SOCM plans 'unity, understanding' rally

Local members of a statewide grassroots organization are planning an event next Thursday that is intended to "promote unity and deepen understanding amongst the diverse populations in Shelbyville."

The Bedford County Chapter of Statewide Organizing for Justice will be holding the event Thursday, Nov. 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fly Arts Building, located at 204 S. Main St. in Shelbyville.

The event is being cosponsored by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and El Centro Latino of Bedford County.

The Community Unity Night will include a panel of community leaders "who will speak about finding common ground around the Golden Rule ('Do unto others as you would have them do unto you')", according to the group. The evening will also include a community discussion on this issue, "to promote strength in unity in the county."

Andrea Van Gunst, community organizer for the group, says it has worked for 36 years "on issues of social, environmental and economic justice," formerly under the name Save Our Cumberland Mountains. The group still uses the acronym SOCM.

Van Gunst says while their website at www.socm.org reflects their early work of working for "economic and environmental justice in the coalfields of Appalachia," the group has now become statewide and "we work on a variety of issues that all relate to justice ... and all relate to making positive change in local communities."

She added that the group is currently in the process of changing its name to reflect a statewide presence and it will "roll out a new website that reflects the growth that SOCM has had in the past 5-10 years."

Van Gunst explained that the Bedford County chapter is made up of local residents, "teachers, factory workers, managers, retired folks, high school students, etc."

"They come together to talk about what issues the chapter would like to work on and how best to do that," Van Gunst said. "In the past the chapter has worked to resolve inequalities in the local Head Start program and they also worked on unfair housing practices."

Van Gunst also said that at this time, the county's chapter "feels a split in their community and want to work to right that."

"They feel that they do not know all of who lives in their own neighborhoods and that there is fear of getting to know one another," she said. "This is also felt in the workplace where members feel that these 'splits' can build and lead to high tensions."

Van Gunst added that the members of the Bedford County Chapter want to understand how to start building relationships and common understanding.

TIRRC is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration that works to empower immigrants and refugees to develop a unified voice, defend their rights and create an atmosphere in which they are viewed as positive contributors to the state.

El Centro Latino is a local organization that advocates and aids Latino residents of Bedford County.

HOW TO HELP

For more information on the event, contact Van Gunst at (865) 773-6653 or (865) 426-9455, or e-mail her at andrea@socm.org.