The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Two years ago, leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered on Temple Square to announce educational and humanitarian initiatives to benefit the Black community.
Church President and Prophet Russell M. Nelson explained at the time that the two organizations would “bring relief to suffering souls in underprivileged areas of the United States” and “teach important principles of self-reliance.”
Much has happened since then to accomplish these goals. To promote education, the Church has given $2 million to fund 116 scholarships via the United Negro College Fund. All but eight of the awardees have attended historically Black colleges and universities. Forty-three students took part last summer in the Rev. Amos C. Brown Student Fellowship to Ghana. The fellowship allowed American students of various backgrounds to experience Ghanaian culture, learn about their ancestral heritage and become ambassadors of racial harmony.
Meanwhile, humanitarian assistance is helping people lead healthier lives. At a community garden in San Francisco last October, NAACP and Latter-day Saint volunteers installed a new water-wise irrigation system. The garden provides more than 100 families in a food desert with access to fresh food. To combat asthma, trees are being planted in 10 historically Black neighborhoods across the country. And to support babies and mothers in Memphis, the MyBaby4Me program implemented last November is helping reduce infant mortality. The city’s 38126 ZIP code has one of the United States’ highest infant mortality rates.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
