Dear Editor:
Though a Hoboken resident, for the past three years I’ve been attending Sunday services at the politically activist Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. Judson is a historically significant church that, since the early days of the 20th century, has been a brave champion of social justice causes such as woman’s rights, labor issues, the war on poverty and anti-racist activism. (Learn more about Judson, or visit their activism web page at www.judson.org.) This past Sunday, as a prelude to the upcoming Martin Luther King Day, we were blessed to have as our guest preacher the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
If, like most people, your only exposure to Jesse Jackson is from TV sound bites, you’re missing a full sense of the greatness of this man and his vision of hope. From the moment he entered the church, as the congregation launched into a rousing rendition of “And The Saints Come Marching In,” throughout his inspiring message (which I wanted to never end), to his exit as we sang “This Little Light Of Mine,” I had the exhilarated feeling of being in the presence of a truly remarkable man.
And I’m grateful to Jesse for reminding us of the futility of faith without actions. The Civil Rights Movement was made possible only when a courageous group of people got off their butts and did something, often putting themselves at risk. As we prepare for a week of reflection on the vision of Martin Luther King, revisiting his famous “I have a Dream” speech as we should, let’s not forget that King did a lot more than dream. He was also an incredible man of action, engaging in acts of civil disobedience that often landed him in jail, and putting himself on the line at numerous marches, rallies and boycotts. More than idle hoping, it was the heroic actions of King and others like him that led to America’s breakthroughs against racism in the 1960’s.
More work remains to be done. Jesse Jackson has issued a rousing call to jump-start the War on Poverty and to fight against the recent conservative attacks on Affirmative Action. I’m with you Jesse. We shouldn’t tolerate the kind of poverty we have in a land of plenty such as ours. Or allow such glaring inequalities as the richest one percent fattening their bank accounts with Bush’s new tax break, while the poor rely on hot plates to safely warm this winter as the budget is slashed to programs that provide basic heat and electricity for those who can’t afford it.
But to close on a hopeful note, Jesse reminded us that if a good old boy like Lyndon Johnson could redeem himself with legislation like the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Right Act and the War on Poverty, perhaps there’s still hope for a change of heart among today’s political leaders. And if Lott Trent really wants to prove that he’s a changed man, he still has time to show us by his actions.
Meanwhile, we can all honor King’s legacy with a healthy dose of old-fashioned community activism; building coalitions, writing letters to the editor and politicians, joining with others in political clubs or daring to form new clubs if need be. Let’s celebrate King’s birthday by vowing to do more than hope — let’s get off our butts and do something.
John Bredin