To the Editor:
“Walking the walk” was recently used by a speaker promoting a vision of an inclusive country while addressing a large crowd on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. These were inspiring words and presented an even greater challenge to each of us to at least take baby steps in promoting racial justice. Promoting racial justice is key to protecting one of the basic freedoms and rights in our country as well as in the world. The Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Emancipation Procla-mation in 1865, and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 are a few examples of official documents that recognize and encourage the equality of all people.
There are numerous organizational missions that also promote the elimination of racism, such as the YWCA, NAACP and many religious organizations. Some “baby steps” we can take to eliminate racism: name and identify racist attitudes, expressions and actions that are in ourselves and others; educate ourselves regarding our language; look at each individual as an equal and an individual; attend diversity workshops to educate ourselves.
On Feb. 20, the Center for Active Nonviolence and Peacemaking will screen the film “Crash,” starring Sandra Bullock and Don Cheadle. Challenging and thought-provoking, this film takes a provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America. Diving headlong into the diverse melting pot of post-9/11 Los Angeles, this compelling urban drama tracks the volatile intersections of a multi-ethnic cast of characters who struggle to overcome their fears as they careen in and out of one another’s lives. Please join us for this free screening at 6:30 p.m. at The Canticle, 841 13th Ave. N., Clinton. For more information, call (563) 242-7611.
Laura Anderson, Lori Freudenberg and Sister Nancy Miller, OSF
Clinton Franciscan Center for Active Nonviolence and Peacemaking
