A Church Fights for the Future of it's Community

An interview with Pastor Herman Greene, the founder of Lit Camp in North Portland, Oregon. Pastor Greene has been an activist and community organizer in some of Portland's most diverse neighborhoods for three decades. As a former educator, faith leader and civil rights advocate, Herman (alongside his family and church abundantlifepdx.com) have managed numerous programs around hunger, access, sports, mentoring and education. Several years ago, Pastor Greene was exposed to the unique and transformative impact of literacy among underserved youth. With the assistance of a network of literacy friends, he and his community launched Lit Camp and has just completed their first cohort of young students, mentored by high school students from within the community and shepherded by church members and leaders from the Triple Threat mentoring program (https://www.triplethreatmentoring.com). Pastor's commitment led him to run and be elected to the Portland Public School Board so he could fight for the futures of all students in North Portland, while simultaneously building parallel literacy programs during school breaks to support academic excellence.