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Waiting for Justice

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Hazel Cameron is Still Waiting for Justice

“I know the pain as a mother as I lost my black son, Glenston Anderson, at the age of 23 due to white men who assaulted him which led to his death,” Hazel explains.
 
The King County medical examiner ruled Glenn’s death was the result of a beating he suffered in May of 1998, when he and his girlfriend attended a keg party at a park in Central Washington.
 
Three white men were charged with manslaughter but have yet to stand trial.
Only one of the bullies was convicted of assault after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. He served only four months in custody on nights and weekends while still attending college.
 
Hazel’s family is still seeking justice for the pain of the loss of their son.
 
Hazel Cameron is one of the founders, and Executive Director of Seattle’s 4C Coalition Mentoring organization. She is dedicated to the task at hand, raising money, hiring, training, directing staff, and recruiting youth and mentors.
 
Her work honors Glenn every day, the first born of her three children.
 
The tragedy of losing her son is what informs her work and inspires her to continue to fight for equal justice for Black youth and families by providing the much-needed support to serve our community.

Welcome to 2021

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We at The 4C Coalition will continue to surround our young people with love and the positive attention they so need.

We will continue engaging our communities and bringing the gospel of mentorship to all, we have changed lives!

None of this would be possible without you…our mentors, mentees, our staff, and the amazing funders, foundation, and faith leaders who support our mission.

Hazel Cameron
Executive Director, The 4C Coalition

 

Dear Seattle Foundation,

At the recommendation of Pamela Kraus and Austin Dahl, we graciously accept this grant in the amount of $2,000. Your donation makes a difference for our community. For over 20 years we have been active in our Seattle community.

We believe in being a positive influence in the lives of developing youth, and we’ve witnessed firsthand how mentoring can effect change at a grassroots level.

Dear Pastor Sees,

Thank you for thinking of Clergy Community for Children Youth Coalition (4C) during these difficult times for youth and families.

Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church’s donation makes a difference for our community.

Thank you,
Hazel Cameron, Executive Director

February is Black History Month

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Black History Month 

 

Honoring and Celebrating Black Everyday Heroes

Don and Hazel Cameron

The Camerons give love and light everywhere they go. They lead an organization, Seattle Cares Mentoring, an affiliate of National Cares Mentoring, that focuses on healing and restoration in the Black community through evidence-based healing initiatives that unearth understanding, resilience, and faith.
The Camerons are active in the community, recruiting and training mentors to empower Black and Brown youth and their families, and that’s how I fell in love with their work.
They have taught me that it is all of our responsibility to instill hope and to give back to the community.
– Chericka Johnson, Churchome Director of User Engagement
    https://www.churchome.org/bhm

Quotes by Carter G Wooden, Founder of Black History Month

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“I am a radical.”― Carter G. Woodson

“I am ready to act, if I can find brave men to help me.” ― Carter G. Woodson

“At this moment, then, the Negroes must begin to do the very thing which have they been taught that they cannot do.” I am a radical ― Carter G. Woodson

“History shows that it does not matter who is in power or what revolutionary forces take over the government, those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they had in the beginning.”
― Carter G. Woodson, The Miseducation of the Negro

 

 

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June Executive Director Message

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“I am moved and encouraged by the solidarity of people…”

Dear Friends …

At this moment I am experiencing grief, sadness, and anger over the death of George Floyd, and the continued killing, with no prosecution and no apology, to Black men, women, and children. The change and charges set against the other three Minneapolis police officers is a move in the right direction as black people unmantle systemic issues facing our communities.

Like most of you, I am outraged but encouraged by the powerful movement we see not only in Seattle and Minneapolis but across this country and world.

I am encouraged change will come if we do not let up… and we continue to protest, contribute and support organizations like My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Obama Foundation, Roland Martin Unfiltered, National CARES Mentoring Movement, Seattle CARES Mentoring Movement, Black Lives Matter Seattle King County, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The National Urban League, or one of the many  African American organizations fighting for order and  justice.

I know the pain as a mother as I lost my Black son Glenn Page at the age of 23 due to  white men who assaulted him in which led to his death. It is taking years to fully charge the four white men who were charged with manslaughter and  took my son’s life.

