Topeka Center

for Peace and Justice

Contents:

• How Do We Organize for Economic Justice

• Dr. King's Dream in an Era of Terrorism

• Discrimination in Topeka (A Survey)

• Announcement

How Do We Organize for Economic Justice?

Cheri Honkala, founder and director of Philadelphia’s Kensington Welfare Rights Union, and National spokesperson for the Economic Human Rights Campaign, will speak to a public gathering of Topekans on Friday, April 14, at the Antioch Family Life Center, 1921 SE Indiana, starting at 7:00 p.m. A rice and beans dinners will be served just before her presentation at 6:30 p.m.

Ms. Honkala will speak about her experiences with welfare and human rights and their connections to the growing global movement for international trade agreements.

The Welfare Rights Union she heads is a multiracial organization of poor and homeless families based in Philadelphia that has been developing leaders from among the ranks of the poor, and has been fighting to secure basic human needs for poor men, women and children in the United States. In 1998 she spoke before the United Nations accusing the U.S. of violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action regarding "poverty, hunger and other denials of economic, social and cultural rights."

Honkala and her organization marched at this year's Olympics to protest economic human rights violations caused by welfare reform. Her organization has made connections with poor peoples’ organizations in Canada, El Salvador and Brazil.

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Dr. King's Dream in an Era of Terrorism
by the Rt. Rev. William P. DeVeaux
(Note: This article is taken from the presentation by Rev. DeVeaux at January's Community Celebration of the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

The folks who pulled together this celebration of Dr. King’s birthday asked me to say a word concerning Dr. King’s vision and the issue of terrorism. Now, that is an interesting topic. Let me just cut the chase: he would be against it.

The Sermon on the Mount dealt with very practical issues and spoke of how we should live with one another. In the fifth chapter of Matthew, Jesus says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Later on in that same chapter he says: "You know that you have been taught ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not get even with persons who have done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let the person slap your other cheek."

Martin Luther King talked about the same issues (as recorded by his wife in a commentary she wrote some years later): "When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout filthy words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love. Where evil men would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo, good men must seek to break into a real being, a real order of justice."

Dr. King was the great prophet of the last century. His words and teachings are with us, and we hope that we have internalized them. He started the movement to protest the segregation issues with regard to riding buses in Montgomery. Born into the middle class, he had received the best education and was on track to become a great preacher and pastor. But the issues of his day forced him to do another thing, and he became the preeminent leader of the civil rights struggle.

I am grateful to Dr. King because he became a model for many of us in ministry. He is the standard for anyone who sought to combine pastoral ministry with higher education. His ministry set the pattern for men and women interested in making direct connections between the issues in the Bible and the day-to-day life of the world. Additionally, he was convinced that the teachings of the Bible had more to do with earth than heaven. This simple and yet profound understanding is at the center of all Christian social change movements. We all listened attentively to what Dr. King was saying and we made promises either publicly or privately to carry on his work. There are a few things that we do not want to forget.

First of all, he perceived himself to be a prophet, called of God to a special mission. When you are called of God to do something, you must be consistent in what you are doing. And so Martin Luther King said, "I must prophesy wherever I see ill and that which is wrong. I’ve got to prophesy against the ills of racial injustice; I’ve got to prophesy against the ills of economic injustice." Then, in 1967, he began to prophesy against the issues of violence, especially in Vietnam.

I will frankly admit that when he was prophesying, I was preparing go to Vietnam, and I became impatient with him. I said to myself and to others, "I wish that Dr. King would leave that issue alone. He is diluting the cause and he is going to limit his impact." But the problem with being a prophet is that you cannot turn prophecy on and off. If you are called of God to speak a word for God, then you must speak it consistently and you must speak of whatever ill or evil presents itself. And so, he was firmly rooted in the nonviolent philosophy. He had studied it, he understood it, and he applied it across the world.

What should we remember from Dr. King? He would not be pleased if we joined the great choruses of those who were quick to say, "Let’s solve this issue by force." He would not want us, according to his teachings, to destroy large groups of people. He would understand that his point

of view would not be popular in the United States today. Yet, he would still be opposed to any form of violent reaction.

After 9/11, our nation sought to strike back, thus making certain that terrorists do not strike again. We may perhaps be of the spirit that would encourage any form of reprisal without asking any questions. It is true that 3000 peoples’ lives were lost, that property was destroyed, that we were shown to be vulnerable, and the futility of our system was exposed. But those of us who speak a word for the Lord must always speak a word of caution when radical retribution becomes the order of the day.

