1988 the Witness, Vol. 71, No. 5. May 1988

VOLUME* 71 NUMBER* 5 MAY 1988 publication. and RACIS reuse for required

Permission Norman Faramelli DFMS. / Church W. Hazaiah Williams Episcopal the of Archives Manning Marable 2020. Copyright

Judith Myrick Letters

Humanism's many faces obvious stupidities. (Why not have a re- Fletcher responds ally good fight while we're at it?) While Joseph Fletcher's argument in John Kavanaugh's adjectives (epithets I would even point out that most of "Humanism and theism: A conflict?" in some cases) are lively but I fail to the problems that THE WITNESS says (February WITlSfESS) is excellent as far understand his far too cryptic points. it is concerned about would seem ame- as he is able to carry it, I would like to "Jingo humanists" for example, is a to- nable to such solution. add a dimension. tally novel and arcane grouping, at least John Kavanaugh to my knowledge. In any case, the only To begin with, I agree with Fletcher Detroit, Mich. about theism. Indeed, I might even serious issue among humanists is phrase it stronger. "Either God is ethi- whether religious humanists (who pub- publication. cal or God can go to hell!" Supernatural rejected lish a quarterly) are an acceptable form and It seems as though Joseph Fletcher has of humanism or that secular humanism My problem is with Fletcher's hu- only is proper. I would want to defend manism. As he notes, "The distinctive thought quite a bit about humanism, but reuse the secular viewpoint. American contribution to ethics ... is like so many writers he is afraid to take for the marriage of pragmatism and human- the bull by the horns and face the fact I would like to protest Jean ism." The problem is, Whose human- that humanism is the rejection of the Bertolette's idea that I am afraid to rec- belief in the supernatural being, or en- ognize that nontheist humanism and re-

required ism?" Humanism is just as divided into camps as theism is. And, just as the tity, if you please. No matter how you ligious humanism are mutually exclu- most Liberal theists are somehow look at humanism, no matter how you sive. Even in the portion of my paper clouded together with the most Funda- twist and contort words, the humanist which appeared in THE WITNESS, their incompatibility was plainly ex- Permission mentalist, so too are the most Interna- will not accept the idea that there is any tionalist humanists confused with and other force or factor that rules, decides, pressed. embarrassed by "jingoist humanists." and solves man's problems than his What is practically important is that DFMS.

/ own logical sense, based to a large ex- religious and secular humanists are of- "Humanist" is a nice, abstract sound- tent on experience and study, and a re- ten in agreement in ethical decision ing word that unfortunately exists only alization that the immutable laws of na- making, and that this is true also of Church in actual humans with all of their flaws. ture rule the world's activities. As Christian input into the process. I would I would argue that Fletcher might have Robert Ingersoll said so succinctly reject that there is any validity in the done better to replace it with "Ameri- many years ago, "There are no rewards notion of "Christian ethics" just as there Episcopal canist" because that is the kind he is. or punishments, only consequences." is none in "Islamic ethics" or Jewish as- Reread in such fashion, he would seem the It is the wish of this humanist that tronomy. These different religious pre- of to suggest that the pragmatic is what is Christians would face the above fact suppositions are indeed different, but good for America. It's almost enough to they figure in what philosophers call make Ronald Reagan sound good! and cease trying to find a common basic theological connection between the meta-ethics, not in practical decisions Archives Since humanism only exists in indi- two, because the supernatural and the about what ought to be done. Hence it viduals who have been influenced by natural are as far apart as two things can is that Jews, Muslims, Christians, and 2020. the gods of their various cultures, we be, and all the efforts to unite them un- atheists can all agree on the basis of are right back in the same mess that der one heading are the greatest exer- common values that this or that course Fletcher noted about theism. The cise in futility that is imaginable in the of action is the most humane one open Copyright godites seem to win even under the human mind. We understand and can to the decision makers. Thoughtful hu- seculars! A conflict? No! They agree! appreciate the efforts of those who are man beings do not disagree on the level motivated by the highest goals and ide- of actual moral choices •— only when What might be possible and actually they bring up (if and when they do) als, but nevertheless must forcefully pragmatic? Division of power by race their different metaphysics and specula- state that a union between the two be- and even by sex, both nationally and at tion of a "religious" kind. the United Nations, might allow some liefs is not possible as things are now. consensus as to what is needed by help- The Rev. Jean Bertolette Joseph Fletcher ing cancel out some of humans' more Yucca Valley, Cal. Charlottesville, Va.

THE WITNESS Can gays be faithful? When I was in college, I joined one and others in high places reveal non- In response to Malcolm Boyd's article of the leading fraternities on campus, a monogamous heterosexual sex lives and follow-up letter (December) con- chapter of one of the top national Greek about as secret as a nuclear plant in Is- cerning his "committed" gay relation- organizations. I saw few "committed" rael. ship, I would like to say that my only heterosexual relationships outside of a It seems as unfair to underscore non- significant contact with gays presented few couples who were pinned. The monogamous homosexual relations a much different picture. young, sexually active, heterosexual while conveniently ignoring non-mo- While in college I worked at a din- men showed no evidence of monogamy. nogamous heterosexual relations as it ner-theater resort. Of the more than 90 To use Adams' own words, "it became is, for example, to single out edicts publication. men employed there, I was one of four difficult to keep up with the constantly against homosexuality in Leviticus changing relationships." Nor were they while ignoring those against wearing and who were straight. During that time, I saw no evidence of monogamy among discreet; it was not uncommon at frater- red or eating shrimp. nity parties, to which members brought reuse the gays. In fact, it became difficult to Of course, there has been an absence female dates, to find these couples hav- of homosexual monogamy, although for keep up with the constantly changing relationships. Nor were they even dis- ing sex all over the place, including the multiple sex partners and unsafe sex are creet; it was not uncommon to find gays restrooms. Was I treated as "fair game" rapidly vanishing in the face of AIDS. required having sex in public places — I don't by some of the hot dates? Sure, I under- Before the emergence of gay identity in just mean the restrooms. In addition, I went a fair amount of harassment from a social sense — accompanied by gay was treated as "fair game," undergoing would-be female suitors who did not books, magazines, media and role mod- a fair amount of harassment from know I was gay. els — the intensely human search for Permission would-be suitors. At the time, I was celibate, and as a love was marred by low self-esteem I would like to think that this was an gay man I felt an outsider in midst of a (which one projected onto others), closetedness was perceived as necessary DFMS. isolated pocket of predators, but gay lot of hot heterosexual sex action. Clos- / friends of mine, including a minister eted, I had an awful image of homo- for survival. There was fear of police and now-celibate priest candidate, la- sexuality (akin to leprosy) and had not raids on gay gatherings, and outright

Church ment that this is the norm. Even the 24- yet defined myself sexually or any other condemnation came from organized year-old homosexual in my Clinical way. My self-esteem was low, for I had psychiatry and religion. Yet the search Pastoral Education group admitted to no inkling of what "gay" could mean for love is inextricably linked to the search for sex in both heterosexual and Episcopal "well over 100" different sex partners positively and creatively, or that I would ever be able to feel good about homosexual experience. While this the in his brief life. Ironically, he claimed search was accorded social acceptance of to be limiting the number, having had myself, know myself as a part of a lov- "less than a dozen" in the last year. ing relationship, or be truly open as a in the heterosexual milieu, it was vili- I hope you see why I, and presumably human being. fied as sinful and anti-social in the gay

Archives others, are skeptical about "committed" I've lived my 65 years (33 years as an milieu. gay relationships, finding it difficult to ordained Episcopal priest), within a ma- This search led me, in the past, to 2020. imagine, much less condone them. My jority heterosexual society. Monogamy numerous faltering encounters and rela- gay friends don't have them, nor do and celibacy have not been as common- tionships before finding my life partner. they know many that do. place in my observation as, say, pas- It is with a sense of outrage that I real-

Copyright Keith N. Adams teurized milk, shredded wheat, ize the church still denies its blessing to Sewickley, Pa. Marlboros and McDonald's. Formula committed gay relationships. The fiction cum sex (Jackie Collins, Krantz, church criminally and cruelly opposes Boyd Responds et al) are widely accepted ingredients of such unions, yet hypocritically attacks Keith N. Adams raises two significant the cultural stew that includes such gay "promiscuity" while tacitly accept- points: (1) Are gays "sexually promis- heterosexually-oriented magazines as ing heterosexual relationships before cuous" as a social entity, indeed, scan- Playboy and Penthouse, as well as and outside of marriage. Enough! dalously more so than heterosexuals? heterosexually-oriented TV shows like Malcolm Boyd (2) What does this mean? Dallas. Role models of U.S. presidents Santa Monica, Calif. More Letters on page 23

May 1988 THE WITNESS

EDITOR Mary Lou Suhor

ASSISTANT EDITOR Susan E. Pierce

SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Robert L. DeWltt

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS publication. Richard W. Gillert and Carter Heyward James Lewis

reuse Manning Marabie J. Antonio Ramos for Table of Contents STAFF required Ann Hunter White racism still victimizes minorities Susan Small 6 Norman Faramelli Permission PUBLISHER Racism: a ravaging sin Episcopal Church Publishing Company 6 W. Hazaiah Williams DFMS.

/ Black counterstrategies 10 Manning Marabie Church ECPC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ministry to the banned 13 Judith Myrick CHAIR

Episcopal J. Antonio Ramos A bishop for all seasons the 16 Carter Heyward VICE-CHAIR of Carman St. J. Hunter Lessons from a servant church SECRETARY 18 Susan E. Pierce

Archives Gloria Brown

2020. TREASURER Robert N. Eckersley Cover graphic, Sister Helen David, IHM, design by TSI Visuals; graphic John H. Burl p. 9, Beth Seka; graphics pp. 12, 14, Sister Helen David, IHM; photos pp. 19, 20, Susan Copyright Otis Charles Pierce. Migdalia DeJesus-Torres Nan Arrington Peete THE WITNESS(ISSNO197-8896) is published monthly except July/August by The Episcopal Church William W.Rankin Publishing Company. Editorial office: P.O. Box 359, Ambler, PA 19002. Telephone (215) 643-7067. Chester L. Talton THE WITNESS is indexed in the American Theological Library Association's Religion Index One- Chris Weiss Periodicals. University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, MI, reproduces this publication in micro- form: microfiche and 16mm or 35 mm film. Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 1988. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR per year, $1.50 per copy. Foreign subscriptions add $5 per year. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please Barbara C. Harris advise of changes at least 6 weeks in advance. Include your label from the magazine and send to: Subscription Dept, THE WITNESS, P.O. Box 359, Ambler, PA 19002.

