BrandeisNOW > January 2009

Student Union to host church benefit dinner on Saturday

Jan. 29, 2009

On the evening of Barak Obama’s election to be President of the United States, a tragic hate crime took place not too far from Brandeis University, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Macedonia Church of God in Christ, a predominantly black church, was burned down in an act police say was a racist reaction to Obama’s victory.

In the spirit of the recent campus celebration of the life Martin Luther King, Jr. and in keeping with the university’s mission of supporting social justice, the Brandeis Student Union has joined the campaign to rebuild this church.

On Saturday, Jan. 31, the Student Union will hold a dinner in Levin Ballroom to raise money for the reconstruction effort. The benefit dinner will begin at 8 p.m. and feature an all-you-can-eat buffet with food from popular Waltham restaurants, as well as four performances by student groups. The performance groups will include VoiceMale, Starving Artists, So Unique Step Team and Mochila.

The cost of the dinner is $10 per person. All money raised from this event will be donated to the church reconstruction effort. Tickets are available on Friday from 12 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. in the dining area of the Usdan Student Center, and also at the door on Saturday.

For more information, contact Andy Hogan, the Student Union's director of community advocacy.