Submitted by Nancy Kiker Bean, Oct 18, 2007 23:13

Ignoring the darkness within us has never made it go away. Denying our brokenness has never brought healing. The Gospel of John always has it right. Only by shining a light in our dark corners can we address the ills of our society, those smoldering fears and resentments. And when a noose appears in the night it is time to turn on the light. As Friends of Justice, we do not join those who would turn on the noose-hangers with revenge, for they only reflect the darkness in us all. But rather we call for acknowledgement of the underlying ill of our society, where those most left out of the growing disparity of economic and criminal justice must vie for some illusive dignity at the expense of an even less powerful brother or sister. We call for acknowledgement of darkness by the ADULTS who are charged with teaching and guiding our young people. And we lay the responsibility for every act of violence and hostility which followed the noose-hanging in Jena at the feet of the Pastors, the School Authorities, and the DA who left their own children alone in the dark. And the resulting national circus is not created by the spotlight but rather by the adults who cower from the light and by the adults who swagger in front of the light --all avoiding the opportunity to teach our children dignity and civility now--all avoiding the challenge to change the course of a society entrenched in the Injustice of The New Jim Crow. For Justice and Mercy, Nancy Kiker Bean, Counselor and Ordained American Baptist Minister

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