Dr. King told his wife and family and others that he believed that the means must always be consistent with the ends. In other words, you cannot bomb your way to peace; you cannot "out-hate" somebody and try to fix it so that they will love you in the end. You are bound by what you do in terms of getting to the end, so we have to monitor and be very, very careful. I have fought in a war for this country. I understand the value and the importance of a defense system. I would not want to live in a country where we have no program of defense. But I also do not want to live in a country where people who are identified with the causes of God would sit idly by and say nothing about violence and destruction.

What would Dr. King say about terrorism? It is difficult to be certain because we are talking about a man who died over 30 years ago. We may be accused of putting words into his mouth. However, if the words are his and he was saying what he meant, then good men and women must stand up when violence is all around. I believe that there is a special place for peacemakers—those who say, "We know the easy way would be to strike out, yet there is a better way."

The U.S. is in an interesting position: we are the last of the surviving great powers. We can do it our way if we want. Look at what we did in Afghanistan: we have destroyed their ability to fight back, at least by air and various other means. Nowadays, we can bomb almost at will. However, that does not give us the right to do it. Peace must be achieved by peaceful means. This is a tough lesson to learn and is not easy to accomplish. However, we must try.

We should note that Martin Luther King was himself the victim of terrorism. He was aware that terrorism has been around in the world for a long time and it was a constant threat for him. However, he would want us to examine the reasons for terrorism. He would point to the frustration felt by people who have not received what they think they deserve. We have been raising the question that our President raised: why would someone want to do this to the United States? Why would people hate us so much? They hate us because it is their perception that we do not love them. They hate us because they feel it is an appropriate reaction. They hate us because they read and perceive that they have suffered because of our affluent lifestyle.

The people who hope to destroy us track our history back as far as the Crusades. They would say that terrorism is in the eye of the beholder. If it happens to you, it is terrorism, but if you are doing it to somebody else, it is an appropriate defense. Those of us following in the spirit of King must be careful in moving too quickly in identifying who is a terrorist and who is not.

Dr. King would want us to make sure that we are not the perpetrators of terrorism as we destroy in the name of justice. If we do anything that denies the right or denigrates the responsibilities or the status of people, then we are involved in a form of subtle terrorism. If I think less of someone because of who they are or put them down, I am affecting the way he or she deals with this world.

Dr. King and others who followed him would say to us that we must act with dignity and with honor. We must confess our own involvement in terrorism across the land and country. In the United States, we terrorized the Native Americans, took their land and property, and then sent them to places called reservations. The institution of slavery, the vilest form of human bondage in the Western hemisphere was a form of terrorism. We misused help coming from Asia to build great railroads. We did not give Asian-Americans their rights and privileges—another incident of terrorism. We must be consistent and reevaluate our own actions before we move to easy answers and quick solutions.

The prophet always has to utter an unpopular word. He or she must stand and say, "If all the world be opposed to me, I’ve got to issue this statement." If there had been more prophets in Germany, there would have been no Holocaust. If there had been more prophets in the United States, slavery wouldn’t have lasted so long. If there had been more prophets in the United States at the time, the Native Americans would not have been shuffled around and bullied as they were. We must, in the spirit of Dr. King, be peacemakers and say a word for justice and righteousness even if it is not popular.

What would Dr. King say about terrorism? Some things are clear: He lived a life of courage and commitment, and did not allow his life to be negatively affected by the presence of terrorists in his midst. He was called to Memphis, Tennessee, by the Rev. James Lawson to be involved in problems facing sanitation workers. His staff and family members urged him not to go. But he said, "I must go. I know the dangers, I know my life is in danger, but I will not allow the threat of my death or the destruction of my life or threats to my family to keep me from doing that which I know is right."

Often, we allow the evil people of this world to so structure our lives that we cannot function. When faced with resistance we back up. We do not act with justice. And we do not do the righteous action because we feel defeated or overwhelmed. Recently, I was in a line trying to get on an airplane. These days, it takes a long time to get on and off airplanes. A young man standing by me in line said, "Mister, the terrorists have already won. They have changed our lifestyle."

We are currently spending billions of dollars on anti-terrorism efforts. Would Dr. King be pleased knowing that boys and girls of all colors and descriptions will not be educated properly, that people are going without food and that all across the world—not just this part of the world—people are suffering while we are spending billions to protect one another from terrorism? We have already lost if we do not protest and begin to say, "let’s have another agenda."

This is a nation built on democracy and on a strong advocacy of different points of view. We have got to raise serious questions about education, economic opportunity, sexism, classism, and racism. We cannot allow just the events of 9/11 to give our leaders license to do whatever they please. We still must protest and raise issues of importance and speak words of restraint and hope.

What would Dr. King do? He would live his life in spite of terrorists, modeling courage and dignity. He would make certain that the resources of this nation were not devoted only to defense, but employed to insure the rights and benefits of all people. If we protect ourselves from terrorism and let everything else go, we still have lost. If our educational system is not improved, if race relationships are not improved, if economic opportunity is not increased, we have already lost.

