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Jan 01

Charles and Etta Dudley Foundation Opens

Lucas L. Johnson II

Outside view of the Foundation

Jayden Hubbard

Inside view of the Foundation

Cedic Thomison

The Charles and Etta Dudley Foundation, whose namesake played a role in helping to provide food and medical supplies at the historic Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C., celebrated its grand opening in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 20, 2024.

With the aid of its community partners, the Foundation seeks to raise funds and promote initiatives that ensure that the area’s most vulnerable and at-risk groups receive educational opportunities and have their basic needs met.

“We help children, families, and communities break the cycle of poverty by empowering people of all ages to dream, aspire, and achieve,” said Michael Hubbard, CEDF’s executive director.

The late Charles Dudley Sr. was an advocate for racial justice and structural change during the second half of the 20th century. When the Poor People’s Campaign took place in 1968, Dudley was president of the South Central Conference.

Members with medical backgrounds volunteered their services to help the underserved and provide support during the civil rights demonstration. They raised enough money to purchase a van and stock it with medical supplies in anticipation of any violence that might occur.

When some southern white Adventist leaders were angered that the van was at the Campaign, Dudley defended the members’ actions as ministering to the needs of their constituents.

Those close to Dudley said he loved his members and Conference, and was always willing to stand up for them, especially if he believed they were in the right.

For instance, one time the General Conference thought the South Central Conference Confederation overspent $50,000 on a building project. Dudley, however, said the Conference did not, and asked for a meeting with the Church leaders. They delayed their response, and Dudley stood his ground. After a three-month delay, the meeting took place, receipts were compared, and it was determined that the Conference did not overspend.

“In his own gentle way, Dudley consistently spoke up for his community, no matter the place or occasion,” said Benjamin Jones Jr., current South Central Conference president. “The CEDF and the South Central Conference will continue his legacy.”

Dudley and his wife, Etta, believed wholeheartedly that we should “treat others as you’d like to be treated,” and that belief is at the heart of the Foundation.

“We are blessed to be included in the legacy of truly great parents, and to honor them for all the wonderful work they did for so many people,” said Bert Dudley.

To learn more about the Foundation, visit https://www.cedudley.org/.

South Central | January 2025

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