Community Church Hosts Issues Fair

Piper Niehaus

Both Oberlin College and the town of Oberlin are known for their activist streak, and Monday night�s Issues Fair, held at the First Church of Oberlin, did not disappoint.

The many organizations present shared their thoughts on gun control, AIDS awareness, poverty, education, environmentalism, voter registration, justice, peace and healthcare. The organizers came from all over Lorain County and even further parts of Ohio.

�I just felt that it would be a good way to put [my issue] out there in Oberlin,� explained Josh Thurston, the Northeast Ohio Regional director of Ohioans for Healthy Families. �Lorain County is a big county.�

The fair was a chance for many community members to learn about issues that could affect their lives. �It�s inspiring to see everyone having opinions on things all over the place,� said City Council member David Ashenhurst.

�I think it�s a good idea,� said Oberlin resident Norman Craig. �I�m learning some things, but I�ve been paying attention to these matters so it�s not as if I�m starting from scratch.�

Despite positive feedback, several people noted that the hall was surprisingly empty, especially of college students.

�It would be great to see more students come and get a wider sense of what�s going on in the community,� said Reverend Mary Hammond of Peace Community Church.

The students who came to the fair were mostly there to promote organizations that bridge the gap between the college and the community.

�There are students from the SEED House who have a table, and that�s just great,� said Hammond.

�We�re trying to get the word out to homeowners so we can provide information about green renovation projects that can be done in their own homes,� explained Amanda Medress, a College junior who manned the SEED House table for much of the evening. �We thought this would be a good place to interface with people in town since normally our exposure to them is limited.�

Also present were Lina Yamashita, a College senior who has been active in organizing the Oberlin High School garden and College senior Cecilia Galarraga, who has worked in several organizations that link the College and the community.

Whatever the number of attendees, most people at the Issues Fair felt that it was worth having, largely because it provided opportunities for dialogue about issues prevalent in Oberlin and outside.

�These are all important issues,� explained Craig, �so it�s important to have this type of awareness.�
 
 

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