Littlefield Action for Social Justice (LA4SJ) is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Dearborn, MI which formed in June 2020 and obtained non-profit status in January 2022.
We provide educational programs on anti-racism work, like our Community Conversations and monthly Engage! Book and Movie discussion groups. We also established a Little Free Library (Charter #136005, located at Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church in Dearborn) to share social justice-related books with the community. When purchasing educational materials, we support local Black and women-owned businesses, like Detroit Book City.
We organize volunteers to support local community outreach programs, like the People’s Pantry at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Detroit. We also partner with other local organizations such as Homage to Black Excellence and the Intercultural Community Center in Dearborn.
We acknowledge that racism still exists today and our society is still trying to recover from the effects of slavery and colonization. We believe we have a responsibility to address past injustices and move toward a more equitable future. This means confronting our own white privileges, which is sometimes uncomfortable, but necessary.
Mission
Our mission is to address and confront structural racism in our communities. Our path toward this mission is awareness, reflection and purposeful action.
Objectives
Confront structural racism.
Educate ourselves and our community through various resources and mediums.
Connect and Collaborate with local leaders and organizations already doing this work.
Provide opportunities to attend related events and take doable action.
Lift up the voices of the unheard and marginalized.
Littlefield Action for Social Justice (LA4SJ) originated as a group from Littlefield Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Dearborn, Michigan, which had a longstanding tradition of social justice outreach. LA4SJ began as a work group of Littlefield’s Mission & Outreach Team in 2020. That year, Littlefield was awarded a Matthew 25 grant from the Presbytery of Detroit to work towards confronting systemic poverty and structural racism. The grant was used to fund LA4SJ initiatives and support the neighborhood public school, McDonald Elementary.
In the summer of 2021, Littlefield’s building sustained irreparable damage in a storm. By winter 2021-22, the process of decommissioning the building and dissolving the Littlefield congregation began. As the church neared closure, LA4SJ filed for nonprofit status to continue the social activism work the church was known for and to carry on the Littlefield name.
Founded in 1931, Littlefield Presbyterian Church always found itself in the forefront of social change and progress. For example, in the 1970s when the neighborhood began to shift from Christian to Muslim, the congregation embraced this change as an opportunity to reach out and lift up their immigrant neighbors without proselytizing. Littlefield became a hub for interfaith dialogue and relationship-building promoting peace and understanding.
Some of the defining values of Littlefield Presbyterian Church were compassion (by way of outreach to the poor, the marginalized, the hurting, and all who are in need of love), peacemaking (building bridges with our neighbors and working with them to achieve justice for all) and building community. This is the foundation on which Littlefield Action for Social Justice stands.
Littlefield Action For Social Justice was founded in June 2020 by Anna Dewey and Lorelei Muñiz.
Anna Hnatiuk Dewey (she/her) earned her B.A. in International Studies and Spanish, with a concentration in Social Justice and Activism at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, and earned her M.A. in (Foreign) Language Learning at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Her internship as a bilingual Workers’ Rights Advocate with Interfaith Worker Justice in Chicago was the starting point for her awareness of the daily injustices that immigrants were facing in the workplace, and inspired her to work for change. Anna most recently served as chair of the Mission & Outreach Team at Littlefield Presbyterian Church in Dearborn, continuing to support the neighborhood of Arab and Muslim immigrant families and refugees. She facilitated collaboration with the local public school, secured grants, and ran clothing and food drives. She helped continue the tradition of Peace Camp, a free, interfaith summer program for kids ages 8-12 to begin the practice of anti-racism work. Anna lives in Dearborn with her husband and three children, and believes it’s never too early – or too late – to work for change.
Lorelei Muñiz (she/her) lives in Dearborn, Michigan with her husband and two children. She holds Mechanical Engineering degrees from the University of California at Berkeley (BS) and Stanford University (MS, PhD). She experienced the benefits of growing up in a multicultural neighborhood in Grand Prairie, TX. As a child, she witnessed the racism, poverty, resilience and love within public housing communities in nearby Dallas while accompanying her mom on work visits. More recently, attending Littlefield Presbyterian Church allowed her to grow in social justice awareness and activism due to the congregation’s ethos of community care and Pastor Fran Hayes’ social justice leadership. Lorelei also works with adult English language learners to increase proficiency, mentors mothers with young children and moderates candidate forums with the Dearborn-Dearborn Heights chapter of the League of Women Voters. She believes in the power of collective action and that everyone’s contribution in dismantling structural racism and combating white supremacy is important and needed.
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Board of Directors
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Acknowledgements
LA4SJ would like to acknowledge and thank some of the instrumental people from Littlefield whose shoulders we stand upon, and who inspired us to continue the hard but necessary work they started.
To the late Rev. Dr. William Gepford, who in 1979 spearheaded a new Arab-American Ministry, and laid the foundation for Littlefield Church to form long-lasting interfaith relationships with the growing Arab and Muslim community in Dearborn.
To retired Littlefield pastor, Rev. Fran Hayes, who served as a daily example of what it means to be a Christian social justice advocate, and who inspired us to take action against the injustices of this world.
To Pastor Nancy Bass, who gracefully led Littlefield through its painful closing, and supported us in forming a non-profit to continue Littlefield’s important work in our community.
To our Littlefield family – many of whom have lived and breathed Littlefield their whole lives: Thank you for your many years of commitment and dedication to the work of the church, and the immeasurable ways you have taught and inspired us by your selfless actions. We appreciate both your encouragement and financial support as we headed in a new direction of becoming a non-profit organization. And most importantly, we are deeply grateful for your trust in us as we continue on in Littlefield’s name.
Tax Forms: 2022 990-N