The spring of 1993 lends itself, tragically, to efforts aimed at combating racism. The current retrial of four Los Angeles policemen for savaging Rodney King reminds us of the incredible verdict in their favor a year ago. This spring also marks the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis.
This sad combination of events compelled Sojourners to initiate a call to action to people and communities of faith and conscience around the country. That call was quickly joined by such groups as Kairos/USA, Pax Christi USA, Bread for the World, the Racial Justice Working Group of the National Council of Churches, Evangelicals for Social Action, Clergy and Laity Concerned, the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and Church Women United. Together we named the response being called for "Spring Actions of Hope: Breaking Free From Racism," and set apart the weekend of April 29-May 2, 1993, for these actions.
The Spring Actions of Hope have three components -- dialogue, worship, and action. Each of these components is important, and communities across the nation are urged to engage in all three. Dialogue is the only means by which white people in America can truly feel the pain that racism inflicts on people of color. Sitting down with African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans to hear how our brothers and sisters of color have been systematically excluded from the dominant society -- this is the only way the white population can come to an understanding of the depth and magnitude of racism in this country.
Worship, especially in a penitential mode, follows directly on dialogue. To know firsthand the pain that racism has caused for millions of people throughout the 500 years since Columbus' arrival, right to our own day, drives one to ask forgiveness -- from God and from oppressed sisters and brothers.
One necessary aspect of worship is the confession of sins committed. Too often sins are understood only in personal terms; yet social sins, such as racism, are realities that require acts of penance as well. Especially if shared in an interracial setting, acts of confession and restitution are important steps in the process of reconciliation and healing among the different communities of our society.
Action follows recognizing a wrong and praying about it. Hence the final component of our call this spring centers on action -- doing something to repair what has been broken among and between the races in this country. Our organizing group has no formulas for these actions. They depend on location, grassroots initiatives, the local manifestations of racism, and above all the leadership of people of color from the community.
Those most affected by racism in a given place must direct and participate in any action taken. How the action component of the Spring Actions is manifested depends very much on the local context, and for this reason we believe that this dimension will prove the most creative and exciting.
At this writing, organizers around the country are just beginning to act on the three dimensions of the call, and some interesting initiatives have already been reported. In the small community of Brevard, North Carolina, for example, folks decided not to wait for the "official" dates of the Spring Actions. Early in the season of Lent, they began a "Lenten/Easter Interracial, Interfaith, Intergenerational Study/Reflection/Dialogue." The organizers in Brevard urge the community "to identify and address the root causes of racial, institutional, and economic inequities right here where we live." Their gatherings take place each Thursday evening and are open to all people of good will.
On the national level, the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America -- a sponsoring group for the Spring Actions of Hope -- had already voted last fall to make racism their top concern for 1993. Therefore, they now have in place a variety of activities that dovetail with the call to "Break Free From Racism." Chief among these is the Peace Fellowship's "Intercessions for the Summit" -- prayers for the national meeting of gangs that takes place in Kansas City the same weekend, April 28-May 2.
Pax Christi USA, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is organizing Spring Actions on a local level. Under the rubric "Can't We All Just Get Along?" Pax Christi national staffperson, Tom Cordaro, is coordinating a town meeting on April 29 to look at the "challenges facing the Erie community one year after the Los Angeles rebellion." Imagine a town meeting on the subject of racism in your community!
Joe Nangle, OFM was outreach director of Sojourners when this article appeared.
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