Designed by Deanna Wilson

Jan. 11. Unity in Community North Meck will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a party for friends and family on Saturday, Jan. 28.

There will be food, entertainment, games and more to recognize the milestone and celebrate five years of fellowship and friendship, social justice protests and community support, and eduction and action.

The event will be 10 am to 1 pm Saturday, Jan.  28, at the Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Congregation House, 218 Concord Road, Davidson.

Five meaningful years

Participants will be able to learn UiC’s history, celebrate its accomplishments, make a new friend, and help the group live into its dream of racial equity in North Mecklenburg—and beyond.

“We are a diverse, community-based nonprofit organization that strives to achieve racial equity in the towns of North Mecklenburg,” board member Sue Rankin-White, wrote in an email, “through small and large group engagement, education and activism.”

UiC is nonpartisan and open to all who share the vision.

A little history

“Our roots stem from our community’s response to the racial violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017, and the vandalism of Confederate monuments around the country as well as in our own community of Cornelius,”  Rankin-White said.

Sue Rankin-White

Representatives of Mt. Zion UMC and Davidson UMC, along with leaders of local houses of worship, organized a prayer vigil on the Green in Davidson to commemorate those who lost their lives in that violence and to initiate discussions about race in our own community that could lead to positive change, Rankin-White said.

Participants at the vigil signed up to be part of an ongoing effort to strengthen race relations across North Mecklenburg, including Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville.

At the same time, a small group of individuals in the community came together to form a racially diverse group that would make plans for the first meeting of those from the vigil. These individuals included: the Rev. Joel Simpson, Willie and Pam Jones, Ron Potts, Georgia Krueger, and Sue Rankin-White. The first meeting took place on Oct. 14, 2017, at the Ada Jenkins Center and included a large group of participants from the prayer vigil. Small groups were formed and they began their journey to build and strengthen relationships across racial lines.

On Jan. 13, 2018, participants came back together in a large group and identified issues for follow-up in the areas of political activities, social justice, and continuing education that resulted in the formation of three action committees: Social Justice, Communications, and Education. At that time, the group agreed to call itself “Unity in Community.”

In November 2019, Unity in Community incorporated as a 501(c)(4) social justice organization.

The mission

“Our mission continues to be to champion racial causes throughout North Mecklenburg through our voter registration, education, and Get Out The Vote activities; through rallies aimed at calling out racial injustice, including Stop The Hate and Take Down the Confederate Monument; and through our support for the advancement of revitalization efforts and efforts to stop gentrification and displacement in our local African American neighborhoods, including Smithville, Pottstown and Davidson West,” Rankin-White said. “Together, we continue to grow in our understanding of racial issues as we study and learn through small group and large group events and activities.”

Ways you can contribute to the celebration

Share your photos: UiC-related photos will be included in a slide show. The photos may be used on the website, https://uic-nmeck.org/ in emails or in print.

Email photos to uicnmeck@gmail.com; please put ‘UiC photos’ in the subject.

Upload to UiC’s GoogleDrive. 

Please use the designated folders or make new folders with the event name and date. Send an  email with ‘UiC photos’ in the subject to let UiC know.

Financial donation: Make a financial donation using a credit card, PayPal, or check. 

Sponsorships: Email UiC if you, your business, or your organization would like to support UiC through sponsorships.

Parking

Parking is available in the shared parking lot behind Davidson College Presbyterian Church Congregation House and along Concord Road.