.com>.

MLK Events in Sewanee

Sewanee will observe Martin Luther King Day with three events. All are open to the public.

At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19, at Sewanee Elementary School (SES), there will be an observance paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of the 1964 desegregation of SES. A historical marker commemorating the event will be unveiled at the ceremony. A reception will follow at Brooks Hall.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is observed on Monday, Jan. 20, as a holiday. 

The 29th annual Martin Luther King Birthday Celebration will be held on Monday, Jan. 20, in the Bishop’s Common Hearth Room, beginning with a potluck dinner at 5:30 p.m. Student performers include the Sewanee Praise choir, poet Adrian Bowie and praise dancer Yubisan Ventura. Featured speaker Marilyn Davidheiser will provide an overview of the lawsuit leading to the desegregation of SES.

At 8 p.m., Monday, Jan. 20, in Guerry Auditorium, François Clemmons, acclaimed singer, playwright and lecturer will perform. As founder/director of the world-famous Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, he performs throughout America, Europe and Asia, carrying on his vision for preserving, sustaining and commissioning new and traditional arrangements of American Negro Spirituals for future generations. 

On Monday, federal, state and local government offices will be closed. Franklin County and Marion County public schools will also be closed, as will banks and post offices. Classes will be held in Grundy County, as well as at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School and the University.

Experts Debate Hydraulic Fracturing on Tuesday

How is hydraulic fracturing done in Tennessee? What are the benefits to the state and what hazards does the process pose? Geologist Scott Gilbert and anti-fracking activist Eric Lewis will address these questions at a debate-style panel discussion at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 16, in Convocation Hall. Sewanee geology professor Martin Knoll will present an introduction to the hydraulic fracturing process to provide context for questions posed to the two panelists.

Concern about the possibility of hydraulic fracturing in this region is increasing since a swath of East Tennessee (including Hamilton, Marion, Franklin and Grundy counties), Alabama and Kentucky was found to rest on a rock formation known as “Chattanooga Shale.” Chattanooga Shale is an extension of the formation that has sparked a natural gas boom in Pennsylvania and triggered complaints about environmental damage and health hazards.

The program is sponsored by the Babson Center, the environmental studies department, the forestry and geology department, the Green House and the Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace. For more information contact Leslie Lytle at 598-9979 or email <sllytle@blomand.net>.

Gilbert has a B.S. in geology from Tennessee Tech University. During his 22-year career with Highland Drilling, he oversaw casing programs and supervised drilling and rig deployment for hundreds of oil and gas wells in Tennessee and Kentucky and helped implement Highland’s contract with the Department of Energy to plug and abandon more than 600 wells. In 2002, he joined Nami Resources, which later became Vinland Energy, to serve as chief geologist and vice president of exploration. At present, Gilbert is manager of exploration for Monteagle Oil & Gas, LLC, where he generates prospects and oversees leases, acquisitions, well planning and permitting.

 Lewis holds a B.S. in political science from the University of Illinois. He has three decades of experience working to address environmental issues. Lewis served on the Governor’s Panel on Forestry Management in the early ’90s. He is president of the Swan Conservation Trust established to preserve forest lands in Tennessee and administrator of the Cumberland Green Bioregional Council, which works to promote environmental education. Lewis is a founding member of the Coalition for a Frack-Free Tennessee, the Tennessee Forest Defense Council and the Nashville Peace and Justice Center. His green construction business, Solar Works, has been building energy-efficient residential and commercial structures since 1979.

CCJP Awards Banquet

The Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace (CCJP) will have its annual Awards Banquet at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Sewanee Community Center. Ruhi Jahanpour Hiebert will be the keynote speaker. 

CCJP will recognize individuals whose work furthers the mission of bringing justice and peace to the region. This year’s award honorees are Michael Grantz (C’13), Dixon Myers and Kathleen O’Donohue.

Dinner will feature a main course prepared by local caterer Julia Stubblebine. Please bring a side dish or dessert. RSVP appreciated. Contact Leslie Lytle at 598-9979 or email <sllytle@blomand.net>.

