Transformation is Possible

Writer: Sr. Quincy Howard, OP

Sr. Quincy Howard, OP participates in the Town Hall to Vote Our Future in Scranton on October 1.

Day 2 of our journey began with a site visit to Allentown, PA where the Nuns on the Bus & Friends met with Rev. Dr. Edwards and the amazing staff of the Resurrected Community Development Corporation.

We were floored by the phenomenal work that their leadership and “hope, irrespective of the challenges,” is accomplishing in the community. These folks are tirelessly confronting resource scarcity and systemic racism to literally resurrect their community, beginning with the education of their children.

In 2014, RCDC partnered with the Children’s Defense Fund to create the James Lawson Freedom School, a six-week summer learning and literacy program for students grades K-12 living in Allentown. From there they have gone on to foster fruitful partnerships in the community.

These have 1) cut the high murder rate of children in Allentown down to ZERO for the past two years in a row, 2) taken ownership and put to use iconic downtown church properties for worship and robust services to the community and 3) secured $9 million to plan a school “directly in the hood” and build centrally located affordable housing.

From there, we headed to Scranton, where Sr. Robbie Pentecost, OSF and I had the privilege of sitting around “The Kitchen Table” at President Biden’s childhood home. There, we discussed multi-issue voting and why we chose to right the bus this election season. The quaint house looked practically unchanged since the Bidens lived here decades ago!

At Marywood University we prepared for another Town Hall event—with an ominous warning that protesters would be present in the audience. It quickly became apparent it was a group of women, one of whom raised a sign with fetal images in response to questions we asked the crowd.

But as the program continued, the tension dissipated. After each bus rider talked about how policies help to protect people’s freedoms, the sign rose less and less frequently. In fact, when Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould gave her impassioned plea for children who would not go to college because gun violence stole their young lives, the woman clapped and left her sign on the floor.

I approached the group after the program and sincerely thanked them for coming. They thanked us for the event, and we shared our different takes on the issues, which were not as stark as they expected. The interaction gave me hope for the future of our country. Bridges are possible. We are not so far apart as some would make us believe. My heart was full.

This reflection is from the 2024 Nuns on the Bus & Friends bus rider blog.