Quotes Related to the Race Issues --A Prayer for the World

I am vehemently opposed to the death penalty and, as a person of faith, I believe in the scripture where God says, "Vengeance is mine." Tavis Smiley (See more on & by Tavis after the following Prayer-Poem)

President Nixon emphasizes that you have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the Blacks. The key is to devise a system that recognizes this, while not appearing to." H. R. Haldeman, -The Haldeman Diaries: Inside the Nixon White House-.

In my state, North Carolina, there are suddenly a rash of state-wide, race-related incidents--some petty hate-crimes, slashing of tires, refusal to serve folk in restaurants, taunting blacks at polling sites, use of the N-word, killing of a bear & wrapping it with the word of a half-black candidate, etc.--folk are using the campaign as an excuse for deep-seated animosity. (Connie, blogger here)

So, here's a "Prayer-Poem" to express some Journey values both in reference to a sense of caring, forgiveness and looking deeper than color at such times as ours and also the kind of compassion for all humanity which we need to be as effective as possible in abolishing the death penalty:

A Prayer for the World (anonymous)

Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds, held and nurtured over generations. Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.

Then let the Sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows. Let the warmth of the Sun heal us wherever we are broken. Let it burn away the fog so that we can see each other clearly. So that we can see BEYOND LABELS, beyond accents, gender or SKIN COLOR.

Let the warmth and brightness of the Sun melt our selfishness--so that we can share the joys and feel the sorrows of our neighbors.

And let the light of the Sun be so strong that we will see ALL people as our neighbors.

Let the earth, nourished by rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.

And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to Heaven.

Amen
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From his celebrated conversations with world figures, to his work to inspire the next generation of leaders, as a broadcaster, author, advocate and philanthropist, Tavis Smiley continues to be an outstanding voice for change.

Smiley started his career as an aide to the late Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. In 1996, he became the resident social and political commentator on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, a post he held for 12 years.

Currently, Smiley hosts the late night television talk show, Tavis Smiley on PBS and The Tavis Smiley Show distributed by Public Radio International (PRI). Smiley is the first American to simultaneously host signature talk shows on both public television and public radio. Newsweek profiled him as one of the "20 people changing how Americans get their news" and dubbed him one of the nation's "captains of the airwaves." He is an outspoken abolitionist (of the death penalty) and says so over the air--his guests often include those who also speak out against the death penalty. Find some of these by your own search (I have yet to find the best links to put on this site) See the Charles Ogletree interview which is about Georgia (100 miles from Atlanta) a well-researched mistaken Race-related profiling story--the 2006 book, -From Lynch Mobs to the Killing State- and an older interview with a forever youthful Diann Rust Tierney, director of NCADP.

Also be sure to see this Film and Project Here More on this below...