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Youth Perspectives: Spreading Beloved Community through Anytown
by James Lamar Gibson
Jul. 9, 2008
[Lamar has volunteered in many capacities at the BCC and is an important member of the rising generation of activist/organizers who sit 'round our table. After spending a week with the National Conference of Community and Justice's (NCCJ) Anytown, we asked him to write about how his experience relates to the work of building beloved community.]
I enthusiastically returned to ANYTOWN this year as a counselor. Last year around this time, I was rethinking my decision to go. The reality of leaving my cell phone for a week was sinking in and while I knew that I would likely be going, I was thinking about how I was going to survive without my best friends and my email. Looking back, those seven days impacted my life in ways that I could never have imagined. In fact, my life continues to be changed daily as I am able to embrace people who I would not have usually embraced, talk with people who I normally would have shunned, and stand up for what is right. I am glad that I was able to return as a counselor because I now have the chance to help guide others through the experience that I was able to have.
I believe that ANYTOWN and the idea of The Beloved Community are deeply connected. The lessons learned at ANYTOWN encourage people to go out and build such a community. While on the mountain, you become a part of a family that is willing to fight for justice and peace alongside you. I remember thinking on the Sunday that I arrived as a delegate, "What the hell can these people teach me?" I quickly discovered that ANYTOWN is not a school, nor is it your typical leadership camp. ANYTOWN is a place where everyone brings something to the table and each individual's contribution makes the community stronger and more efficient. While opinions may differ drastically, we are shown that people are more than the labels that society places on them and with that understanding we are able to create a community that is filled with love, understanding, and respect.
This community is then given the unique opportunity to take its experience on the mountain and share it with the rest of the world. The Beloved Community that is created and felt at ANYTOWN can now move forward and help to create similar spaces and experiences in the wider community.