VoWW Interview #24 - Nancy Chen & Sharon Copeland
Overview
"Voices of West Windsor" is a joint project between the Historical Society and SR Mosaic to fill in the gaps in our records of our town's history. We interview contemporary inhabitants of groups not typically found in our archives so that future residents can get a perspective decades later - much like how our perspectives of old West Windsor were obtained through interviews of longtime residents in the past.
There are a variety of organizations in West Windsor looking to enhance our town's social fabric. One is La Convivencia, set up just a few years ago to foster interfaith, interracial, and intercultural dialogue and strengthen the community we all cherish. In this interview, VoWW sits down with Sharon Copeland and Nancy Chen to talk about West Windsor, La Convivencia, and community-building.
"Voices of West Windsor" is a joint project between the Historical Society and SR Mosaic to fill in the gaps in our records of our town's history. We interview contemporary inhabitants of groups not typically found in our archives so that future residents can get a perspective decades later - much like how our perspectives of old West Windsor were obtained through interviews of longtime residents in the past.
There are a variety of organizations in West Windsor looking to enhance our town's social fabric. One is La Convivencia, set up just a few years ago to foster interfaith, interracial, and intercultural dialogue and strengthen the community we all cherish. In this interview, VoWW sits down with Sharon Copeland and Nancy Chen to talk about West Windsor, La Convivencia, and community-building.
Talking Points:
(On what makes West Windsor unique):
Sharon: "West Windsor is a very diverse community...I'm really happy to be part of a multicultural community."
Nancy: "I want to echo what Sharon just said...In addition, there is adjacency to the train station, a reputable school district, and neighbors and friends that make our community unique. We are lucky to have a community removed from the (vitriol of national politics) ... I don't want to take it for granted."
(On how La Convivencia contributes to the community and how it has evolved and changer over time):
Sharon: "La Convivencia...is an all-volunteer organization...that looks for opportunities to create strong interfaith and cross-cultural friendships. Those opportunities come in the form of conversations, dialogue, and meetings. For instance, we do a monthly dialogue on what we think is a topic tying in with human rights and multiculturalism."
(On La Convivencia's approach to the interfaith Dialogue):
Nancy: "There is an annual event we host called "Walk and Talk" where people are paired with a person from a different faith, and they take a 1-mile walk and they share their culture. It is a really interesting culture where you can learn from their religion and history."
Sharon: "In January of 2020, we had a panel that included members of the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton, the AME Church in Hightstown, and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Princeton. They talked about what it meant to bring forward the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr's. Legacy. In January of this year (2021), we decided to share a film called "The Long Shadow," which talks about how (the director, Frances Causey) realized where they came from and the impact of slavery moving into the future. There were three groups hosting this film, after which we had a large interfaith group helping to promote participation in the event - including the Hamilton Baha'i assembly, the Presbyterian Church in Lawrenceville, Beth Chaim, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, and the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Washington Crossing, and the Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Princeton. For events like these, we try to look at who might be interested in this work and how we can bring them together to share (perspectives)."
(On what makes West Windsor unique):
Sharon: "West Windsor is a very diverse community...I'm really happy to be part of a multicultural community."
Nancy: "I want to echo what Sharon just said...In addition, there is adjacency to the train station, a reputable school district, and neighbors and friends that make our community unique. We are lucky to have a community removed from the (vitriol of national politics) ... I don't want to take it for granted."
(On how La Convivencia contributes to the community and how it has evolved and changer over time):
Sharon: "La Convivencia...is an all-volunteer organization...that looks for opportunities to create strong interfaith and cross-cultural friendships. Those opportunities come in the form of conversations, dialogue, and meetings. For instance, we do a monthly dialogue on what we think is a topic tying in with human rights and multiculturalism."
(On La Convivencia's approach to the interfaith Dialogue):
Nancy: "There is an annual event we host called "Walk and Talk" where people are paired with a person from a different faith, and they take a 1-mile walk and they share their culture. It is a really interesting culture where you can learn from their religion and history."
Sharon: "In January of 2020, we had a panel that included members of the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton, the AME Church in Hightstown, and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Princeton. They talked about what it meant to bring forward the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr's. Legacy. In January of this year (2021), we decided to share a film called "The Long Shadow," which talks about how (the director, Frances Causey) realized where they came from and the impact of slavery moving into the future. There were three groups hosting this film, after which we had a large interfaith group helping to promote participation in the event - including the Hamilton Baha'i assembly, the Presbyterian Church in Lawrenceville, Beth Chaim, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, and the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Washington Crossing, and the Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Princeton. For events like these, we try to look at who might be interested in this work and how we can bring them together to share (perspectives)."