THE WITNESS Editorial

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Trials of a prophet

Guest editorialist for this issue is the Rev. Muhammad Kenyatta, who in the Fall will become a professor of law at the University of Buffalo (SUNY) Law school.

A his year marks the 20th anniversary of the assassination White militarist as well as ghetto rioters. of Martin Luther King, Jr. He was slammed to death by the And White liberals showed no great inclination to move bullet of a lynchman's rifle, in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4,

publication. beyond the token integration that characterizes most liberal 1968, at a crucial moment when the civil rights movement institutions to this very day. and was fiercely debating the value of the new rhetoric of Black Thus, when we remember King in the historical context power and the efficacy of nonviolent protest with which reuse of his times, we may be struck not so much by the acclaim King was identified. for awarded him as by the anger and criticism he seemed to He had revealed himself more and more to be a moral provoke, even among those who pay him such lavish post- leader of universal stature. His championing of the Mem- humous honor. Like the Athenian philosopher and scholar required phis garbage collectors' strike for livable wages and dignity Socrates and Jesus, the itinerant Jewish teacher from Naza- coincided with his extension of the civil rights movement reth, King was always both inextricably engaged in his into segregated cities and suburbs of the smug "North." times and inevitably at odds with them.

Permission King had also emerged as a leading opponent of America's What engaged him with the passion and great pursuits of war against Vietnam. His 1967 speech at New York's Riv- his days was his honest love for those with whom he shared erside Church, "Beyond Vietnam," still stands as the peace

DFMS. his life: his family, his community of faith, his Afro-Ameri- / movement's most cogent statement of those patriotic, paci- can people, his beloved Southland, his American nation in fist and internationalist impulses that animated it. its patchwork-quilt pattern of racial and cultural diversity

Church In his frequent and consistent calling of attention to the and his own kind — all humankind — with whom he barbarity of southern African colonialism and apartheid, shared, as do we all, a common ancestry, a common planet King anticipated the worldwide anti-apartheid movement and a common destiny.

Episcopal that emerged a decade later. But, by staking a moral claim And what kept King gloriously at odds with his times

the to his right and responsibility to help shape foreign as well were two characteristic qualities. One was his appreciation of as domestic policy, King provoked the ire of even the of the human past, especially of those most ennobling ideas strongly pro-civil rights, anti-poverty President Lyndon that constitute the saving remnants in the rather mixed bag Johnson.

Archives of the ethical legacy of Western history. The other was his Each of these philosophic, political and strategic debates insistent aspiration toward a new global future founded had taken their toll on King's energies and had challenged 2020. upon and vitalized by love. his leadership. The Black power militants seemed ready to If we are to pay Martin Luther King that greatest of hom- dismiss King as an "Uncle Tom," a proposition that, retro- ages — imitation — we ought not to expect accolades or

Copyright spectively, is ridiculous. immediate awards. Nor should we expect any nation or The White Northern public that had sympathized with race, not even his own country or his own beloved Black King and the suffering victims of Southern racist terror people, to have a monopoly on those principles for which he turned against him upon discovering that his non-violent was slain. And surely we ought not delude ourselves to militancy was as adamantly opposed to bigotry above the believe that the glorified past will shield us from the gritty, Mason-Dixon line as below it. The moderate Negro civil mundane controversies of today. rights and political leadership, having married its fortunes to the Johnson administration, wanted no part of King's anti- Yet we may, like Martin, be sustained and made happy by war commitments and much of that leadership condemned the recognition that the promised land lies ahead, that joy his decision to extend his call for non-violence to include comes in the morning whether or not our eyes greet the sun.

May 1988 Keynoters' analysis White racism still With General Convention but two months away, THE WITNESS in- he theme sounded by the Kerner vited the two keynote speakers Commission in . 1968 that the United from the National Conference on States is moving toward two separate Racism sponsored by the Episco- but unequal societies is still valid, ac- pal Church in 1982 in Atlanta to as- sess where church and society cording to recent updates of that report. stand six years after that event. Studies show that racial problems re- Keynoters Norman Faramelli and main with us, although they have taken W. Hazaiah Williams spell out a on new dimensions which have pro- gloomy scenario in the accompany- duced only slight variations on the TT^^^^jwP ing articles, naming White racism original theme. as the root cause of lack of prog- publication. Despite the somber note of the first ress. Kerner report, the '60s were a time of and In the light of their analysis, Con- optimism and great expectations. To- vention watchers will track with in- reuse day, the vision of an integrated and uni- terest the Diocese of Michigan's ini- for fied society is fast fading, and a serious tiative focusing on land trusts and empowerment; the Jubilee pro- misunderstanding of the nature and posal expanding advocacy, and the required resolution to establish a Commis- Norman Faramelli sion on Racism in the Church and The Rev. Norman Faramelli, Director of Society program unit of the Episco- Transportation and Environmental Planning at function of racism persists. As in the Massachusetts Port Authority, serves as Permission pal Church Center, with a budget of "60s, there is a distinct tendency to Chairperson of the Executive Committee of $75,000. Episcopal City Mission and also as staff to the deny the fact that "racism" — inde- Diocesan Mission Committee. pendent of economic factors — still ex- DFMS. / Church Racism: A ravaging sin Episcopal

the by W. Hazaiah Williams of Oince the Conference on Racism of advances for Blacks. This continuous Therefore, one can ignore the emer- the National Protestant Episcopal racist retreat from social justice for gence of a new and growing Black un- Archives Church in Atlanta in 1982, we have Blacks in America has been disguised derclass which is more caste-like than witnessed a consistent cutting away at as being a logical response to new class-like. 2020. the infrastructure developed for redress international economic realities. The The whole discussion of social jus- which was a result of the Civil Rights upheaval in world markets has led to tice for Blacks is further complicated movement. At the same time that a new

Copyright new personal insecurities and a resul- by the acceptance of a new screen for Black middle class has evolved, we tant increase in the greed index. These racism known as self-interest. Such face a decided increase in violence factors have combined to obfuscate the thinking has led many analysts to con- against Black people. This violence role of racism in societal change. clude that the critical variable vis-a-vis cannot be attributed to a backlash, Confusion about the virulence of ra- the situation of Black people is not re- which comes from White anger about cism is heightened by the introduction ally race, but economics. However, the of the so-called Black middle class into existence and growth of a Black under- the class hierarchy. Asserting the exis- class demonstrates that the distribution The Rev. Dr. W. Hazaiah Williams is cur- rently President/Chair of the Board of the Cen- tence of a Black middle class implies of economic goods continues to be ra- ter for Urban-Black Studies, Berkeley, Cal. that society is non-racist and open. cially defined. This is a social phe-

THE WITNESS victimizes minorities by Norman Faramelli ists and is a critical factor in the func- addition, unemployment rates in these manifest one's racial prejudices in pub- tioning of U.S. society. communities have been appallingly lic, as long as it is done with some so- In the Episcopal Church there has high, even in areas of the nation where phistication and tempered language. In been some motion to address racism. overall unemployment rates have some instances, the language and ac- Yet despite important steps taken by reached new lows. tions have not even been tempered, as various dioceses, confronting and com- Over the past six years the Affirma- in the case of the Howard Beach inci- batting White racism is not a central tive Action (AA) program has been dent and in blatant racist attacks on col- focus in the church. kicked around by the Reagan Admini- lege campuses throughout the nation. This article sketches my impressions stration, and it is to the credit of the Over the past six years, we in the of racism in church and state over the U.S. judicial system that AA has not United States have been encountering

publication. last six years, with some suggestions been totally wiped out. Nevertheless, new social and economic realities. about the future. the attacks on AA set a tone for the and Jesse Jackson has spoken eloquently of Since 1982 there has been over a half nation. They send a message that these trends: "Drugs keep coming in

reuse decade of unprecedented prosperity in "equality of opportunity" is all that is and jobs keep going out." First, the

for the United States. Some minorities needed for racial justice and that any drug trade is ripping apart our commu- have benefited from that trend — for mention of "equality of result" is mis- nities, especially in low income urban example, the number of Blacks in the guided and soft-headed. The thought areas. Second, we live in a globally in- required middle class has increased. Neverthe- that we should measure whether or not terdependent economy, which often has less, during that same period, very little those equal employment opportunities devastating consequences for local has happened to address the concerns of have resulted in any real movement economies or for attempts of commu-

Permission poor minorities. The average poverty seems foreign to many. The attacks on nity groups to gain control over local rates in the minority communities re- AA also set a tone that indicates it is no economic management. longer socially unacceptable for one to DFMS. main unacceptably high (31-35%). In Among the economic and demo- / Church nomenon, not an economic one. of a Black-White student brawl on the University and an attack upon Blacks As we have watched the public sector sidewalks of New York at Columbia by White students at the University of

Episcopal back off from its commitments to Massachusetts at Amherst after the fi-

the Blacks for housing and jobs, along with nal game of the World Series. At the of the withdrawal of educational support University of Michigan, Blacks were for Black children, we are reminded of intimidated with signs on the dormito- the proverb, "Nothing walks with aim- ries "declaring open season on porch Archives less feet." What a few years ago ap- monkeys." The long list of universities

2020. peared to be a grand ambivalence is where racially motivated violence has now revealed as a purposeful, systemic occurred includes: Tufts, Wellesley, exclusion of Blacks from having access George Washington, Purdue, the Uni-

