Civic Involvement, Racial Healing

Civic Involvement, Racial Healing

The shootings in Kirkwood has changed the nature of the Kirkwood Ministerial Alliance (KMA). At the last meeting, the KMA attendance wasn’t 7 evangelical pastors, but 25 pastors, and a couple of laymen, with 2 black pastors and 2 black laymen, and a white businessman who wants to help. And me, the only non-Christian in the group.

We are hosting the KMA here at Eliot in early April.

I also participated in the Community of Understanding and Healing (CUH), held at Meramec last month, and was joined by about 6-12 Eliot folks. I will be actively participating in the Alliance and at the monthly CUH meetings.

The first CUH Dialogue Session was held 23 February 2008 at Kirkwood Baptist Church. Almost 200 people attended, and 161 people participated in 12 groups. On March 8 the group met again at St. Louis Community College at Meramec. Over 250 people attended, and 242 participated in 15 small groups.

The next CUH meeting will be Saturday, April 12 at Kirkwood United Methodist Church (201 W. Adams - Kirkwood) . Here's the schedule: 9:30 a.m. - Registration, coffee, and conversation; 10:00 a.m. to noon - Small group dialogue sessions. I hope to see Eliot folks again!

Also in "Eliot Peace and Justice News," I arranged for Rev. Bonnie and David to lead Eliot folks to join Meacham Park folks, in a new group called "Coalition for Peace," where about 10-12 Eliot folk (all white) joined about 20 Meacham Park folk (all African American) in marching this last Saturday from Nipher School to City Hall, to show solidarity, work for justice, voter registration for young African American men, and the willingness to work with the larger Kirkwood community. Bonnie has an article about that in this newsletter.

You can see a KMOV news (tv) clip of our Eliot participation here.

If you look closely, you can see Rev. Bonnie a couple times, as well as David Breeden our intern. And an Eliot member was interviewed.

Even though the Coalition for Peace was announced at the KMA meeting, Eliot Chapel folks were the only "white" people to show up. Why?

I hope to find out at the next KMA meeting, April 5. And I hope to see you at Kirkwood United Methodist, April 12.

These are small steps, but they are the steps that could make a difference. I am reminded of a politician who reminded us we can trash talk about race, or throw our hands up in despair. Or we can say– now is the time to do something about racial healing and reconciliation. And it begins with us.