Invoking the words of sages through the ages, ranging from Biblical prophets such as Amos and Jeremiah to modern-day warriors of justice such as Maya Angelou and John Lewis, a series of speakers issued a clarion call Thursday for racial unity in Bartholomew County and the nation.
The pleas came at a racial unity rally before a lunchtime crowd of about 75 people at the Columbus City Hall steps with a theme of “Hope Empowers Choices.” The event follows on the heel of a similar June 4 rally that drew an estimated 700 to 1,000 people of various ages and races just after the death of George Floyd.
The local African American Pastors Alliance and the Columbus/Bartholomew County Area NAACP Branch planned the latest peaceful gathering as a counter-initiative to what its members saw as continuing unfolding hate and division nationwide amid more police shootings of unarmed Black people and racial unrest.
Pastor David C. Bosley reminded those assembled that “we are all one blood, turning the tide of racism and hate to stop the impending flood.”
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The audience included community leaders such as Mayor Jim Lienhoop, Mary Ferdon, executive director of administration and community development, city council members Grace Kestler, Tom Dell and Jerone Wood, and a mix of local clergy who regularly show up at social justice gatherings. Listeners also included political candidates such as Jeannine Lee Lake, running for the U.S. Congress 6th District seat, and Dale Nowlin, candidate for the Indiana House of Representatives District 59.
Though several speakers urged the crowd to vote Nov. 3, Pastor Mike Harris, the leader of the African American Pastors Alliance, carefully reminded the crowd what the event was not about.
“This is not a political rally,” he said.
But it was a time for stories. Harris himself mentioned that his own multi-racial grandchildren regularly play together without ever mentioning their differing skin colors.
“They don’t even think about it,” he said.
Senior Pastor Mark Teike of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church told the story of his family of origin’s racist roots — roots that were abruptly uprooted when his wife-to-be asked him one day in their teen years why he and his siblings included racist perspectives in their conversations. He told listeners that he is an example of God changing the heart of a person to to eventually and equally embrace people of all backgrounds and ethnicity.
“Therefore, I have hope,” Teike said, repeating a theme that many speakers used repeatedly like an optimistic anthem.
Co-Pastor Jane Sims of Calvary Community Church called the current times of what she labeled as systemic racism and violence, a COVID-19 pandemic and economic hardship “an unprecedented season of chaos unlike anything we have ever experienced …particularly for those of us of African American descent and communities of color. It is an era of profound sorrow and terror as we continue to witness a troublesome escalations of killings of unarmed Black men and women.”
But, she, like other speakers, said she found hope in Scripture and God’s faithfulness.
“This unreasonable, irrational hope is a scarlet thread that fuels our resolve to triumph over the evil of racial discrimination and marginalization that has plagued our communities and our people of color for too long,” Sims said.
Seymour resident John Richey, a member of the local NAACP chapter, was among attendees who said he found the day’s message heartening.
“We’ve got to find a way to bridge this (racial) gap,” Richey said. “We’ve just got to come together.”
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- Information about the Columbus/Bartholomew County Area NAACP Branch: Facebook page for NAACP Columbus/Bartholomew
- Information about the local African Americans Pastors Alliance: Facebook page for African American Pastors Alliance, AAPA
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