Copyright to, and equity in, this society. versity of Wisconsin, the University of Institutions of higher education are Pennsylvania and Dartmouth. These as- crucial barometers of racism. Accord- saults betray pious hopes that the new ing to the Center for Democratic Re- college-trained "enlightened" genera- newal, the number of racial incidents at tion will be better than generations our colleges have quadrupled since past. 1985. A new feature of the anatomy of This new violence cannot be ex- racism is the violence with which it has plained away as evidence of disadvan- struck the protected enclaves of our tage or ignorance. It is the violence of university campuses. There are reports W. Haziah Williams those privileged to attend our most

May 1988 Faramelli... ment in lower-paying service sector are required, the prospects of increased graphic trends, two factors are most jobs. Furthermore, with the emergence mobility of minorities to the middle striking: of lower-paying (including part-time) class does not seem promising as col- • The urbanization of suburban areas. jobs, the unemployment rate is fast be- lege enrollments continue to decline. This trend has accelerated over the past coming an unreliable indicator of the The problem is compounded when one six years in one metropolitan area after extent of poverty in a community, and sees the lack of quality education in another as new job opportunities have especially in minority communities. many urban areas where schools are been generated in outlying areas and Minorities are being clobbered in now more racially segregated than they not primarily in the cities. But we are both the boom and the bust cities. The were at the time the Kerner Commis- experiencing only a partial urbanization problems of minorities in areas with sion report was written. process. New high-rise offices, massive high average unemployment rates — In his recent book, The Truly Disad- industrial parks, cramped shopping cen- such as Detroit — are quite obvious. vantaged, Professor W. J. Wilson ters, and burgeoning traffic jams Yet in the boom cities — such as Bos- speaks of the persistent "underclass" in abound. Nevertheless, one sees few ton — the hot real estate market creates minority communities, and how they publication. signs of low income people or people an affordability gap in housing, penal- have not been helped by AA programs. and of color in the suburbs; the benefits of izing low and moderate income fami- Wilson cites class as being more impor- this development are clearly not being lies. tant than race in U.S. society in deter- reuse shared equitably with all segments of mining the plight of minorities. He for Although we could celebrate some of the population. the gains (via Equal Employment Op- calls for a series of government-based • Erosion of manufacturing jobs. This portunities and Affirmative Action) that solutions to assist the poor Black com- required is, in part, related to the growing eco- resulted in the creation of a larger munities. But it would be unfortunate if nomic interdependence on the interna- Black middle class, there has been a Wilson's work were interpreted to tional level and the loss of U.S. manu- severe decline in the number of Blacks mean that racism is no longer a prob-

Permission facturing competitiveness. White and and some other minorities in colleges lem. minority blue collar workers who have and universities. In an information- The Episcopal Church's Atlanta Con- been laid off are forced to find employ- based society where high skill levels ference in 1982 triggered a series of di- DFMS. /

We used to view racism as "back- Church Williams... present attack on Blacks is more of a prestigious colleges and universities. lash" — the lashing out by Whites be- stab in the back, sending the message, Nor can this resurgence be attributed to cause of displeasure with recent Black "Your full participation in the benefits

Episcopal increased involvement of Blacks in demands and gains, both a legacy of the of this society will not be tolerated." Civil Rights struggle. Such nomencla- the academe. This new violence is running With its dramatized escalation at local, of parallel to a decreasing percentage of ture cannot account now for the grow- national and international levels, racism Black college students and faculty and ing attack on Blacks at a time when has become a dominant issue for the the erosion of Black Studies programs. there is withdrawal from the national world. Archives To further sculpt the visage of this commitment to Black involvement and The new face of racism casts porten- empowerment — the most blatant such tous shadows in the corridors of our fu-

2020. new racism on campus, one needs to look at the misuse of Black athletes. attempt being the recent move to veto ture. Racism was once summarily ex- Increasingly these young men are re- the Civil Rights Restoration Act. The plained away as a benign ignorance of those people who had been deprived of Copyright cruited with attractive scholarships, allowed to damage their bodies, some- opportunities for contact with other times permanently, for an alma mater MOVING? races and came from a generation lack- which will never be theirs. They find Keep THE WITNESS coming ing in cross-cultural, pluralistic experi- little in the way of support to help them by sending a corrected mailing ences. The new face of racism is vio- move through the degree programs. label from a recent issue to: lent, committed, resourceful and quite Many Black athletes leave bearing on THE WITNESS, P.O. Box 359, often young. These lawless young their bodies the marks of a new slavery Ambler PA 19002. Please send people are supported and abetted by a it at least six weeks before you and in their hands no diploma as a con- society which sends a message that move. solation prize. their actions will be tolerated. And aca-

THE WITNESS has also been declining which does not bode well for increasing our potential to minister to poor minority communities. The most important failing in our work has been the inability to articulate a vision of an inclusive church which truly breaks down the barriers between gender, national origin and race. The message of Paul goes unheeded: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28) publication. We in the church are appalled when and we hear the word "racism." It is an ugly concept and it has few, if any, public reuse supporters within the church. "White for ocesan-based events which addressed Over the past six years, the most seri- racism. There were also other educa- ous problem in the church has been that racism" is still confused with racial tional and consciousness-raising activi- the urban and rural ministries to the prejudice and we fail to appreciate that required ties such as the preparation of racial poor and minorities have not been sub- the very foundations and structures of audits of some diocesan structures. The stantially strengthened. And even our society are steeped in it. It is no value of the follow-up to these audits is where they have been expanded, there accident that poverty rates are highest

Permission still unclear. Furthermore, those audits have been few attempts to address the among racial and ethnic minorities. usually did not extend to the parish or root causes of racism. Furthermore, the Even when blatant racism is recog- congregational levels. numbers of minorities in our seminaries Continued on page 22 DFMS. /

Racism appears to be alive and Church demic and governmental permissive- trafficking and its high wages and ness give rise to overt racism. pathological whether in the streets or in cheap death; and the result is a system Recently, for example, we have wit- the classroom. At the University of operating according to the logic of

Episcopal nessed the Howard Beach assault and Massachusetts response to racial vio- genocide. Racists, it appears, are now lence was perfunctory when White stu- reacting viciously to an international

the murder, the Bernard Goetz verdict, and of the emergence of the "White Warri- dents who attacked Black men accom- consciousness which insists upon lib- ors," a subgroup of the "Skinheads" in panying a White woman to a party eration. This reveals that the White Northern California. There are also less were simply banned from living on the mind is a breeding ground for the pri- Archives heralded cases such as the fatal beating campus. Their punishment never jeop- mary distortions and insecurities of ra- of a 34-year-old Black man, Lloyd Gar- ardized their right to continue attending cial superiority. 2020. ner, at the hands of three White, county the University. Racism is sin, and therefore is not to- law enforcement officers in Hemphill, The new violence sends the ominous tally open to political solutions. These Tex. Garner was accused of driving un- message from campus to city that solutions will continue to be stifled as Copyright der the influence of alcohol and refus- Blacks will not be given access to the long as we suffer from the major so- ing a breath test. He was killed while in benefits of, or even freedom of move- cial, psychological and spiritual mal- custody in a county whose population is ment within the society. If Blacks insist aise caused by racism. Every legal ad- half Black but has no Black officers. on their rights, they will be met not vance for Blacks seems to call forth a Those indicted for his death include the only with angry White students, but the more sophisticated racist response. It county police chief and two sheriffs police, the courts and institutional lead- may ultimately be the task of religion, deputies. They have not been charged ership, all in collusion against them. with its understanding of sin, to take an with homicide — solely with the viola- Add to this the grotesque entrapment of ax to the root of the ravaging phenome- tion of Garner's civil rights. impoverished Black children by drug non of racism. Q3

May 1988 by Manning Marable

In recent months, hundreds of Black chance to interact with each other in a cultural activities and lectures on cam- students across the country have been social environment which was non- puses; internships and part-time jobs protesting the continued existence of threatening and non-antagonistic. The for Black students in the private or pub- racism on White campuses. centers also frequently sponsored com- lic sectors; and assistance with prepara- The factors behind such demonstra- munity forums, speeches on contempo- tion for Graduate Records Examination, tions are obvious. Despite the rhetoric rary issues, student mentoring pro- LSAT, and other tests. of Affirmative Action and equal oppor- grams, libraries and lectures by visiting As with the Cultural Centers, the Of- tunity, most White college administra- Black scholars. fices of Minority Affairs were fre- tors have done little to recruit or retain The major problem these centers quently marginalized by White admin- Black faculty, staff or students at White faced was the racism of White adminis- istrators. There was often a very high publication. academic institutions. As federal cut- trators, who didn't want to support turnover rate among Black counselors and backs in higher education intensify, more than one well-funded Black insti- and professional staff, caused by low crippling the prospects of Blacks, His- tution on their campuses. Conse- pay and a sense of institutional isola- reuse panics and low-income students, many quently, at most White colleges, the tion. Central administrations also fre- for White universities are reducing funds to Cultural Center was forced to compete quently reduced minority staff and Black Studies Departments and Minor- against the Black Studies Department budgets after Black and Hispanic stu- ity Affairs Offices. or the Minority Affairs Office for stead- required dent unrest subsided on their campuses. Black educators, parents and students ily decreasing funds. Some Black ad- Black Student Unions, or BSUs, alike need to devise a counterstrategy ministrators took the shortsighted view came into being in the wake of Dr. to advance our collective interest in a that only a certain amount of university Martin Luther King's assassination, as Permission period of political retrenchment and so- money would be spent on "Black Is- thousands of outraged Black students cial reaction. Our starting point should sues," and that any funds for Black fac- protested White racism on campuses.

