Stand up to racism

Martyrs for the faith come in all descriptions and provide examples of heroic witness against racism and other forms of injustice, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said at a racial harmony prayer service Sept. 5 at St. Angela Merici Parish in Metairie.

Just as Dr. Martin Luther King gave his life at the end of a nonviolent campaign for civil rights in America, El Salvador Archbishop Oscar Romero died at the altar fighting governmental injustice in his country. Also, Vietnamese Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan spent nine years in solitary confinement in an attempt by his communist captors to silence him and the church.

Those examples must inspire others to speak out whenever they see racism or other injustice, the archbishop said, because Jesus calls his followers to be the “salt of the earth.”

Touched by racism
“We need to humbly acknowledge that every human being has been touched by racism,” Archbishop Aymond said. “Wherever there is that darkness in our hearts, we have to acknowledge that. We need to speak out against violent and hurtful comments.”

The archdiocese is using a multi-faceted approach to combat violence, murder and racism, the archbishop said. One is the family prayer that is recited at every weekend Mass. The other is Isaiah 43, a program that trains mentors to serve at-risk youth in various areas of the archdiocese.
 

But Archbishop Aymond admitted that sometimes it is difficult to get adult volunteers for the program.

“We provide mentors for young people going through challenging times, but it’s one of the best-kept secrets in the archdiocese,” Archbishop Aymond said. “Furthermore, we have a hard time getting mentors, and we shouldn’t.”
 

The Office of Racial Harmony holds annual prayer services in the archdiocese to highlight different aspects of Archbishop Alfred Hughes’ pastoral letter on racial harmony, “Made in the Image and Likeness of God.” The service also coincided with the 50th anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on Aug. 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C.

A rough era
The archbishop held up a copy of the daily newspaper which reflected on the 1963 social environment in Louisiana. It read: “As King dreamed, Plaquemine fought.”

The story recounted a local march in Plaquemine, La., near Baton Rouge, in 1963. As the marchers sang “We Shall Overcome,” police officers with tear gas ordered them to disperse and then arrested the organizers.
 

“Martin Luther King would be the first to say that his dream was not original – it came from Jesus,” Archbishop Aymond said. “He was willing to put his feet to the ground and open his mouth and share that dream with others. He consistently did it in a nonviolent way. The dream that he had changed human life in this country.”

In a similar way, Archbishop Romero stood up for the poor against the El Salvador government and was assassinated at the altar for his bold statements.
 

Cardinal Van Thuan, a personal friend of Archbishop Aymond’s, withstood nine years of solitary confinement by treating his guards with love and even converting some of them during his captivity.

“We are not Martin Luther King, Archbishop Romero or Cardinal Van Thuan,” the archbishop said. “We are who we are. The church is filled with color and diversity. We have to be people who have a dream. We cannot remain silent. We must do it with non-violence, with our prayer and our witness. We must be the salt of the earth.”

Chilling violence
Archbishop Aymond said the recent murders of children – including a 1-year-old shot in her mother’s arms – is a chilling reminder “we are not winning the New Battle of New Orleans against violence, murder and racism.”

“We have to march with our words and our feet,” he said.
 

Several of the prayers at the end of the service asked participants to speak out whenever they hear or read  racist comments, jokes or Facebook posts, so as not to let the commentary go unchallenged.

A series of 10 “study sessions” will be held across the archdiocese in October to reflect on Archbishop Hughes’ pastoral letter on racial harmony (see page 16).
 

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].