Group visit, tour of Alex Haley Farm on April 6

The Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge has scheduled a group visit to the Alex Haley Farm in Clinton on April 6, and participants will enjoy a presentation and a lunch on site. Those who wish may stay for a 90-minute walking tour (for a $5 fee) of the expansive grounds.

Purchased in 1994 by the Children’s Defense Fund, the 157-acre Haley Farm is a countryside retreat consisting of guest cottages, chapel, meeting lodge, and library. The facility connects young leaders and activists with the heritage of the struggle for freedom, and it is where policy makers and community builders come to connect, recharge their spiritual and physical batteries, and brainstorm strategies.  The Children’s Defense Fund and its many programs have transformed Haley Farm into a training ground for the next generation of leadership, advocacy, and service for children and families.

Haley Farm houses several programs for the CDF, including Freedom Schools. The Freedom Schools are “inspired by the civil rights movement’s Freedom Summer of 1964, when community leaders organized Black Americans to register to vote,” a press release said. The program has trained more than 6,000 high school and college-age leaders who serve first and then lead in order to increase service to institutions and individuals. These young leaders, in turn, teach “children ages 5 to 18 for six to eight weeks, integrating reading, conflict resolution, and social action in activity-based curricula.”

Those wishing to carpool can meet at 11 a.m. April 6 in the parking lot of the Jewish Congregation at 101 West Madison Lane in Oak Ridge.  Those who wish to drive separately are asked to arrive at 11:45 at the farm at 1000 Alex Haley Farm in Clinton.

WIDOR meetings and outings are free and open to the public. Catered lunches for $7 will be made available for those who wish to have one provided. Email Sharon Annis (sharonannis@comcast.net) for a list of the choices for lunch and confirm your selection by Wednesday, April 1.  Those who wish to bring a brown-bag lunch are welcome to do so. Donations are welcome.

Women’s Interfaith Dialogue brings together women of diverse faith, color, and culture to explore, understand, and learn from one another for the purpose of advancing justice, compassion, friendship, and human rights, with a focus on women and children.

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Donations requested: As a follow-up to the presentation on human trafficking last month, Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge is asking for donations of girls’ and women’s clothing (sweat pants preferred over other kinds) and personal items to give to the sheriff’s supply, which is provided to assist victims. Please bring your donations to this outing, and Margot Spore will collect them as we gather before leaving for the Farm.

Directions: Coming from Oak Ridge, head east (toward Clinton) on Highway 95, which joins Highway 61 just outside the city limits. Drive through Clinton and two miles past the river bridge (almost to Highway 75). Look for the Ray Varner Ford dealership on your right. Turn right on Evan Way, then turn left onto Sinking Springs Road for two blocks, then turn right onto Alex Haley Lane. Follow the gravel driveway to the gate entrance.