DFMS. be an analysis of the effectiveness of ulty salaries, competing Black pro- / The BSUs were originally conceived Black institutions located on White grams, and so forth, indirectly affected to create a greater social and political campuses. Other than Black Studies their own institutions. The politics of awareness among African-American Church departments, there are at least three institutional austerity fed the politics of students, as well as a desire to confront other institutions or organizations negative competition between Black and to challenge White administrators which Blacks control: Black Cultural educators. on matters of educational policy. The Episcopal Centers, Minority Affairs Offices, and Minority student programs, such as BSUs called for the creation of Black the Black Student Unions. the Office of Minority Affairs, were of Studies departments, Minority Student The cultural centers were a byproduct created under the auspices of the Of- Programs, Cultural Centers, and other of the Black Power movement on fices of Student Services or Student institutions, and demanded the appoint-

Archives White college campuses in the late Life on most White campuses. By the ment of Black faculty and administra- 1960s and early 1970s. By the mid-to- late 1970s, as many programs desig- tors. The BSUs represented a vital link 2020. late 1970s, there were perhaps as many nated specifically to recruit and to re- between the struggles being waged in as 150 of these cultural centers tain Black students came into exis- urban streets and our communities with throughout the United States. The ob- tence, over 3,000 Black administrators the politics of higher education at Copyright jectives of Black cultural centers were were employed at White institutions. White academic institutions. to sponsor social and cultural events, Offices of Minority Affairs usually in- As the strength of the national and concerts, theater, dance, and other ac- cluded some or all of the following pro- local Black protest movement declined tivities which gave Black people a grams: academic and learning skills markedly in the mid-to-late 1970s, it supportive services; personal counsel- became increasingly difficult to interest ing to deal with Black students' emo- many Black students to be involved in Dr. Manning Marable, Chairperson of the tional and personal problems and at- protests, demonstrations, or even com- Black Studies Department at Ohio State Uni- tempts to adjust to a predominantly versity, is a Contributing Editor to THE WIT- munity-oriented programs. Many col- White environment; sponsoring Black NESS. Continued on page 15

10 THE WITNESS Short Takes

Laughter America's original sin William Austin Smith, writing in the Au- The United States of America was es- gust, 1911 issue of The Atlantic: "If tablished as a White society, founded laughter be among the lesser spiritual upon the genocide of another race and graces as compared with faith, it is then the enslavement of yet another. nonetheless of honorable lineage as an To make such a statement today is instrument of reform. Not till a ripple of to be immediately accused of being 'thoughtful laughter' has been evoked, rhetorical or, worse yet, of being "remi- can any reform get along its healing niscent of the '60s." The reaction is in- way. New epochs have always been structive and revealing. The historical ushered in in the tingling atmosphere record of how White Europeans con- of wit. Cervantes, Erasmus, Rabelais, publication. quered North America by destroying each has laughed at his generation to the native population and how they and its lasting benefit. The age of sluggish then built their new nation's economy wit is likely to be an age of shallow on the backs of kidnapped Africans reuse religion, sentimentalism, and sham." who had been turned into chattel are for Quoted in Books & Religion facts that can hardly be denied ... Winter 1988 Racism has to do with the power to dominate and enforce oppression, and required The world according to Ron Will Havens be first? that power in America is in White You'd be surprised. They're all individ- The Rev. Helen M. Havens, above, hands. Therefore, while there are in- ual countries. rector of St. Stephen's parish, Hous- stances of Black racial prejudice Ronald Reagan, ton, had been named one of five nomi- against Whites in the United States (of-

Permission after a trip to Latin America. nees for Bishop Coadjutor of the Dio- ten in reaction to White racism), there cese of Michigan as THE WITNESS is no such thing as Black racism. Black On the move went to press. With election slated for people in America do not have the

DFMS. According to the Reader's Digest, power to enforce that prejudice.

/ May 7, there is a possiblity that Havens 108,000 Americans move into a differ- could be the first Episcopal woman White racism in White institutions ent home each day of the year. bishop in the United States, and the must be eradicated by White people

Church Harper's magazine makes the point first of the entire Anglican Church, by and not just Black people. White ra- more dramatically: Whereas in the the time this issue reaches readers. cism is primarily a White responsibility. 1970s the average American moved The Rt. Rev. H. Coleman McGehee, Jim Wallis seven times during a life, today Ameri- Jr., current bishop of the diocese, an- Sojourners 11/87 Episcopal cans move 30 times in their lifetime. nounced his openness to a woman the This means that neighborhoods con- successor at the January conference War tax resistors, since they have of tinue to change ethnically, racially and on women bishops at Episcopal Divinity some doubt as to what belongs to economically. School, Havens' alma mater. Havens Caesar and what belongs to God, 1 Initiatives 3/88 has previously been nominated for have decided to give the benefit of the

Archives Bishop of Rochester and Suffragan doubt to God. — John K. Stoner Catholics help Secret Service Bishop of Connecticut, but this is the

2020. A spokesman for the National Confer- first time she made the list of finalists. Re women in Canada ence of Catholic Bishops has con- Contacted by THE WITNESS, Ha- We've ordained women to the priest- firmed that the agency, while arranging vens said she was "thrilled to be nomi- hood for a dozen years and the diaco- Pope John Paul H's visit to the United nated by such a forward-thinking and nate almost 20. Our bishops passed a Copyright States last fall, relayed materials on an progressive diocese," which enjoys "a resolution looking forward to the conse- abortion rights advocacy group to the climate of real acceptance for women." cration of a woman to the episcopate, Secret Service. The group, Catholics The diocese has more than 50 women with no opposition. There are only for a Free Choice, had called for priests out of 360 clergy. three of our 30 dioceses which don't peaceful demonstrations against John Consecration of the new Coadjutor have ordained women. Two of those Paul during his visit. The bishops' office is not planned until after Lambeth. Ha- three have resolutions on the books to insists that the action was standard vens said she has no plans now to at- accept them. operating procedure on the part of the tend Lambeth, but should she be Secret Service and thus a non-issue. elected, "approached in the right spirit, The Most Rev. Michael Peers Inside the American Religious it could be a positive thing for me to Primate of Canada Scene 4/1/88 go," she said. The Voice 3/88

May 1988 11 Ask my shadow what happened. It was there when it occurred. Joyce Mokhesi (Written in prison, 1978)

young South African woman who had been tortured in prison slipped the words above into the hands of Sister Helen David, IHM, artist in residence at Maryknoll, N.Y. last summer. publication. Joyce Mokhesi was one of a number of presenters invited and by the Maryknoll Missionaries to a conference on liberation theology. It was Sister Helen's role to sketch them and reuse capture their essence as they spoke. She had listened atten- for tively, her pen working as Mokhesi described how she was arrested with a group of young Christians in Johannesburg

required who had come together to study the Bible. Mokhesi was imprisoned for almost two years, during which she was tortured repeatedly by her captors. At one point they chained her to the prison bars, stripped her half- Permission naked, and applied lighted cigarettes to her body. What sustained her, Mokhesi said, was to read the Bible she was DFMS.

/ allowed to keep, its words giving her courage to withstand the humiliation and pain. "The only way I could possibly interpret the meaning of Church her words was to portray her as crucified," Sister Helen David said. The graphic appears on this month's cover. Joyce Mokhesi's brother, Francis, is one of the Sharpe- Episcopal ville Six, recently granted a stay of execution for allegedly the

of killing a deputy mayor during a mass demonstration protesting government rent increases in 1984. The National Council of Churches joined the international outcry for Archives clemency when gross irregularities in the judicial procedure were revealed, including the torture of witnesses. The stay 2020. was granted only 15 hours from scheduled execution. Now living in exile in England, Joyce Mokhesi has been South African making international appearances to raise consciousness Copyright about the plight of her people. While at Maryknoll, she was presented with Sister Helen David's sketch and approved crucifixion that it be made into a poster. Later, during a casual conver- sation, Helen David happened to admire the shoes Joyce was wearing. Before leaving Maryknoll, Joyce handed a paper bag to the artist. Inside were the shoes. — Mary Lou Suhor

12 THE WITNESS Ministry to the banned by Judith c

The new film, Cry Freedom, about the life of South African human rights activist Steve Biko, has drawn worldwide attention to what it means to be "banned! in South Africa. Banning occurs when someone is: Restricted to a particular managerial dis- trict or to one's own house; required to report once a week (at least) to local police or is under special police surveillance; allowed to meet with only one person at a time; prohibited from being quoted in print or verbally; prohibited from attending any political or social gathering. Since "social gathering" includes attendance at a publication. service or worship, some South African church authorities have decided to take the

and Sacrament of Holy Communion to the person under banning orders. reuse for HeLow does the church in South Africa provide pastoral a great deal. care to someone who, under South African regulations, is "The police told me I couldn't enter her house. So we classified as a "banned person"? What are some of the celebrated Holy Communion in my car in the street. On a required peculiar and perverse conditions faced by a priest of the second occasion I went to see her on a weekend. Her re- Anglican Church in the Province of South Africa who tries striction order is more strict at weekends. She can't leave to circumvent the banning orders of communicants within her yard. So we celebrated Holy Communion again in the

Permission the parish? street. This time Winnie was on one side of the fence and I The Church of the Province has not assigned any of its on the other. This was Christian South Africa in 1978."

DFMS. priests to specialize solely in a ministry to banned persons, (The White Nationalist Party, which enforces the system of / in part because distances in that land are vast and somewhat apartheid, calls itself a Christian government — hence daunting. However, local parish priests are notified by their Tutu's sarcastic reference to Christian South Africa.) Church superiors on an "ad hoc" basis whenever their parish in- Bishop John Ruston, now suffragan bishop of Pretoria, cludes a banned person who is a church member or who has recalls his own more prolonged ministry to Mrs. Mandela. in the past worshipped regularly as part of an Anglican "In Winnie Mandela's case, there was no minister of the Episcopal congregation. Anglican or Methodist Church residing in the township of the Here are a few examples where such a ministry has oc- Brandfort when she arrived (under banning orders). I was of curred and, more significantly, of the kind of relationship told about her, as I was the local archdeacon living in Blo- that may develop between those serving and being served emfontein, which included Brandfort within the archdea-

Archives by the church in the land of apartheid. conry. I began visiting her in the latter part of 1977, soon Winnie Mandela (first banned in 1962) after she was moved there.

2020. Although a Methodist, Mrs. Mandela, wife of jailed ANC Bishop Ruston describes Mrs. Mandela as very warm- leader Nelson Mandela, began worshipping at the Anglican hearted person who was appreciative of the visits to give Cathedral in Johannesburg when the now-Archbishop her Communion.

