Lakewood Black Caucus Community Gatherings & Events

Greetings All! 

Lakewood Black Caucus (LBC) met on March 15th for a Snack & Chat with guest speaker LaToya Smith, a co-founder of DNA Rising. By the time she finished speaking, the space was buzzing with the kind of energy you experience when someone has blown the roof off! What felt most significant to me is that she helped folks see that the issue of temporary housing for homeless people is not just about providing a place to rest their weary bones out of a sense of compassion, but it’s also about tough love. 

They understand that not everyone knows how to keep a house clean so as to avoid those pesky little rodents. Not everyone knows how to balance a checkbook and shop within their means, and last, but not least, not everyone understands the need for self-care especially a Mom who has a ton of responsibility to deal with. And so, DNA Rising has had to help people learn how to do some of the things that many of us take for granted. 

We’ll have another Snack & Chat before the end of the year on a topic of general interest to the community, and I hope you will join us. 

LBC meets on the third Saturday each month from 1-4:00 pm at Lakewood Presbyterian Church. When it’s a community event, everyone is invited, and that means white folks and People of Color. When it’s a Black Room Saturday, those gatherings are specifically for People of Color. Our next community event will be “Juneteenth” on Thursday, June 19th. 

Over the next couple of months, third Saturdays are dedicated to Black Room gatherings (April 19th and May 17th). This is our time to come together to nourish our souls so that we can continue to thrive in the community by offering educational programs, entertainment, and activities that engender relationship building and camaraderie with our neighbors. 

Among other things, we will discuss plans for a Mutual Aid program – an outreach to help individuals or organizations for people in need. Our grassroots efforts are still being formalized and we’ll be working on it over the next couple of months and intend to roll out a program before the years end. 

Black Room gatherings include a core group of members of the Lakewood Black Caucus but other People of Color voices are welcome to come socialize and/or help with planning. This is also a time for healing and a space in which we can express our feelings about the challenges that we face in this society. 

LBC is dedicated to the mental health and well-being of our Black community, while also providing all citizens of Lakewood with programs for the betterment of all. Our overall intention, whether it’s a Black Room gathering or a community event, is to encourage messages of Love, Inclusion, Peace, Action, and Acceptance. 

All of events are family friendly, so please bring your kids. 

For more information, please email [email protected] or call 216-978-2626.

Rev. Shirley Nelson is President of the Lakewood Black Caucus.