Locals have decided to address the roots of the issue hidden in their own community. The Well Community Church is taking on the challenge of facing these inequalities head-on. On Friday, Feb. 6, The Well and Faith In Community will be hosting their event: Hope Fresno.

The purpose of this event is to more deeply unite the community. The church is gathering with prominent African American leaders within Fresno to discuss everything from racial injustice within our own city.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. at The Well’s north campus, located on Nees and Maple. However, the doors open to the public at 5:30 for early entry. There will be another program the following morning from 9 a.m. until noon.

The doors are open for anyone from the general public who is interested to attend. Several Feather staffers will be there to report on the event and talk to church officials. The Well encourages anyone from the Fresno community to attend the event.

Chris Schultz, pastor at The Well, encourages students to attend Hope Fresno to hear a new side of the story and open their minds to new perspectives.

“The purpose of Hope Fresno is to literally create a space to listen.” Schultz said. “So often in relationships with people we make assumptions, we jump to conclusions and we don’t hear the other person. In this case, it’s literally the African American community sharing with us what it’s like to be an African American in this city and what some of the struggles and inequalities they have experienced are.”

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @_chloemueller.

For more news, read the Feb. 6 article, BRIEF: Winter guard scheduled to compete, Feb. 7.