East View UCC hosts Porch Talks speaker series featuring Rev. Velda Love

The Porch Talks for a Beloved Community speaker series, a partnership between East View UCC, Plymouth UCC, and Heights Christian Church — all located in Shaker Heights, Ohio — features social justice leaders who share their prophetic voices to provide a continued call to work toward justice and equality imagined by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is the 60th anniversary of the series, launched in 1965, when King spoke to a large crowd from these porch steps. This year’s series, which took place on Saturday, Aug. 23, featured the Rev. Velda Love, UCC’s Minister for Racial Justice, as the keynote speaker. The following is from the Rev. Monica Dawkins-Smith, who currently serves as interim pastor at East View, where the event took place.

It was a powerful evening with Rev. Dr. Velda Love as keynote speaker. Many attendees expressed gratitude for the wisdom she shared — particularly the words from our ancestors that reminded us we’ve faced challenges before and will persevere again…”we gon’ be alright!” Looking around at the diversity of the community gathered, I couldn’t help but think of the Beloved Community that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned when he spoke from our church’s porch nearly 60 years ago.

This year’s program included something new: scholarships for the winners of the MLK Essay Contest. Congratulations to all the first- and second-place winners! The three first-place recipients read their essays, responding to the prompt: “What can be done to ensure that everyone in the diverse Greater Cleveland community has an equal opportunity to share their gifts and talents?”

Their thoughtful, creative, and practical ideas were especially timely, given the challenges DEI efforts face in our local schools and government. It was encouraging that both Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss and Police Chief Wayne Hudson were present to hear these inspiring voices.

Music lifted the evening as well, with selections from the Greater Cleveland Choral Chapter Youth and Young Adult Choir, joined by a combined choir from the three collaborating churches.

Porch Talks for a Beloved Community is a collaborative (and ecumenical) initiative between three Shaker Heights congregations: Heights Christian Church, Plymouth Church UCC, and East View UCC—and Saturday was a wonderful example of what we can do together.

The full event is available to watch below:

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