CCJP Hosts Annual Awards Banquet

The Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace (CCJP) will have its annual Awards Banquet at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Sewanee Community Center. This year’s keynote speaker is Ruhi Jahanpour Hiebert, who will talk about human rights violations and the religious persecution she and her friends endured at the hands of the Iranian regime in power in the early 1980s. After suffering beatings and torture to force her to recant her beliefs, Jahanpour was unexpectedly released. Police returned to arrest her again three days later, but Jahanpour had fled the country. Her 10 cellmates were hung. Last October Jahanpour testified before the International Tribunal for Iran at the Hague.

CCJP will recognize individuals whose work furthers the mission of bringing a measure of justice and peace to the Cumberland Plateau area. CCJP’s 2013 award honorees are:

Michael Grantz (C’13) for his work as an organizer and activist bringing together the University and Sewanee community to “act up” for justice locally, nationally and globally; 

Dixon Myers for making home ownership and healthcare more accessible for Cumberland Plateau residents through Housing Sewanee and the Remote Area Medical Clinic; and 

Kathleen O’Donohue for promoting justice and peace by working behind the scenes to educate and create liaisons and through her example, raising the awareness of all those whose lives she touches.

Dinner will feature a main course prepared by local caterer Julia Stubblebine. Those attending are encouraged to bring a side dish or dessert. Guests and visitors are welcome and encouraged to join in this community celebration. RSVP appreciated. Contact Leslie Lytle at 598-9979 or email <sllytle@blomand.net>. 

CCJP’s mission is to establish and sustain a community of concerned citizens to promote efforts, programs and activities that bring about a measure of peace and justice to the local area, surrounding regions and the world at large. 

Sewanee’s MLK Day Observances

Two events will mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal holiday on Monday, Jan. 21.

All Saints’ Chapel and the School of Theology’s Committee for Diversity and Reconciliation will host a service at 4:30 p.m. in All Saints’ Chapel. Students, faculty, staff and community members will read the letter written by King while jailed in Birmingham, Ala. 

The University’s first African-American graduate, Nathaniel Owens, C’70, will be the featured speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration at 6 p.m. in the Bishop’s Common Hearth Room. The African-American Alliance and Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs, the Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace and the Franklin County NAACP are hosts for the event, which begins with a potluck buffet.

Owens came to Sewanee from Hartselle, Tenn. After graduating with honors in English, he decided to attend law school, declining an opportunity to play in the NFL after the Cincinnati Bengal’s football team drafted him. He and his family live in Alabama, where he practices law. His son, Nathaniel, is a sophomore in the College.

Sewanee Praise, the student gospel choir, will perform at the event. Nathalie Fowler, president of the African American Alliance, will emcee the festivities. The evening culminates in a group sing-along.

On Monday, Jan. 21, all federal, state and local government offices will be closed. Public schools will be closed, as will area banks and post offices. St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School and the University will have classes on Monday.

This year, MLK Day  coincides with the 57th Presidential Inauguration, King’s birthday was on Jan. 15, but the federal holiday is observed on the third Monday in January. 

CCJP’s 2013 Award

Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace is seeking nominations for the 2013 award to recognize individuals and organizations whose work furthers the mission of bringing a measure of justice and peace to the Cumberland Plateau area. The deadline for making award nominations is noon, Jan. 18. 

Past award recipients include Susan Binkley and Blue Monarch; the Community Action Committee; Jess Wilson and the Cumberland Farmers’ Market; Carol and Glenn Vanden Bosch and the Grundy County Food Bank; Christine Hopkins for establishing the Franklin County Community Re-entry program; and Joe Porter for nurturing community understanding of diverse faiths.

The award will be presented at the spring banquet on Saturday, Feb. 23. To make a nomination, describe the person or organization (100 words or less). Nominations may be submitted to Leslie Lytle at <sllytle@blomand.net> or P.O. Box 307, Sewanee, TN 37375.

Election Night Watch Party

The Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace (CCJP) will celebrate its 25th anniversary with an election night watch party, beginning at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the home of Linda and Clayton Rogers, at 874 Lake O’Donnell Rd., Sewanee.

The public is invited to join in watching the election returns, with several televisions offering a selection of viewing options. Beverages and light snacks will be served, and childcare will be available throughout the evening.

The charter granting CCJP official status was recognized by the state of Tennessee in 1987. The election night party is a long-standing tradition with CCJP.

For more information contact Leslie Lytle at <sllytle@blomand.net> or 598-9979.