Breaking Barriers with New Friends 
 
Published Thursday, June 17, 2010 8:00 am
by Ryanne Persinger

Since Maria Hanlin and Ed Newberry became Friday Friends they’ve actually become great friends.

Hanlin, executive director of Mecklenburg Ministries and Newberry, pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church on Beatties Ford Road, met to get to know one another and break down barriers.

“I can call him up anytime now,” Hanlin said. “If I have an issue, I call him.”

Said Newberry: “We knew each other already but this gave us the opportunity to become friends.”

Friday Friends started in 2007 to have people of different races, religions or cultures meet monthly to grab coffee, lunch or dinner. It was birthed out of another program, “Souls of White Folks,” where white clergy learn and research race and history.

“It’s only for white clergy because we feel like too often we go to our friends of color to explain things other than doing our own history,” Hanlin said.

Then former Bank of America executive Joe Martin, who is now deceased, came up with the idea of taking someone of a different race out to lunch.

“We said let’s take it deeper and instead make it a commitment to meet six times,” Hanlin said. “It’s the last Friday of the month for lunch. But we don’t care if (you meet) Friday or for lunch or coffee or anything just as long as you get together.”

Since Hanlin and Newberry have met they have discussed their backgrounds, including the civil rights era.

“I think we’ve learned a lot from each other,” Newberry said. “Both of us are clergy so we can talk on that level, but I learned a lot from her in terms of things she experienced as a young girl growing up in Birmingham, Ala. I told her things I have learned growing up in Georgia and in Charlotte.”

They also converse about current local and national events.

“Sometimes that broadens your understanding and helps you see other perspectives, which are not necessarily wrong,” Newberry said. “They’re just different. You have to be willing to be honest with the other person and develop a trust.”

In addition to Newberry, Hanlin was also Friday Friends with Rollon Washington, who was formerly homeless, and current Friday Friend is Cecy Ramirez of the Latin American Chamber.

“I’ve learned so much about what I’ve taken for granted,” Hanlin said of Washington. “I’m really great friends now with all three.”

Mecklenburg Ministries doesn’t match Friday Friends however you can sign up on the website or go to its Facebook page if you’re looking for a friend.

“In general, it’s about inviting individuals to step outside their comfort zone,” Hanlin said. “Way too often our friends look and think just like we do. You could help build a better city by getting to know someone else.”