A Message from Joseph Lawson SDARJ Executive Director
In this video message, Joe Lawson, Executive Director of the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice (SDARJ), shares the organization’s mission and the urgent work it is doing to address racial injustice and division in America. Lawson explains that SDARJ was founded with a clear purpose: to help end racism and confront the many harmful consequences it creates in communities across the country.
Lawson begins by describing the current moment in the United States as a critical crossroads. He notes that many Americans feel increasingly divided, frustrated, and suspicious of one another. According to Lawson, these divisions are fueled by troubling trends, including policies and decisions that undermine progress toward equality. He points to issues such as the rollback of affirmative action and anti-discrimination programs, the deportation of immigrants of color, and the removal or marginalization of Black history in educational and institutional spaces. These developments, he explains, highlight the need for organizations like SDARJ to continue educating communities and advocating for fairness.
To address these challenges, SDARJ focuses on bringing people together through education, dialogue, and community engagement. Lawson emphasizes that division and blame will not solve the nation’s problems. Instead, the organization works to foster understanding and cooperation through a variety of programs.
Among these initiatives is Black Voices, a quarterly publication that reaches thousands of households each year and discusses issues affecting African Americans and the broader community. SDARJ also distributes a weekly email digest with news, ideas, and resources aimed at combating racism and uplifting communities. In addition, the organization hosts an annual film festival, a long-running monthly book club, scholarships for high school students, academic recognition for middle school students, and town hall discussions on pressing community issues.
Despite the scope of its work, SDARJ operates without full-time paid staff and relies heavily on the dedication of more than 130 volunteers. Much of the organization’s funding comes from small individual donations from community members.
Lawson closes by encouraging viewers to support SDARJ during the Do More 24 giving campaign. While acknowledging the many worthy nonprofits seeking support, he invites the community to join SDARJ’s efforts to build a more just, inclusive, and united America.
Full video transcript
Hi, my name is Joe Lawson. I am the Executive Director of the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice. Our mission is to end racism and all of its terrible consequences.
Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads in America. Racial division is at an all-time high. Americans are divided, angry, and suspicious. We want to change that. Our goal is to bring people together.
When we look across the country, we see developments that are troubling and should concern many Americans. The Supreme Court has recently ruled that racial profiling is legal—not illegal, but legal. Immigrants of color are being deported not because they are criminals, but, despite denials, because of the color of their skin. Affirmative action and anti-discrimination laws and programs are being rolled back. Black history is being erased, and many institutions are going along with it.
In response to these challenges, we believe the path forward is bringing people together and educating our communities. Division, suspicion, and pointing fingers—saying “you’re bad and I’m good”—is not the way to move our country forward.
To address these issues, we have developed a number of programs, most of which we offer free of charge. One of them is our publication, Black Voices, which reaches thousands of households each quarter with about 80,000 copies distributed each year. Through it, we discuss issues that affect African Americans and the broader community.
We also produce a weekly email digest, sending out more than 200,000 emails each year that provide information, ideas, and resources on combating racism and uplifting our communities.
In addition, we host an annual film festival, a monthly book club that has been meeting for the past seven years, scholarship programs for high school students, and academic recognition for middle school students. We also organize town halls that address major community issues, such as racism in local fire departments.
Our organization is focused on advocating for fair and equitable laws in the state legislature, including reforms that support returning citizens.
We do all of this with no full-time paid staff and the help of about 130 dedicated volunteers. Most of our funding comes from small individual contributions, along with a few larger donations. We are largely community-supported, and we need continued financial help to carry out our mission.
As you consider where to give during Do More 24, please remember that while many great organizations deserve support, we hope you will consider supporting SDRJ as well.
Join us in working to make America a better place for everyone.
Thank you.
SDARJ's Monthly Book & Film Discussion
The SDARJ Book & Film Discussion was founded by Dr. Aimee Wiest and is hosted by the Lewes Public Library on the 4th Tuesday of every month.
