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WGNTV CoverStory: Justice Journey
Muriel Clair, Reporter
June 28, 2005
From slavery through the civil rights movement, this nation's checkered past is loaded with ammunition for strained race relations.
Lately it seems our news headlines have been a throwback to the 1960's. Emmitt Till's body exhumed, KKK member convicted for murdering three civil rights workers and just last week, in a flashback to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's reference to Chicago as the most segregated city in the country, the Chicago Urban League releases a saddening report citing evidence of significant segregation and racism that still exists in Chicago today.
Now, through what's been dubbed as a "justice journey," two religious powerhouses are working to change that one believer at a time.
It's a different time. But the same place. Same emotion. Same motivation: fairness, equality, and justice for all.
The leaders may look familiar to you. Reverend and State Senator James Meeks is the pastor of Salem Baptist Church - Chicago's largest black church, located on the city's far south side.
"I know that the only way that we're going to be able to bridge the gap that we have among the races is that it's going to have to happen through believers," says Rev. James Meeks, Salem Baptist Church.
And Reverend Bill Hybels. He's the pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in northwest suburban South Barrington, the largest predominately white church in the Chicago area.
"I do think that the burden of learning is more on the shoulders of the white community and I think that's as it should be right now," says Rev. Bill Hybels, Willow Creek Community Church.
The place - Selma, Alabama. More specifically, the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Members from both congregations walk arm in arm in commemoration of the infamous "bloody sunday" in 1965 when a march for voters' rights was interrupted by violence and ended in bloodshed.
The bridge is just one stop on a week-long tour of civil rights landmarks meant to remind some and teach others about an ugly yet unforgettable era of US history, one that occurred only a generation ago.
"I think the most impacting part of the trip was when we were at the 16th Street Baptist Church where the four girls that were killed on the day the bomb was put in there. What really hit me was those girls died so that I could hold that white group's hand," says Epluribus Cunningham, Salem Baptist Church.
"I think the best thing was being with people that are different than me, understanding what their story is, understanding that all of the events that I learned about before I came had real people attached to it, real lives," says Pat Cimo, Willow Creek Community Church.
Real people. Real lives. Real relationships. Both leaders agree that in order for this trip to bring real results, each of those elements will have to be touched and forever changed. But the method and timetable for visible results may be as different as black and white.
At this worship service, Pastor Hybels tells a story of his own awakening to the existence of racism just five years ago. He calls his story a prime example of why education is the key to making a difference in the long run.
"I'm one of those prototypical, white, educated folks who wondered why there's still a problem if the laws have been changed and if everyone's voting and if there's equal opportunity. There are some of us, and I'm talking about white folks now, there are some of us who really won't get it until we're informed," Hybels says.
But Meeks, on the other hand, believes education must be accompanied by the churches' political action.
"I'm talking to people who can't get promotions because of racial issues. I'm looking at people whose kids are going to inferior schools. I'm looking at people who cannot get loans at banks because of redlining and to know all of the struggles and all of the issues and never touch any issue of public policy starts making our gathering an irrelevant gathering," Meeks says.
Reverend Alvin Bibbs of Willow Creek suggested and organized the joint pilgrimage and is credited with helping open his pastor's eyes to multicultural issues.
"I'll never forget when Dr. King laid his hand on the top of my head," Bibbs says.
He also may serve as a living, breathing middle ground, between the two pastors - understanding that both talk and action might be necessary to improve race relations.
"That's the beauty of a justice journey because we all get a chance to grow and discover and learn new ways of how God can use us in a broken and hurting world today," Bibbs says.
What comes next remains to be seen. Rev. Hybels says he wants to talk to his group more extensively before making a decision. Reverend Meeks says he'd like to see a meaningful project in the works by Christmas.
RESOURCES
www.willowcreek.org
www.sbcoc.org
www.votersright.org
www.thekingcenter.org
www.infoplease.com
Copyright © 2008, WGN-TV
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