I believe in what John Lewis was talking about, and I sense you do too.

Hello, my name is Aaron Fairchild. In 2017 I had the pleasure to meet Bishop Garry Tyson and the leadership team at the Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church, a Black church in the heart of Seattle’s Central District. Bishop Tyson had heard about the mission-driven real estate development company I run, Green Canopy, and wanted to talk about a property his church owns. Over the course of many conversations, I learned that over the last decade, twelve Black churches in the Central District have been forced to sell their land as victims of the ongoing epidemic of displacement. These conversations led to many more lessons and soon Bishop Tyson invited me to join him on a real estate journey to develop beloved community that eventually became the Nehemiah Initiative.

Today, the Nehemiah Initiative occupies a crucial place in ensuring the very soul of America’s march toward racial equality remains intact and thriving, the Black Church. More than simply a religious institution, the Black Church is the largest African American community landowner in the United States and is also the largest service provider to the African American community. Without a thriving Black Church in America, the heart and soul of America’s social justice movement would be jeopardized and perhaps even lost. Without the Black Church, the heart and soul the African American community would certainly suffer. The Nehemiah Initiative’s calling is to empower economic development within the African American community by advocating on behalf of Black Church and African American beloved community real estate development.

Please join me and contribute to the Nehemiah Initiative today and help the African American community thrive from within! 

Online donation portal coming soon! Checks can be mailed to: Goodwill Baptist Church 126 15th Ave Seattle, WA 98122 in care of Nehemiah Initiative