“Help redeem the soul of America.”

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” Rep. John Lewis

This month America lost one of its greatest leaders in the fight against racism, inequity and injustice. Congressman John Lewis had witnessed these issues firsthand for all of his life, but always believed that nonviolent protest was the right path for moving forward. He called it “good trouble.”

In his early twenties, Lewis became a follower and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Together, they participated in lunch counter sit-ins, challenged segregated busing as Freedom Riders and spoke out at the 1963 March on Washington.

In 1987, Lewis was elected as a US Representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District and held that post until the day he died. During his tenure in Congress, he continued his work to fight poverty and improve healthcare and education for all. In 2011, Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by America’s first Black president.

In keeping with our 2020 goal to “identify and participate in ‘common good’ opportunities,” Indivisible Ferndale would like to honor the memory of Congressman John Lewis by holding a “virtual” fundraising event. The donations associated with this event will go to two local organizations that support Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPoC) within Humboldt communities. The two organizations are Eureka NAACP and Black Humboldt.

Eureka NAACP is a chapter of a national organization whose purpose “is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.” This local chapter established the Lawson Scholarship program. The purpose of this scholarship program is to award “funds to college bound Black, Brown and Indigenous high school seniors, based on academic achievement and to serve their community.” You can view the Lawson scholarship application process here.

Black Humboldt’s vision is to “focus on positive stories from Black communities and people of color in Humboldt County, invest in Black and PoC businesses, and support Black and PoC arts & culture.” Black Humboldt is offering financial support to BIPoC owned and operated businesses that are having difficulty during the COVID pandemic. In conjunction with the Eureka NAACP, this program has the support of the Humboldt Area Foundation in awarding $1,000 grants to these businesses. Go here to find out more about Black Humboldt and its mission.

Indivisible Ferndale is raising funds to help support both of these important programs. Jackie Cory along with Barbara and John Vernon are offering matching funds up to $1,000 for IF contributions. We will distribute the donations equally between the two organizations.

You can contribute to this fundraising event in several ways:

1. Go to our website and donate through our ActBlue portal.

2. Send a check made payable to “Indivisible Ferndale” or “Eureka NAACP” or “Black Humboldt” to: