Remember the Combating Hate Fundraiser? We were raising money to help rebuild a black church that was burned down on the eve of Obama’s electoral victory.
Well, the fundraiser was so successful that the organizers had to turn away people from the door. At a fundraiser! Mad kudos to Andy Hogan for working tirelessly on this, and the whole community for donating money / showing up to the event.
We raised $2,000 from straight-up donations as well as from the fundraising event itself.
Press release:
*Union Completes Successful Combating Hate Fundraiser*
The Student Union has raised $2,000 to assist the rebuilding of a church in Springfield, MA burned down in an act of racism.
Following two weeks of tabling in Usdan, on Saturday January 31st, the Student Union sponsored a dinner to raise money for a predominately African-American church in Springfield, MA that was burned down in a racist act of arson on the night of Barack Obama’s election.
The dinner took place in Levin Ballroom with about 170 guests, well exceeding expected attendance. The impact that the Church tragedy has had on the Brandeis community is clear, and the fact that this many people have committed themselves to help the reconstruction effort is a huge achievement. The Union is proud to announce that $2,000 has been raised and will be donated to the rebuilding of the church immediately.
Director of Community Advocacy Andy Hogan has been coordinating the fundraising effort, “I was very happy to see so many Brandeis students take up this cause. I think the dinner was a nice event and I am glad to hear that so many people enjoyed the evening.”
As guests lined up at the tables of an all-you-can-eat buffet donated by fifteen different restaurants in the Waltham area, Brandeis campus performance groups including Starving Artists, VoiceMale, So Unique Step Team and Mochila entertained the audience with their unique and wonderful styles.
In the middle of the performances the audience had the honor of hearing Bishop Bryant Robinson of the church speak about the tragedy. In a sobering speech, he recalled what it was like watching his house of worship go up in flames. Unable to do anything, he just sat and watched all of his hard work and dedication burn to the ground. He said that the men who were responsible for this were afraid that now, African Americans would have the same rights as whites. That hate and racism had burned down years of hard work and dedication. The Bishop has been very thankful for our support. After hearing Bishop Robinson, many in the audience felt a collective connection between the Brandeis community and the church. It was clear that Brandeis students were having a direct impact and making a difference.
After a lot of hard work, the fundraiser and Combating Hate Dinner was a spectacular success. The victims of this hate crime know that the Brandeis community has come to their aid.
For more information, please contact James Ansorge at UnionCommunications@brandeis.edu