Copyright Desmond Tutu was Dean there. After she had been ban- "We sat in my car together, outside her house, the Com- ished from living in Orlando Township (part of Soweto) to munion having been blessed at a service in Bloemfontein. I a "temporary" residence outside the town of Brandfort, near did not enter her house, as one needed a permit each time Bloemfontein, Tutu managed to visit her twice at her home. from the magistrate — which we did not want to get — and He describes his visits succinctly but the circumstances say if I went in defiance of the order, she would have been the one to get into trouble. "Every so often she said how much it meant to her and Judith C. Myrick served as a missionary in South Africa from 1957-68 how she felt strengthened to go on, after having felt down with the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa. She now serves in Zimbabwe, having been refused re-entry to South Africa by and discouraged with all the petty harassments, the restric- the government. tions, and with all the suffering, malnutrition and so on

May 1988 13 which she saw around her. She started a small clinic, built wanted a Eucharist as a community, and also of signifying in her own backyard, which helped many suffering from that I was now acceptable not only as a person but also as a sickness and undernourishment. Her care and concern for priest. the underprivileged was very deep, and very practical. Her "I had neither vestments, wafers, wine, nor vessels, and garden was an oasis of greenery with vegetables and all — only one book, nor had I permission from the priest-in- among neglected little patches of ground, thus sharing what charge. However, Stubbs knew he could later put it right could be done even in those conditions. with the priest, a former student of his. "So I asked Mam- "It was a joy and privilege to minister to her — and truly, phela (the clinic's medical officer) to bake a scone; we used she ministered to me, too, with her vibrant faith in Christ." brandy well diluted with water; and we had our Eucharist in She did not speak much about the Church as an institution, the lounge of the doctor's house the following morning. It he recalls, but showed deep appreciation for those who was the only time I was ever able to give Stephen the ministered to her individually. Sacrament . . ." (All of them were breaking the law by "She was remarkably loving and gentle and 'unbitter' ... coming together with a banned person. In this case "where and many whites in Brandfort came increasingly to respect two or three are gathered together in My name," you are publication. 1 her and esteem her for her personal ability and charm and breaking the law of South Africa.) and for the work she was doing to uplift the very poor." (After Stubbs himself game to know the agony of being a ser- her house in Brandfort was burned down, she moved to vant of God in two separate worlds — the South African reuse Soweto.) worlds of a minority White population and a majority Black for Nelson Mandela (first banned in 1952) population. And on either side of the deep fissure of igno- The Rev. Dudley Moore, a Methodist minister who has rance, suspicion, and hate, members of the institutionalized required worked among the prisoners in Pollsmoor, a maximum- church were seeing themselves as Christians with views on security prison near Cape Town, has regularly taken Holy basic human issues that were often diametrically opposed. Communion to jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela. In a

Permission letter to a South African newspaper, Moore shared his impressions of the man who is so often called a "terrorist," or a "Communist" by the South African government. Moore DFMS.

/ says he came to know Mandela as a man of faith. On one visit, Mandela spent some time "meditating on the tension

Church that Jesus must have felt in Gethsemane, knowing that he was to be arrested and killed." Steve Biko (banned in 1973)

Episcopal Brought up in an Anglican family, Steve Biko was a

the Black activist and founder of the Black Consciousness of Movement in South Africa. He died at the age of 30 in 1977 from a head wound suffered while in police custody. Through his family he had come to know a British priest, Archives the Rev. Aelred Stubbs, C.R., who entered South Africa in 1959. The two became close friends during Biko's period of 2020. restriction to the Kingwilliamstown area (Cape Province). Stubbs spent five of his 18 years in South Africa in a part-time ministry to the "banned," some of whom lived as Copyright far as 300 miles away. In 1977 he was served notice by the South African authorities that he had been denied re-entry while on personal leave in England. Stubbs describes one of his many visits to the community clinic which Biko had helped establish at an African township near Kingwilliamstown. On one particular evening towards midnight, he says, "Steve suggested that we might have a Eucharist next morning. It was his way both of saying that he and many of the community (at the clinic)

14 WINNIE "In a liberation struggle," says Stubbs, now living in Eng- land, "it occurs to me that the test of a person's Christian faith is whether he or she can see Christ in the enemy Aunt Betty Crane (however distorted his visage may be), as well as in Christ's Off the Delaware on Main Street in Bristol oppressed poor. How does an oppressed Christian behave nor far from Pennsbury where William Perm toward the oppressor when he/she ceases to be the op- once built this stately summer mansion, just a quarter mile from the juncture pressed?" And even when those tests cannot as yet be ap- of the old Pennsy railroad and river, plied, he adds, "it is important to know within oneself how there stands a white house with green shutters. one deals with hatred." Coal-dusted drifters who used to ride the freights Other South African freedom fighters have also been would often stop by my Aunt Betty Crane's. deeply influenced in their decisions and actions by the Urfshaved characters with worn-out overcoats and with a cap or black stetson and carry-all Christian church, even though they have voiced mixed feel- used to knock on her back door. She'd welcome ings about the role the institutionalized church has played in the strangers, set them at her table, (or not played) in the political upheaval in that divided and provide a sandwich or a bowl of stew, publication. land. a cup of hot brewed coffee and a smile.

and Never one to leave a stranger hungry. Oliver Tambo, the now-exiled leader of the ANC, had So after the first one came, more followed. hoped to become an Anglican priest before he was com- reuse pelled to step in to fill the vacuum left by Mandela's life I often think that in those years her story grew for sentence. Chief Albert Luthuli, the ANC leader and Con- that tramps somewhere in a boxcar on the rails from Hackensack to the yards of Cincinnati, gregational Church leader who was awarded the Nobel from Birmingham to the roadbeds of Pittsburgh, required Peace Prize in 1961, once said he was in the movement would camp together and speak of her and remember "precisely because I am a Christian." the Bristol lady who welcomed strangers. I might add that my contact with the ANC in exile has Rumor has it drifters knew her house

Permission revealed that they number many Christians in their midst, not only by the traveled word of mouth, as well as Marxist/Communists; and that they are planning but also by the five stones left near the picket fei a sign here was a house of a friend. for a new nation that will be multiracial and with freedom DFMS. / of worship. It is important for U.S. citizens to begin to — Peter Krok understand that many African nationalists are also products (Dedicated to Louisa Gross)

Church of the church mission, some continuing their links with the church to the present. ran Episcopal Marable ... Continued from page 10 the were heavily involved in social activi- into White universities, only to see of leges also ceased recruiting Black and ties, and were disengaged from political them drop out within months because Hispanic students from low-income and academic institutions. At many of the absence of strong, supportive in- neighborhoods and innercity areas, and schools, the BSU disappeared entirely; stitutions on campus. Black parents Archives deliberately focused their efforts on its records and archives lost forever. have an obligation to demand that col- minority youth at private schools or In order to reverse the trend towards leges set aside substantial resources to 2020. mid-to-upper income school districts. racism in White higher education, fund Black academic services and cul- The Reagan Administration reinforced Blacks must recognize the connection tural programs before they send their this strategic shift in student recruit- between political struggle, institution- children to such schools. Black educa- Copyright ment by drastically cutting student aid building and educational change. With- tors must join together to reinforce the programs, which meant that low-in- out strong and assertive Black aca- goals of academic excellence and insti- come Black families could no longer demic programs and student support tutional accountability in order to cre- afford to send their sons and daughters services on White campuses, affirma- ate an environment which will encour- to college. It is therefore not surprising tive action programs are meaningless. age an increase in the number of Blacks that many BSUs became more conser- Without strong Black student organiza- at all levels. Educational progress for vative in the 1980s — on some cam- tions, there is no viable constituency to Black youth depends fundamentally puses, they became the functional stand behind Black educators. It makes upon political and academic awareness equivalent of a sorority or a fraternity, little sense to recruit Black students and self-organization. EE3

May 1988 15 Brooke Mosley stricken in Penn Station The Rt. Rev. J. Brooke Mosley, retired assistant bishop of Pennsylvania, was stricken with a heart attack in New York's Pennsylvania Station March 4 and died soon after, at the age of 72. He was headed to his Philadelphia home following a clergy meeting in New York when he became ill. Brooke Mosley lived a long and challenging life of ministry to the national church and to society. As former Bishop of Delaware, he led marches for integrated schools, fair employment practices, and open public accommodations. An avid feminist and ecumenist, he served as chair of the Southeastern Penn- sylvania Chapter of Planned Parenthood from 1984 to 1987, and was a delegate to two World Council of Churches assemblies. He was also former president of Union Theological Seminary. The Episcopal Church Publishing Company, which Mosley served as a Board member for a full term, offers condolences to his wife, Betty, and his children, publication. Miriam, Sally Sandor, and Peter. The Rev. Carter Heyward, professor of theology and at Episcopal Divinity School and contributing editor to THE WITNESS, presented a word portrait of Brooke Mosley at his burial service, where friends and

reuse family celebrated his life. Excerpts from her sermon follow. for required all by Carter Heyward Permission Broadley, rector of St. Luke comforters to others. ley had in common was that they were and the Epiphany, tells me that from I was deeply moved to read in The both white males with access to eco- DFMS. / this pulpit, back in the 1840s, the Rev. Philadelphia Inquirer about a couple nomic privilege who used their racial, Dr. Stephen H. Tyng became one of the of Brooke's early "conversion" experi- gender and class privilege on behalf of

Church first non-Quakers in Philadelphia to ences: working in a cemetery and those who did not, and do not, have it. I preach an anti-slavery sermon, for watching poor people bring expensive think, to be honest, that his could not which he was forthwith fired. I am rea- bouquets to the gravesites; working as have been easy for either F.D. Maurice

