Racial Justice
We partner with local organizations working to address issues of racial inequality.
Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement
Oconee Street Justice & Outreach supports and partners with this community non-profit organization in advocating for equity in policing and supporting those caught up in the criminal justice system. To learn more, visit Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement or contact us at OconeeStreetUMC@gmail.com (Attn: Steve Williams).
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Athens Area Courtwatch Project
Trained volunteers observe proceedings in magistrate, municipal, state and superior courts. We track arrests, jail bookings and the county’s jail population and informally collect data regarding mental health, bail, racial dynamics, etc. Additionally, we interact with officers of the courts, and have entered into relationships with some defendants and their families. To learn more, visit Athens Area Courtwatch Project or contact us at OconeeStreetUMC@gmail.com (Attn: John Cole Vodicka) or 612-718-9307.
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OSUMC Community Bail Initiative
Since June 2021, this initiative helped individuals jailed for non-violent offenses get out of jail or off probation. Many have been homeless and were living hand-to-mouth, some with mental health diagnoses, others dealing with alcohol and/or drug-related issues. Regardless of actual guilt or innocence, poor people are criminalized for their inability to bond themselves out of jail. Contact us at OconeeStreetUMC@gmail.com (Attn: John Cole Vodicka) or 612-718-9307.
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Reparations for Linnentown
Following two widely-attended book studies, the second in partnership with Ebenezer Baptist Church West, the church made a commitment to reparations to African American homeowners in the former Linnentown neighborhood of Athens. Through Athens Reparations Action, a nonprofit founded in part by several OSUMC members, the Leadership Team and Justice and Outreach paid $10,000 towards reparations for Linnentown first descendants.
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