Here are student summaries of fall 2024 MCJD dialogical surveys with members of the First A.M.E. Zion congregation. Click on any title for details, then return to see all titles.
We’re Not All That Different
Event: First AME ZionInterviewer: Kimani
Whom did you interview?
Hazel is a lovely member of the First AME Zion Church. She has been a member for over 25 years and is a large part of the church. In the beginning, she was a bit timid and seemed a little hesitant to interact with us. But after a couple of minutes she was very comfortable with speaking and offered amazing insightful anecdotes regarding her stance on various topics. From speaking to Hazel, you can tell that she is both a family oriented person, and a faith oriented person. But, she is also very open-minded. She does not shy away from touchy topics especially when it comes to religion. She was a delightful person to speak to, and she even said “my husband would love to talk to y’all.”
How did your EcoTypes and SDG priorities compare?While we did not have much time to discuss SDG priorities because we were having an amazing conversation, the EcoType conversation was very meaningful. While, I was not assigned a specific EcoType, I do think if I was assigned one it would be Earth Action. Hazel’s EcoType is Small Green Steps, and I think it fit her perfectly. While you can not exactly choose to be in the middle on an EcoType survey, Hazel never felt ambivalent about any of the topics we discussed. While I often found myself towards the middle. Hazel’s EcoType being Small Green Steps really showed to me on various occasions. She was asked about aesthetics and she said “nothing can beat nature”–a sentiment I also agree with. But she also agreed firmly with the concepts that small changes are better than radical changes because “no one likes a lot of change, it has been shown throughout history.” Hazel’s knowledge axis leans towards Old Knowledge. Through every question asked, she found something religious in relation. Something I also do very often. She leans towards the past in order to better our future, because in her wisdom she believes that what we have done to our world in this age is making it the worse it has ever been. These are all things that I personally agree with. So then I came to the conclusion that we’re not all that different.
What larger MCJD lessons did you learn?I realized that generational differences are real, but as humans we all have shared experiences. I also realized that Hazel is not all that worried about technology and artificial intelligence as I am. But she does care a lot about the wildlife. She cares about how they are being harmed and how we humans tend to create a world that isn’t for nonhumans. I expressed the same feelings, because where I live forests are being torn down for warehouses and now there is an influx of wildlife on the streets. I can not exactly tell you where Hazel’s priorities lay, but I do know that she cares a lot about her family as she shared that she was worried about the future of her grandson. I also know she is very profound in her religious beliefs. Something I am too. But one thing we can both agree on is that we are concerned for the future of our planet.