Episcopal sonably confident that this particular a salesman in a large retail store until or Brooke Mosley, nor for any who have the privilege of choosing to cast the historical legacy is one of the reasons he learned that regular employees had of Brooke Mosley asked that his own fu- been laid off so that students like him- lots with those who do not have this neral take place here. Brooke wanted self could be hired more cheaply. same range of options from which to his own life, and ours, to be linked ac- Thinking about these turning points decide what to do with their lives. Archives tively and historically with those who and about Brooke's life and ministry It could not have been easy for have struggled for justice. in general, I was reminded of Freder- Brooke Mosley to give up his sales job 2020. When I asked myself, "What would ick Denison Maurice, 19th century on behalf of laid-off workers. Brooke want me to do this morning?" theologian, teacher, activist, advocate It was not easy in 1973 for Brooke to an answer, reflecting the spirit of of women's rights, champion of work- walk out before the Eucharist at a serv- Copyright Brooke's own ministry, came to me in ing men and women. A founder of the ice in the Cathedral of St. John the Di- the words of Isaiah: Brooke would want Christian Socialist movement in Eng- vine, with and on behalf of five women me to comfort those who mourn. This land, he was fired from his post as deacons who had been refused ordina- is what Brooke tried to do in life: to Theology Professor at Kings College, tions moments earlier. strengthen us to strengthen others, to London, ostensibly because of an es- It was not easy for Brooke to be cas- empower us to be a wellspring from say in which he rejected the very no- tigated publicly by a number of the which the brokenhearted and the tion of "eternal damnation" at the most powerful members of a seminary abused, the victimized and outcast, may hands of a loving God. faculty who interpreted his insistence draw strength and, in so doing, become What F.D. Maurice and Brooke Mos- on the priority of admitting large num-

16 THE WITNESS bers of Blacks, Hispanics, and women 1973 General Convention in Louisville; what enabled so many of us to enjoy — and his desire to hold the seminary striding down the hall at Union Semi- him. accountable to the needs of New York nary; striding across the sand toward In this spirit, his remarkable wife and City as antithetical to their understand- his sailboat in South Dartmouth: his life-companion, Betty, has asked me to ing of "academic excellence." chest barrelled, body upright, chin up, share with you the story of how their It could not have been easy for jaw set, his bearing purposeful — daughter Miriam managed to get Brooke Mosley, on his pilgrimages to sometimes very stubborn. It is to me a Brooke's body back from New York Harrisburg to testify on behalf of a likely image of one whom Isaiah might City. woman's right to choose abortion, to well call an "oak of righteousness." But The task of having her father's body pass through groups of hecklers shout- whereas oaks are sturdy trees with deep returned to Pennsylvania fell to "Rim- ing, "Killer bishop!" roots, which is their strength, they do mie," because she teaches in New It could not have been easy to have not bend easily, which can be a prob- York. Rimmie learned from a woman been one of so very few Episcopal bish- lem. at the Office of the Medical Examiner ops to stand publicly and proudly with that the body could not be released un- publication. It was not easy for Brooke to bend in openly gay and lesbian priests, laity til after the autopsy. Rimmie said that

and new directions — and yet he did. In and citizens as our ally and advocate. the family did not need or desire an au- spite of some fierce ambivalences, in It could not have been easy for a 65- topsy. The woman responded that it reuse spite of his own feelings sometimes, year-old Anglo to be learning Spanish was mandatory — except in cases for Brooke Mosley learned how to change. so that he could, in his words, "confirm where there were religious proscrip- It is not easy for any of us with deep the children of North Philadelphia in tions against it. When, like an oak, roots and sturdy convictions to change. required their own language." Rimmie held out against the autopsy, And yet we must if we are to live in the the woman said simply, "O.K., I'll fix It could not have been easy for Sacred Spirit of One who calls us daily it." Brooke Mosley because it is not easy into new occasions to love this earth

Permission for anyone to learn by living what is and all loving creatures. Brooke Mos- Later in the day, when Rimmie re- involved in losing one form of security ley, as much as anyone I've known, turned for the body and looked at the to gain another, far deeper and more document, she saw that it read:

DFMS. loved learning — and he loved his way / trustworthy, form. into learning how to change. Name: J. Brooke Mosley Yet, "what we sow does not come to Occupation: Episcopal Bishop It would be untrue to the spirit of our

Church life until after it dies" (I Cor. 15:36). Religion: Jewish Paul's reference here is not only, I be- brother not to mention here, in his Brooke, who struggled actively lieve, to the resurrection of the body memory, the vitality of humor in the against the anti-Semitic implications work of justice. Humor is not basically Episcopal after we die, but also to the resurrection and innuendoes in so much of Christian about "funny things." Humor is about the of the spirit while we live. In order to doctrine, is bound to be enjoying this of come to life among us, God's spirit re- keeping things in perspective. It is story of his own passage into a more quires that we learn to surrender our rooted in an ability to see ourselves and fully ecumenical and universal dimen- privilege: whatever sets us above and one another as we really are, and to sion of God's realm! Archives apart from others, for only insofar as enjoy what we see! Corita Kent, at one time a Sister of we do this can we be empowered, This perspective enabled Brooke the Immaculate Heart and later a Bos- 2020. genuinely, to comfort one another. This Mosley, as it does anyone who has it, to ton-based artist famous for her power- way, this truth, this life — the way of exercise a fervent commitment to jus- ful paintings against the Vietnam War, Miriam and Moses, the truth of Mary tice with an equally strong sense of wrote her own epitaph several months Copyright and Jesus, the life of underground rail- compassion and a free spirit — while before her death in 1985: road leader Harriet Tubman and civil not taking himself or others so seriously She whom we love and lose rights champion Martin Luther King, as to lose sight of the fact that we are is no longer where she was the way of martyred Salvadoran Arch- born into the world to enjoy ourselves She is now wherever we are bishop Oscar Romero and assassinated and one another. This is our common So too with Brooke Mosley, whom gay rights leader Harvey Milk — is birthright, the right of every person — we loved and now have lost. never an easy way. to be happy, to laugh, to play, to have He is no longer where he was I have an image of Brooke Mosley humane work and leisure time. Brooke He is now wherever we are striding toward a microphone at the enjoyed himself and others, which is Thanks be to God! Amen. EE3

May 1988 17 Part II: Lessons of a servant church by Susan E. Pierce

he night flight from Managua to port. What a desperate situation, I ally sitting in the hall. Guatemala City had a stopover in El thought; nothing to eat but airplane On my ice bucket was a notice in Salvador. As the plane approached the food. English and Spanish: "If this item is airport, I saw a huge column of flame Nicaragua and Guatemala are not far missing from the room after checkout, the maid will be held responsible." publication. rising off the right. The rest of the apart physically, but ideologically, landscape was lost in the velvet black there is a world of difference. In the Guatemala's population is almost 70% and of night, fitfully punctuated by lights. space of an hour and a half, I went native Mayan, the people who created As we landed, the stewardess an- from the revolutionary country of a great empire across Mexico and Cen- reuse tral America while Europeans were for nounced that there was a transit strike Sandino to the land of "Coke is it!" and the airline would make arrange- Arriving at the airport in Guatemala muddling around in caves. But in the ments for disembarking passengers to was like a brief shot of culture shock. hotel, Mayans cleaned the ashtrays and required get from the airport to San Salvador. A Compared to the subdued, almost ex- scrubbed the bathrooms; the higher passenger sitting ahead of me ex- hausted atmosphere of the Nicaraguan status the job, the more European the plained to those around him that when airport, with its dim yellowed lighting face.

Permission the guerillas declare a transit strike, it and spare interiors, the Guatemalan In Nicaragua, the country was strug- usually lasts three to five days. During airport with its bright lights, neon gling to breathe, to survive. In Guate- that time, the guerillas will fire on any signs, chrome and marble seemed opu- mala, it seemed as though people were DFMS. / moving vehicles. He added that in the lent, jumping with a frenetic vitality. holding their breaths, afraid to draw course of the last strike, 50 people had Outside, taxis and cars fought for attention. On a walk just a few yards

Church been killed. space at the curb and porters fought from the hotel, women and children I looked out the window at the air- me and each other for my luggage. In begged for money, usually offering a port, a sleek, modern structure of Nicaragua, one lone, battered taxi, small item for sale. If they were re-

Episcopal gleaming steel and glass. Few people barely visible in the darkness, had fused, their shoulders slumped slightly the got off. One was a Swedish diplomat, been waiting as I came out of the air- and they moved away quietly. of with an armored car waiting to take port terminal. During the course of their meeting, him the 20 kilometers to the city. An- The Executive Council was meeting Council members gathered for "small other was the man next to me. Midway and staying at the Hotel El Dorado, in group sharing." The handout for the Archives through the short flight, a plastic- a fashionable section of Guatemala meeting asked the participants "to

2020. wrapped cold dinner tray had been City. The decor and surroundings of share with each other: What was the served, which my seatmate had not the U.S.-owned hotel made it easy to best experience for you? What was the eaten, but instead had taken and forget what lay beyond this wealthy worst?"