In addition, he would challenge the religious community to live up to its principles. He would remind us to be careful that churches and synagogues and mosques and other religious bodies are not seduced into putting a blessing on everything that goes on because we want to be identified with the status quo. We, as the religious community were never meant to be in the mainstream of what is going on. This country was founded because people wanted religious freedom. At every juncture, religious men and women have raised questions. They simply ask, "Why are we doing these things?" I challenge religious people of all denominations to not become so excited about appearing to be politically correct that they will allow things to go on in their communities after 9/11 that they would not have accepted before.

It is one thing to say, "we are united." It is another thing to say we have forgotten our religious principles as we seek to root out terrorism. I am a patriot; I have served in combat for this country. I love it dearly and I deeply respect the leader of my country. I think he is doing a good job. But we do not want to lose focus and have the President of the United States so involved in Osama bin Laden that he begins to talk about him being wanted dead or alive. It is not an appropriate gesture for the leader of a great nation.

If we do not find Osama bin Laden, there will still be terrorism. If we catch him, terrorism will still exist. I wish I could say that Dr. King would be happy with all that is going on, that the prophet would go along, but the prophet would stand and offer challenge, calling our attention to those who need to be peacemakers.

The lesson taught here in this Sermon on the Mount is perhaps one of the hardest that I have tried to wrestle with in the Bible. "If someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one. If someone asks you to go one mile, go two. If someone takes your coat, give him your cloak also." This runs against everything that we accept in the natural order. It runs against all our desire to achieve, to lead, and to strike back, but it is the message by which Dr. King lived. If we want to be a part of his legacy, we must accept the central theme and philosophy of his life.

Dr. King lost his life turning the other cheek. Bodyguards could have surrounded him. He could have carried rifles himself, but he weaned himself away from all forms of violence because he wanted to live the life he "sang about in his song." He would not be involved in violence, yet he died by violence.

Because of his death, because of his martyrdom at the hands of terrorists, this country is vastly different; we have a different spirit. What Dr. King calls us to do is to rethink. We, we should continually ask ourselves, are we peacemakers? Can we turn the other cheek? Can we accept the challenge of nonviolence? This world needs peacemakers today. If we do not say a word for justice and righteousness, the terrorists have already won.

One of the things that Dr. King always reminded his people was that if we begin to act like those who are oppressing us, we are no better than they are. If we in our community allow terrorists to make us become terrorists, if we permit those perpetrating violence to cause us to become violent, if we respond to violence and vengeance by seeking revenge and rejoicing in it, then we have sunk to the level of those who seek to destroy us. We are called to a higher calling, to be peacemakers, to turn the other cheek. We are called to model what men and women of God should do in the world.

I cannot guarantee that this is what he would have said. However, if he was consistent with what he lived for and what he died for, he would challenge us to look at the world in broader terms, and to move beyond the narrowness of where we live to understand that the whole world is in the hands of God. He would challenge us to understand that death is death, that human life is sacred wherever it is destroyed. Whether in the United States, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Northern Ireland, Israel, or Palestine, all human life is sacred. The people of God are called to preserve it, to stand against violence and to pay the cost of being God’s peacemakers.

And so, my brothers and sisters, when the terrorists offend you, do not strike back. When violence is upon us, do not react in violence because violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. Dr. King once said to his staff, "you can murder the murderer, but you cannot kill murder. You can murder the person who is hateful, but you cannot kill hate. You can destroy the people who would speak out against you, but you cannot destroy the notion that there will always be those who run you down. The means must justify the ends." If you want to end terrorism, you must do it with love. If you want to do away with violence, you must do it with nonviolence. If you want to bring peace, you cannot make war. What we need today, in the spirit of Dr. King, is to be God’s peacemakers—in Topeka, in Kansas, in the United States, and across the world.

(Rev. DeVeaux, brother of Topeka's Rev. John DeVeaux, lives in Maryland, and is the Presiding Bishop of the 16th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The District encompasses the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Haiti, along with London and Holland. He spoke at January's Celebration, organized by Whose Dream Is It?, Topeka's Martin Luther King coalition.)

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If you prefer information you can touch, the CENTER has a library featuring books on a variety of topics, including civil rights, pacifism, world regions, politics, economics, non-profit organizing, and educational curriculum materials on peacemaking/conflict resolution, all of which are available for signing out. The CENTER also maintains a collection of videos of local events, from the annual Peace Camps to the work of Concerned Citizens for Topeka, including recent presentations of Leonard Leskind, Kerry Noble and Mel White. Call 785-232-4388 for more information, go to the Library page.

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