On Sunday, Liz Walker, the longtime WBZ News anchor, will speak at the Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church in Danvers at 10:30 a.m. Walker was the face of Channel 4 for nearly 20 years before she left television journalism to pursue religious studies. She earned a master's degree in divinity from Harvard University in 2005 and is on the ministerial staff at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston.
In 2001, Walker and the Rev. Dr. Gloria White-Hammond, also of Bethel AME Church, traveled to Sudan to investigate allegations of slavery in southern Sudan. After this first visit, Walker and White-Hammond co-founded My Sister's Keeper, a humanitarian group, and during their frequent trips to southern Sudan they have opened a girls school in the village Akon, which 500 girls now attend.
What will your speech "Risk of Love" be about?
It's a speech I have been giving since I worked in Sudan. I talk about the risk of working in a terrorist nation, explaining how I got involved in working with Sudan and the risk we take in reaching out to other people. It's a meditation on risk, and I believe we live in a risk-averse society.
Why is risk the theme of your speech?
The issue of risk is very important to me, it's an issue I've dealt with. We're scared of terrorism, we're scared of getting fired, we're scared of all the issues we face as a country and as individuals. We have to take risks and reach out to people we don't know.
Tell me about My Sister's Keeper.
It was founded on a trip in 2001 to Sudan, on allegations of slavery, which we (Walker and White-Hammond) found mind-blowing in the modern 21st century. We were blown away by everything we saw. Our goal was to help the people that we met. We ended up building a school for girls, which we opened up this year.
Were there no schools for girls before?
There were no girls schools. There are coed schools, but the girls didn't go. The girls were abused, and they were ignored. Also, girls weren't going to school because they are valued in the home.
What type of slavery was the country dealing with?
This was slavery that was a tool of war, by taking people captive. This war pitted the south of Sudan against the north of Sudan based on race, and religion, and land and oil. Right now, there is conflict in the west of Sudan, in Darfur.
Sudan has 500 tribes. They all speak different languages. They all have different culture and histories. Then you have a very oppressive government, and there are a lot of problems.
What can people learn from your experience?
I think there is pain and need and struggle all over the world, in Sudan and probably on the North Shore. We need to get out of our comfort zone to help the needs of our neighbors. I think that's how we're going to heal the world.
People on the North Shore are very committed to causes, I know that because I've been up there to do events. I want to inspire people, that if they are connected and committed to community service wherever they are, it is important. People need help everywhere, in Boston, in Danvers and in Sudan. It is important what they do.
Are you excited to be in Danvers?
I don't get to preach very often at my own church, so the opportunity to preach at a church is always a huge honor for me.