I hurt for George Floyd’s mother and mothers of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and all other Black Americans who died at the hands of police. I am in full support of action to convict renegade police officers.

I am moved and encouraged by the solidarity of people, young and old, of all races Black, White, Latinos, Native American, and Asians who are on the streets coast to coast and even across the world. Change must come. Change in policies, changes in leadership, and system changes.

I am with all who are crying for justice and protesting injustice in policing, criminal justice, incarceration, under resourced schools, lack of quality housing, unequal health care, and inequality in employment opportunities.

I join my brothers and sisters in this time of change. I want to be part of the action to create change.

Hazel Cameron, Executive Director
4C Coalition Donate

Mentors Matter: Maggie Dyer

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Maggie Dyer

“A perfect fit for me.”

“I wanted to work with young girls because high school was a difficult time for me. I wanted to help young women learn how to be themselves, and be confident in who they are,” says mentor Maggie Dyer.

Five years ago Maggie attended a United Way presentation about volunteer opportunities. They mentioned mentoring resources listed on their website. Maggie clicked on the 4C Coalition.

“When I saw the 4C mentoring program, I felt like it was perfect for me. I went through the training, and then they matched me with Andrea. We hit it off pretty quickly. She was 15 at that time. I am 10 years older than she is,” reports Maggie.

Andrea’s mother has been in and out of her life and her sister has raised her and her five siblings. Her home life has been rocky at times.

“The cool thing about the 4C is that they don’t want you to be like another parent in the youth’s life. I think I have been able to help and coach Andrea not as an authority figure but more so as a peer: someone Andrea looks up to, who is setting a positive example for her.  I think I’ve been a stable person in Andrea’s life during a time where a young person needs stability the most. It feels good that I am able to be someone she can always count on,” says Maggie.

According to Maggie, Andrea, who is now 19 and a Garfield High School graduate, has always had a good head on her shoulders, and is very smart. “She’s a great girl. What she’s overcome in her life, and the outlook that she has on her life, is fantastic. I can’t really take any credit because she started out being a pretty terrific young lady. She’s even more amazing now.”

“Mentoring Andrea has been an incredible experience. I have gotten to know someone who I now consider family, someone who I would drop anything for. It’s a nice feeling knowing that Andrea feels the same way. We are both very grateful to have found each other through the 4C.”

Mentoring Matters: Gary Tillery

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Gary Tillery

“I told him to hang up his gloves … and, he did.”

At church, seven years ago, Gary Tillery, listened to a presentation about 4C’s mentoring program. Gary, retired after 26 years as a supervisor at Boeing, decided he’d give mentoring a try.

He attended 4C’s mentor training program. “The training program was very thorough as they went over the dos and don’ts of being a mentor,” says Gary.

After the training, Gary waited two nerve-racking months before being assigned a mentee.

Gary laughs when he says, “during the waiting period, I became very anxious about the commitment … I wasn’t sure that I would be up to the task. I thought that maybe when they called me with a mentee, I just wouldn’t answer the phone.”

4C finally called to let Gary know that they had found a good mentee match for Gary.

“My assigned mentee had a twin brother. Another man was going to take the other twin but he backed out. I felt bad for the other twin, so I agreed to mentor both of these kids,” states Gary.

“It is important to meet these kids at their level, but you have to be careful that you’re not their friend — you are their role model. I had to learn this the hard way. At first, in an effort to relate to them I became more of a pal to them,” admits Gary.

According to Gary, “you cannot be a total authoritarian person because they’re going to resist that. You need to find a way to balance the two approaches. And, of course, every kid is different so you have to be tuned in to them.”

Gary sites two specific impacts he’s had on the boys. “I taught them one of the most basic things —being on time. It’s an educational tool that you do to make your life a lot easier. I stayed on them constantly about being on time, and they eventually got it.”

Another specific impact was on one of the twins, a big strong guy, who could not seem to stay out of fights. Gary kept telling him to hang up his boxing gloves. Turns out this boy moved out of the area, and one day out of the blue, Gary gets a call from the boy, and the first thing he tells Gary is “I finally took your advice and I’ve hung up my gloves.”

Says Gary, “a mentor has to learn as you go along. I can’t give you a map or a book that can lead you down the path, you have to play it by ear. Oftentimes, they just need someone to talk to. The important thing is to be there for them.”