About Us
Our Mission
The Phoenixville Area Social Concerns Committee promotes social justice and community harmony throughout the Greater Phoenixville community in the spirit of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., through direct action and relevant events.
History
The Phoenixville Area Social Concerns Committee was formed in 1978 as a project of what was then the Phoenixville Area Council of Churches to address racism that was causing friction in the community. Seeing the depth and pervasiveness of the problem, the Committee soon expanded its efforts and became a network among people of faith and others with a commitment to working toward this aspect of social justice.
The breadth of the Committee’s work is exemplified in the life of its longtime leader, Donald Coppedge. His deep commitment to the community and to the vision of a Phoenixville that nurtures all of its people led him to work for racial justice in a comprehensive way that has also guided the Social Concerns Committee. In honor of his efforts to provide people with affordable housing, the Committee worked with Chester County following his death in 2021 to name what is now "Don Coppedge Village" in his memory. The ceremony took place in the course of a more general county-wide consultation on affordable housing held at that site. It was at the same time that the Committee began its ongoing work to build the "Don Coppedge Fund" to support the educational work of Grimes AME Church and Bethel Baptist Church and to provide membership funds for local children and youth at the Phoenixville YMCA, where he had become the first Black president and CEO of any independent YMCA in the country, serving from 1970–1988.
Over the past nearly five decades, this work has continued in several ways. Educational efforts have included sponsoring field trips for students from local schools to sites such as the National Museum of African American History at the Smithsonian, organizing community book studies, and supporting events by other local groups with similar commitments. An annual essay/expression contest encourages students from elementary through high school levels both to consider the challenges and to envision paths toward a more just society.
The longest-lasting project has been an annual Martin Luther King Breakfast at which the Social Concerns Committee recognizes the winners of the expression contest and also presents awards to community organizations or specific leaders whose example inspires others. Awardees are nominated by the wider community for their embodiment of compassion, justice-seeking, and humanitarian concern.
Our Committee Members
Member | Affiliation | Email |
|---|---|---|
Rev. Mark Young, Chair | myoung@fumcphoenixville.org | |
Kris Keller | Financial Sec’y At Large | kriskeller99@gmail.com |
Dr. Louis J. Beccaria | At Large | BBguy1945@outlook.com |
Nina Guzman | ninaguzman300@gmail.com | |
Tamela Luce | tluce@pchf.net | |
Theresa Thornton | MissKittysCare@gmail.com | |
Doug Hagler | doughagler@gmail.com | |
Barbara Armour | bcljma626@yahoo.com
| |
Shelley Meenan | smeenan@phoenixvillefreeclinic.org | |
Keith Burress |
Community members may contact any Social Concerns Committee member to bring forward issues, observations or questions. Or, send us an email at info@phxsocialconcerns.org.
The Social Concerns Committee meets regularly each month (except July & August) at the First United Methodist Church of Phoenixville on the first Thursday beginning at 3:00pm. Regular meeting dates are subject to change.
