PC(USA) - Racial Justice Advocacy


	NCC Monitors Rebuilding on Katrina Anniversary A home in the Ninth Ward collapsed by the weight of Katrina. Photo by Teresa Chavez Sauceda. August 2006 — A year ago this month, Hurricane Katrina exposed the deep economic and racial disparities in one of the most prosperous nations in the world. To mark the anniversary, the National Council of Churches’ (NCC) Special Commission for the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast will examine efforts in the region August 21-23. Another NCC entity, the Eco-Justice Program released a Katrina anniversary edition of its newsletter, Capsules, offering liturgical resources and news about rebuilding in the Gulf with an eye on environmental justice concerns. More Katrina news: 2007 PHEWA Biennial Social Justice Conference: The Presbyterian Health Education and Welfare Association’s (PHEWA) biennial conference, which will meet in New Orleans January 11-14, 2007 in order to explore “the inequities and realities of failed systems” uncovered by our nation’s response to Katrina. Eye of the Storm: Colorlines, a magazine dedicated to the “politics and creation of communities of color,” dedicated this edition to the issues raised by Katrina. Included are articles on race and immigration politics, the treatment of prisoners in New Orleans, environmental racism in rebuilding plans, the future of the Ninth Ward and its impact on race dynamics, Vietnamese communities in damaged areas, and how global apartheid ties the Katrina and Asian tsunami catastrophes together.


	Civil Rights Online Photo Galleries February 2006 In conjunction with the 2006 King holiday, two exhibits were installed for the month of January at 100 Witherspoon. The displays celebrate the legacy of women who advanced civil rights in the church and society.

			Passion for Justice Featuring the women in the Presbyterian church who fought against race and gender discrimination in and through the church. To view the "Passion for Justice" gallery click on the picture frame.


			Freedom Fighters Photos of the display honoring Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks and many others. To view the "Freedom Fighters" gallery click on the picture frame.


	A Civil Rights Leader in Her Own Right: Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) February 2006

	Coretta Scott King, 1927-2006		Coretta Scott King passed away on January 31, 2006 at 78. She was often known as the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and as the icon for her husband’s cause after his death. Both from her testimony, and Dr. King’s, however, Coretta Scott King’s knowledge of and passion for the civil rights struggle pre-dated their meeting. As she once told an interviewer, “I didn't learn my commitment from Martin. We just converged at a certain time.” The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the PC(USA) paid tribute to Mrs. King as “a quiet, steady, stoic presence” and as “a great champion of for civil rights.” [Read more]

	Litany of Praise and Thanksgiving: a prayer that includes thanksgiving for Coretta Scott King and other civil rights leaders.


			ACREC launches new Web site January 2006 The Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC) has opened a Web site to resource all those interested in issues that intersect with racial justice. Visit the site to find out about ACREC’s mission, history, and current projects.


	MLK and Race Relations Sunday Resources now available! January 2006 The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, January 16, and Race Relations Sunday, February 12, are opportunities to celebrate the diversity of God's family and lift up the church's prophetic witness for racial justice through worship and community service. For suggestions and worship resources, check out our new MLK holiday and Race Relations Sunday resources page.


	Ambassador Cyrille L. Oguin of Benin. Photo by Mark Koenig.		Reparations Convocation Update December 2005 The Convocation on Reparations sponsored by the National Capital Presbytery met on November 11-12, 2005. Among the many speakers that helped participants deepen their commitment to fight injustice were Dr. Mark Lomax, and Ambassador Cyrille L. Oguin of the Republic of Benin. [Read more]


	Rosa Parks 1913-2005.		Rosa Parks: A Legacy of Grassroots Activism December 2005 “Sanitized versions of this story refer to Mrs. Parks as simply being tired on December 1, 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was not simply tired that day but tired of racism and segregation, tired of constantly being treated as a second-class citizen.” (Highlander Research and Education Center) Rosa Parks, the first woman to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, is remembered today for being the catalyst for the Civil Rights movement. Refusing to give up her seat on the bus on December 1, 1955, her resistance generated a bus boycott that sparked a nationwide movement for civil liberties.

	Often overlooked in the story of Parks’s watershed act was that her extensive involvement in grassroots activism had prepared her for her act of resistance. The summer before, she had attended a workshop on desegregation at the Highlander Folk Center, a training center for workers’ rights and racial justice activism in Tennessee. She and her husband, Raymond Parks, were also long-time activists with the NAACP. As the Highlander Center’s tribute to her cites, “She was not simply tired that day but tired of racism and segregation.” We can best honor the memory of Rosa Parks by helping to defend the precious civil liberties for which she fought her entire life. Voter disenfranchisement still exists, and is borne most heavily “on the shoulders” of racial ethnic voters. To learn what the PC(USA) can do about this read The Report and Recommendations of the Task Force on Electoral Reform. Read the PC(USA) tribute to Rosa Parks


	Convocation on Reparations, Reconciliation, and Renewal Taking the Dialogue to the Local Church Fall 2005 Convened by the Anti-Racism Team of National Capital Presbytery Presbyterian Church (USA) November 11 - 13, 2005 The 216th General Assembly (2004) adopted anti-racism recommendations encouraging middle governing bodies (including presbyteries and related entities) and local congregations to address issues of systemic racism and to equip Presbyterians through events that include workshops and worship services on reparations, reconciliation and renewal. A registration brochure , which contains a schedule of the event, is available. A flyer that may be used to promote the event is also available. For more information, you can contact co-conveners Patricia Petty Morse (Chair, Anti-Racism Team) or Ruth Kent via email by clicking on there names. You may also download a copy of the Report from the Task Force on Reparations, 216th General Assembl.


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