Copyright stowed under the seat in front of him. enclave. In Nicaragua, the country's In my small group, and later, when Just before the plane left El Salvador, troubles had penetrated even the last all the groups gave reports to the full as the stewardess was preparing to bastions of privilege — in Guatemala, Council, the people topped everyone's close the door, my seatmate grabbed they were kept at arm's length. Uni- "best" list; under the "worst", repres- his dinner (hidden in a newspaper), formed police officers never were far sion, violence, and poverty appeared and ran off the plane. What was from the hotel entrance. And there with dreary regularity. strange is that he did the whole ma- were always men in expensive busi- As I sat in the climate-controlled neuver of hoarding his dinner as if it ness suits watching the traffic through conference room, drinking ice water were routine. He must have taken the the lobby, or, as I walked off the ele- that the hotel literature assured me was tray in case he was trapped in the air- vator on my floor, they would be casu- "perfectly safe" thanks to the hotel's

18 THE WITNESS school, Flores stopped a little boy headed for breakfast. He greeted him and then gently put his hand under the boy's chin, lifting his face to get a better look. The boy's sweater was full of holes; his faded, torn pants barely reached below his knees and he had no shoes. Flores sent him on his way, and said, "Did you see how his face looked fat? It was swollen from not enough food." As we walked, Flores called to children in the street and asked them why publication. For many of these they weren't in school. "There are children, the free

and children who don't go to school who breakfast at Cristo Rey are seven, eight years old. They must Episcopal Church will reuse be their only meal of go out to work. It's not good," he said.

for r the day. Over 100 students grades kindergar- ten through sixth are enrolled in the own filtration plant, I thought, "If I ern office buildings and colonial-era school. Some of them also took part in required stay here, I'll never experience Guate- churches, then indicated one new the breakfast program. As Flores led mala." building and said off-handedly, "That me through the building, children But a word to Bishop Armando one is my design." Once an architect popped out of classroom doors and

Permission Guerra-Soria of Guatemala and I had for the Guatemalan government, windows, giggling and shrieking at the an invitation from a local priest, the Flores had taught architecture at the novelty of visitors. The teachers, some university level. Raised Roman Catho-

DFMS. Rev. Luis Flores, to visit his church, looking not much older than their stu- / Cristo Rey, in the Barrio San Antonio. lic, he had been an Episcopalian for 17 dents, tried to impose some order. Transportation is often scarce, ex- years because he liked the church and Flores strode into a classroom and said

Church pensive, and hazardous in Central felt it was "a medium way" between heartily, "Good morning, class!" America. My brief visit made me re- the Roman Catholic and the Evangeli- "Buenos Dias, padre" the students consider the stereotype of "Latin cal churches. replied. Episcopal time." Given the obstacles that must When we entered the Barrio San "No, no," cried Flores, "En inglesl" the be dealt with to make even a short Antonio, small brick and plaster build- A timid "Good morning" came back of journey, being on time comes very low ings lined the rutted streets. Flores di- — some of the children just shyly as a priority. Since travel takes a great rected the taxi to his church. stared. deal of time, during my short visit I "I wanted you to come early to see Archives After the school, Flores took me to saw the sun rise more than once be- the breakfast program we run for the the very edge of the barrio, to the new-

2020. yond the hotel doors while waiting for children of the barrio," he said. We est and poorest section. The barrio had a ride. walked through the courtyard behind grown on a plateau of land that ended The sun was peeking above the the church and entered a small, dark at the edge of a deep ravine with a

Copyright mountains as I waited for Flores. The room filled with children. They stared river at the bottom. As people kept day before, he had attempted to ex- at me, but kept right on eating. Three pouring into Guatemala City at the plain in his careful, fluent English how women in a cramped kitchen were rate of 600 per day, the houses had to find his church, but the barrio had dishing up food. Flores moved among spilled over the edge and were being grown haphazardly, a jumble of streets the children, hugging them, and talk- built down the sides of the ravine, and paths and houses put up here and ing to them. 'The breakfast program clinging haphazardly wherever they there. Finally he said, "I think I better feeds 125 children each day. We also could. come here and take you there." have a dental clinic, a medical clinic Thin rivulets of raw sewage ran We drove through the center of Gua- and a school," Flores said. alongside the narrow dirt paths. Lush temala City. Flores pointed out mod- On our way out to visit the nearby growths of palm trees and flowers

May 1988 19 The people lead a life as precarious have problems with the Latin Ameri- as the shacks that cling to the slopes of can mind, but things are changing," he I the ravine. Medical care, education and said. other social services are scarce and ex- As was true with the churches in pensive. Flores showed me his books Nicaragua, Flores and his congregation on nutrition and on budgeting. He were doing a lot with limited resources wanted to set up classes on these sub- and in the midst of considerable politi- jects. Flores also had bought two sew- cal and social difficulties. The parish ing machines, with money from the gets some assistance from the Diocese diocese to train people in the barrio of Virginia, but it was obvious that how to sew. Flores longed to do much more. "We are nothing more than servants, The kind of all-encompassing minis- said Flores, "We must love the poor, try I encountered at Flores' church

publication. share their poverty. The first step is to seemed to be typical of the church in make improvements, to help them Guatemala. Immediately on returning and reach for a better life day by day." from my visit, I was taken in tow by

reuse When he received his call in the late the Rev. Pedro Valdez, who took me

for 1970s, Flores had gone to the United on a whirlwind tour of all the pro- States, hoping to enter seminary there grams his parish sponsored. We had Street vendors in the Barrio San Antonio because, he said cautiously, "the politi- some communication problems due to required cal situation was very bad" in Guate- his lack of English and my lack of helped to soften the contours of mala. In 1977 the Carter Administra- Spanish, but we managed to cope us- shacks built out of scrap lumber and tion had cut off all U.S. military aid to ing sign language and good will.

Permission rusty sheet metal. Across the ravine, Guatemala because hundreds of people What I experienced in Guatemala people crept through garbage dumps had disappeared, been tortured, or mur- was a hospitality and warmth that tran- cascading down the steep incline. dered by death squads. As a university scended all barriers, and a church that DFMS. / Flores pointed down to the river. "The professor and a church activist, Flores uses its resources in a ministry of serv- ecology is very bad here. This used to was in jeopardy, as students, teachers, ice. As Council member Ann Fontaine

Church be a nice river. But now it's black, and churchpeople became favorite said in her small group report, "There totally polluted." death squad targets. is an incredible job being done with Back in the church office, Flores Flores lived in Illinois, in the Dio- few dollars and profound faith."

Episcopal talked about his work. cese of Quincy, but even with the help A new vision and a new solidarity the "If we see misery, injustice, the of then-Bishop Donald Parsons, could were constant themes throughout the of church has to do something — we not get into seminary. He felt this was Executive Council meeting in Guate- can't go along with our mouth shut," a sign to return to Guatemala, even mala. During their travels, participants he said. though Parsons advised against it: "I were continually confronted by the re- Archives Unemployment is endemic in the said to the Bishop, 'I am protected by sults of U.S. foreign policy in the Car-

2020. barrio; the country people who arrive the Lord. I need to serve my people.'" ibbean, Central and South America. by the hundreds each day have diffi- Flores eventually was one of the first Having witnessed the poverty, repres- culty adjusting to city life. Flores said to attend the Guatemalan seminary sion and conflict, Council members

Copyright that 80% of the people in the barrio Bishop Guerra opened in 1982. There seemed to heed the Rev. Earl Neil's are involved in crime. He ticked off a was no money, so seminarians advice that "The Church can challenge list of familiar urban woes; armed struggled to buy books and pay fees. It the United State's partnership with the robbery, drug dealing, prostitution, il- was difficult, but, Flores said, "When oppressors of the world." legal liquor sales. During a walk the Lord calls us, who can resist?" It was not only Central America that through the barrio, he had pointed to Flores admitted to frustrations in called on Council's conscience. Dur- certain buildings and said, "This one ministering to his 110-member congre- ing the meeting, a telex arrived from is a bar . . . there are always drunk gation and others in the barrio. People South African Archbishop Desmond people outside. There is a house of were not coming to the clinic because Tutu, calling for international con- prostitutes ... Here they sell drugs." he had hired a woman doctor. "We demnation of the latest and most se-

20 THE WITNESS vere South African government crack- attitude towards Province IX churches. church is not beyond history or above down on any form of dissent. Without The Rt. Rev. James Ottley of Panama society." debate, Council passed a unanimous pointed this out when he said, "Prob- Presiding Bishop Edmond L. resolution calling on the United States lems in the part of the world I come Browning's address to Council re- to impose total sanctions against South from haven't been heard or under- peated the theme of responsibility and Africa. stood. We want to make a contribution mutual respect:"Let us tell the story of Council was also challenged to de- to the Anglican Communion. We must the innocent victims of the violence in velop a new sensitivity about the be autonomous. Dollars do bind, but Central America; but also tell the story church and the people of the Carib- do not necessarily dictate." of the mission of the church here. Let bean and Central and South America, And the Rt. Rev. Furman Stough, us tell the story of those living in the especially on the question of auton- newly-appointed Senior Executive for bantustans and townships of South Af- omy. The dioceses of the region, Prov- Mission Planning and Deputy for the rica, but also let us tell the story of the ince IX of the Episcopal Church in the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World mission of the church there . . . With United States, have existed for years Relief, made it clear that the new vi- their stories we can awaken and stir publication. on funding from the U.S. church. Now sion of the church had to include ah the consciences of our sisters and and these dioceses want to be independent unwavering adherence to the gospel of brothers, of our legislators, even those and maintain a relationship of equals. peace and social justice. He quoted who feign compassion fatigue. We reuse It was apparent that the U.S. church from the recent report of the first An- must help them recall and renew their for needed to radically alter its traditional glican Pan-American Congress: "The moral vision." EE3 required A STUDY PACKET

Permission "The Case for Divestment" by Manning THE CASE FOR Marable; the exchange of correspondence DFMS.

/ between a reluctant Church Pension DIVESTMENT Fund and the Diocese of Newark, committed to divestment; backgrounders on Church the situation in South Africa, and a rich "W supply of resources. The packet was de- signed for study and action.

Episcopal TT e face a catastrophe in this

the land and only the action of the inter- of national community by applying pressure r can save us." One — Four Copies 53.00 each The Rt. Rev. Desmond Tutu Five — Nine Copies $2.25 each Archives Ten and Over $1.75 each For those who would engage in serious

2020. Please send _ copies of THE CASE FOR DIVESTMENT Study study about whether some investments Packet at $_ each. Enclosed is a check in the amount of are morally intolerable, the Episcopal _. Prepaid orders only Church Publishing Company has pre- Copyright pared a study packet entitled The Case Name for Divestment

Its contents supply a wealth of testi- Address mony to pray and think about, including a summary of the South African Kairos City Zip document, by William Johnston; a status report on apartheid and an article on Make check payable to THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH PUBLISHING COMPANY and mail to: P.O. Box 359, Ambler PA 19002. J I

May 1988 21 Faramelli... Continued from page 9 ously: addressing the realities of White nized, it is one of the lowest priority racism — how it functions and how Back Issues Available: issues on the agenda of the church. "racial justice" differs from "race rela- When we think of "peace and justice," tions," and secondly, using our re- • God and Mother Russia: Epis- copal priest William Teska inter- which is fast becoming a popular slo- sources to empower those who are dis- views Konstantin Kharchev, USSR gan within the religious community, it possessed. The Episcopal Church's Councillor for Religious Affairs, on is soon apparent that issues of racial Coalition for Human Needs and the how perestroika affects religion; justice usually take a back seat to other Church Center's ethnic desks have been major articles by Sovietologist Paul issues, such as Central America, the addressing some of these concerns. In Valliere, Bill and Polly Spofford, arms race, nuclear weapons, etc. In the forthcoming General Convention, Mary Lou Suhor on their visits to some quarters of the Episcopal Church, the expanded Jubilee proposal (with its the USSR; statistics on major reli- there is even a desire to revert back to emphasis on increased advocacy), gious bodies in the USSR; Dr. John the older formulations of the issue as along with the initiative from the Dio- Burgess' assessment of the 1986 "race relations' rather than "racial jus- cese of Michigan (with its focus on Human Rights Seminar sponsored publication. tice." land trusts, worker-owned and con- by the National Council of Churches in Moscow. 28 pages. and trolled enterprises, cooperatives, Fortunately for us, our faith is rooted Must reading for pilgrims going to in theological expectation and not in greater community control over eco-

reuse the Soviet Union this year. empirical evidence or historical trends. nomic development) are all positive for Hence, we need to develop a theologi- signs. Nevertheless, it is imperative that • Eleven myths about death: cal vision of a world where the barriers there be major involvement and fund- Lead article by the Rev. Charles required based on gender, race and class have ing at the diocesan and congregational Meyer discusses: Pulling the plug been removed and we can celebrate the levels, with an ecumenical base where is suicide/murder; To die of dehy- building of an inclusive community. possible. dration or starvation in a hospital is inhuman; Dying is 'God's will';

Permission The God whom we worship provides I am often asked: If you could do just Where there's life, there's hope and the foundation, rationale and power for one thing to work for racial justice, seven other myths about death that community. what would it be? My answer is: There

DFMS. which serve as impediments to de- / There is much to be done in our soci- is no one thing; several things have to cision-making concerning life-sup- ety. Although there should be new part- occur simultaneously: (1) efforts are port systems. In this issue also: the

Church nerships between the public, private needed to address White racism within Rev. Glenda Hope's reflection, and voluntary sectors (such as the the White community; (2) poor minor- Why fast for Lent — or any time. church), the need for public sector or ity communities need to be empowered

Episcopal government involvement is essential. In to shape their own future, thus support To order, fill in coupon below and mail to THE WITNESS, P.O. Box the his book, Wilson notes that the only so- for efforts in community organizing of lution to the problem of the disadvan- and economic development are essen- 359, Ambler PA 19002. taged is to expand welfare, provide tial; (3) this development can be suc- adequate child care, and to create jobs cessful only if backed by public poli-

Archives Yes. please send me the back issues I for all Americans. That must be cies on the municipal, state and federal have checked at S1.50 each. (Pre- coupled with educational programs to levels. paid orders only.) 2020. provide skills necessary for the jobs. We need to work for an incarnational D God and Mother Russia These issues cannot be addressed with- theology, where racial justice is built D 11 Myths about Death

Copyright out major government involvement. In into the very fabric of our political and addition, Wilson correctly notes that economic institutions, to overcome the nothing short of a restructuring of the imbedded legacy of racism. As the Name U.S. economy will enable us to address church, we need to experience the the needs of the underclass in minority power of the Gospel, where barriers Address communities. In a word, perhaps we that separate us are shattered, and we need a U.S. version of perestroika. are all empowered to build a human City In implementing that vision, it will community that celebrates both the di- be necessary to have church programs versity and the uniting of all human State Zip that work on two things simultane- beings made in the divine image. Ed

22 THE WITNESS Letters Continued from page 3 won by Project Klanwatch against the peace issues, especially in Nicaragua Klan for the lynching of Michael and felt the Episcopal Church was not Donald. In any case, I applaud all such involved enough in peace issues. I am Political action needed actions against the violence of neo-nazi delighted to have discovered you. Certainly the Episcopal Church as a and white supremacist groups. I went to Nicaragua in '86 with Wit- body and all of us as individuals must The Rev. John Abraham ness for Peace and I work with an Inter- support Elaine Silverstrim's call for the Tucson, Ariz. faith Action Committee on Central closing of the Lexington prison and an America and the Central American Task end to the practices in use there (Febru- Force for the San Jose Branch of ary WITNESS). Claiming to act on be- Heaven improved Women's International League for half of "the people", the Federal Bureau Thank you for the beautiful tribute to Peace and Freedom. of Prisons is in clear violation of the Jan Pierce with which the February is- Serena Murray Eighth Amendment prohibition against sue of THE WITNESS opened. I was San Jose, Cal. "cruel and unusual punishment." How- also glad to see that it was the lead item ever, we cannot expect that the present in the many remembrances in The Epis- Bravo for Kiwis justices of the Supreme Court of the publication. copalian. Bravo, New Zealand — and special ku- United States with their demonstrated May God provide for you and for all dos to the Rt. Rev. Godfrey Wilson, and hostility to the Bill of Rights will ever of us who grieve for Jan much evidence Anglican Bishop of South Aukland, act honestly and responsibly to outlaw of the continuing love and care with poet, prophet and priest He is worthy to reuse these practices. The solution to the which we are all surrounded in this life stand beside Governor General Paul for problem must be political action. and the life to come. Reeves, former Anglican primate of There is one factual error in And just think of the improvements New Zealand and outspoken opponent Silverstrim's forceful presentation. Ale- of nuclear power, descendant of both required there will now be in Heaven's house jandrina Torres and other Puerto Rican organ! Pukeha and Maori and friend of both. nationalists could not have been con- The Rt. Rev. Robert R. Spears, Jr. And able to stand too, beside Prime victed under the Alien and Sedition Rochester, N,Y. Minister David Lange, Methodist lay

Permission Acts of 1798 for two good reasons: !) preacher and Sunday school teacher, By their own language these acts ex- Gem with many facets suffering servant, prophet, exemplar of pired in 1800 and are no longer part of what has made a great nation and a

DFMS. When Jan Pierce was a rookie reporter / the U.S. Code. 2) In 1964 in the case of great people great. The New York Times v. Sullivan, the at The Episcopalian, she befriended me in tangible ways that extended the life Thanks to men like these, and their Supreme Court of the United States de- mothers and sisters, New Zealand is Church of two publications, Ruach and delib- finitively declared the 1798 Sedition truly our conscience in a world too Act unconstitutional. Without knowing eration, which were vehicles for an advocacy journalism Jan was not in a po- much given to bombast and the Rambo the specifics of these cases, I would spirit. Bishop Wilson's letter and poetry Episcopal guess that government prosecutors sition to produce. No one lived with the tension of in the March issue are just what we the made use of the Espionage Act of 1917. need at this low period in our national of being on middle ground any better than Peter E. Kane history when we are such confused ex- Churchville, N.Y. she. Although there were many subjects she wanted to write about that she never amples of people who have lost their vision. Too many frantic boasts and Archives had the opportunity to, the words she Hatemongers revisited did command were embued always with foolish words are coming out of Wash- I was delighted to see Barbara Harris' ington. We are treating a very good 2020. her loving, generous spirit. What a gem column, "Monitoring the Hatemongers" she was — with so many colorful fac- friend, New Zealand, very badly and it in your February publication. I com- ets. Within the Communion of Saints, takes a good friend to speak frankly. I mend her for raising the issues and call- am a U.S. citizen who wants the Kiwis

Copyright she is a cherished communicator, I'm ing our attention to those insidious sure. to know that we appreciate them and groups which prey upon people's irra- Ann Knight their country. tional fears and prejudices. White Rock, B.C. Maybe they are buying us time to turn For your concerned readers, I'd call around; if so, we should remember that your attention to another excellent time bought with the blood, sweat and agency which combats such hatemon- Discovered by activist tears of others becomes a sacrament, gering: Project Klanwatch of the South- I just read some back issues of your and we should receive it kneeling and ern Poverty Law Center, P. O. Box 548, magazine and I want to subscribe. It is with purpose of amendment. Montgomery, AL 36195. You may be extremely good. I was raised an Episco- Pauline Shortridge aware of the recent $7 million judgment palian but have become involved with Morgantown, W.Va.

May 1988 23 ECPC Awards Dinner Reservation Form ECPC dinner reservations open

Registrations are now being taken Please reserve places for the Episcopal Church Publish- at $25 per person (tables of 10 ing Company dinner at General for $250) for me/us at the ECPC Convention in Detroit on Tuesday, Awards Banquet during Gen- July 5, at 7:30 p.m. (See coupon eral Convention in Detroit. En- at left.) closed is a check in the amount At the dinner, ECPC will present of . awards for outstanding contribu- tions to the social mission of the Name church, in the name of three noted publication. Episcopal social activists. They and Address are William Scarlett, former Bishop of Missouri; Vida Scudder, educa- reuse tor, organizer and social reformer; for and William Spofford, Sr., former City/State editor of THE WITNESS. Award

required winners will be announced in the June issue of THE WITNESS. Vinie Burrows Zip A highlight of the dinner will be a tance of women worldwide. one-woman show by Vinie Bur- Burrows, a veteran of Broadway Permission Make check payable to Episco- rows, internationally-acclaimed ac- and the international theater pal Church Publishing Co. and tress and activist, whose work scene, has conceived, produced DFMS. / mail to ECPC, Box 359, Ambler, documents the struggles of op- and directed seven solo produc- PA 19002. Thank you! pressed people. tions to date. She has been given Her solo production "From the Actor's Equity Association's Church Swords to Ploughshares" links Paul Robeson Award in recognition peace and poetry; "Africa Fire" of her commitment to human rights combines African myths, songs and her use of the arts to create Episcopal and folktales; and "Sister, Sister" understanding and respect for the

of describes the struggles and impor- diversity. Archives 2020. The Episcopal Church Publishing Company NONPROFIT P.O. Box 359 ORGANIZATION Ambler, Pennsylvania 19002 U.S. POSTAGE Copyright PAID Permil No. 121 North Wales, PA