Justice Center Calls on Mattie Jones After Coleman Dies Talk on Atomic

FORsooth Volume 19, No. 6 A publication of the Louisville Chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation www.louisville-for.org July-August 2008 “The legacy of Louis Coleman… is to organize and organize and organize.” Justice center calls on Mattie Jones after Coleman dies by George Morrison FORsooth editor The unexpected death of acclaimed justice activist Rev. Louis Coleman July 5 stunned activists and neighborhood organizers and propelled retired national FOR director of racial and economic justice Mattie Jones to temporarily take the director post of the Justice Resource Center Coleman founded in the 1970s. Coleman, who was 64, died after a series of seizures in his home and en route to a hospital, ending 35 years of nonviolent struggling for breathable air, safe streets and a fair share of economic opportunities for the West Louisville neighborhoods which, although he worked in many other communities in Kentucky, were his primary focus as director of the JRC. Maintaining a dizzying schedule, he led protests, vigils, boycotts and marches —photos by Eddie Davis for civilian review of police, more minority The death July 5 of Rev. Louis Coleman, left photo, left a gigantic void that longtime activist and retired contracting by state government, strong FOR administrator Mattie Jones, right photo, will help his Justice Resource Center fill as interim director. regulations to clean up severe air pollution See more on Coleman and Jones on page four. in the Rubbertown neighborhood and open housing in neighborhoods where black confronted drug dealers with daring street Coleman also lent his support to causes Coleman, along with Mattie Jones, residents faced harassment. vigils to try to reduce crime. not commonly associated with African- publically supported it, helping to move black Under Coleman’s leadership, the JRC “He loved people. He loved equality,” American ministers, such as media reform, public opinion to the pro-fairness side. also organized the Street Academy, weekly Jones said July 8 at a memorial at West an effort to make broadcasters more inclu- With a poll in the mid-1990s showing education sessions designed to improve Broadway and 28th street, often a vortex of sive and less corporate-dominated. He also a majority of African-American city the academic work and behavior of black Coleman’s whirlpool-like activism. “He stepped up when support for the Fairness residents supporting fairness (and a wide males at risk of dropping out of school. He wasn’t just a leader of black people. He was Amendment, Louisville’s proposed gay majority backing it throughout the city), also regularly did gun buy-backs and a leader of all the people that God created.” rights law, was scant in West Louisville. (continued on page 5) Talk on atomic horrors PAID starts commemoration U.S. Postage Louisville, KY Permit No. 962 Non-Profit Org. by Ken Nevitt unconsciousness after the blast, she opened her eyes and saw that everything had been While on an errand to a post office in destroyed to the west, except for a factory, Miyuki-bashi, in Hiroshima, Japan, under and thought a bomb had been dropped on the the scorching sun, young Miyoko Watanabe factory. Watanabe saw her mother, whose could not bear the heat anymore, so she hair was a mess and standing on end, her lips turned back home to fetch her parasol. She cracked and her head bleeding, standing like was just about to open the parasol, when an some unearthly creature. intense flash burst upon her. She told of seeing a woman lying dead Through her interpreter, Elizabeth at a house by the river bank, her neck stuck Baldwin, she told a gathering July 11 at through with a piece of glass blown by the Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church: “It blast. Watanabe said the woman had been looked as if the gas tanks in Minami-machi suckling her baby, adding that the glass on the other side of the river had exploded. must have cut an artery and that blood was The flash was a yellowish orange color, scattered around her. Watanabe said the just like magnesium light but hundreds of baby continued to suckle her breast. times stronger. It became dark and there Watanabe’s father came home with were ghastly crashing and rattling sounds.” his body burned all over and died the next In a moving talk on “Hibakusha ,” or Call F.O.R. at 502/458-8056 Call F.O.R. day, Watanabe said, adding that she was atomic bomb survivors, Watanabe shared numbed by facing many deaths throughout the stage with American Steve Leeper, a the following weeks. A single bomb Japanese resident and the first foreign chair- inflicted tremendous agony and pain on the man of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Founda- people of Hiroshima, she noted. The city Fellowship of Reconciliation Louisville Chapter 2236 Kaelin Avenue Louisville, KY 40205-2608 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED tion, which is the peace and international was reduced to ashes. relations arm of the City of Hiroshima. The damage caused by the bomb was Their talk is just one of several area not confined to those who were actually events in commemoration of the dropping exposed to it. People who sustained no of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, injuries, including those who went near the Japan in 1945, which killed about 145,000 hypocenter to search for their children, INSIDE and 80,000 people, respectively, and caused suffered a high fever and soon had purple radiation sickness in countless others. spots all over their bodies, Watanabe said. A group will gather Wednesday, Aug. They soon went almost mad, and died one National FOR busily re-invigorates our group........................... p. 2 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Muhammad Ali th after another during the six months Boulevard and 4 Street (also known as following the bombing, she added. Merton Square) to read from John Hersey’s Watanabe said her elder brother was People power in Louisville – budget progress ............................ p. 2 book Hiroshima and pass out literature. suddenly stricken with leukemia and died Concerned people will gather Saturday many years after that dreadful experience. Aug. 9, just before sunset for the very moving Leeper has also served as the U.S. A review of a review of Robeson .................................................. p. 3 yearly Candle Floating Ceremony at the lake representative to the nongovernmental at Lexington Road and Grinstead Drive. agency Mayors for Peace, which seeks For more information on these abolition of nuclear weapons. Their events, call Interfaith Paths to Peace at Obama and affirmative action ..................................................... p. 7 presentation, titled “Voices from (502) 214-7322. Hiroshima: Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Continuing her talk at Thomas Jefferson, Watanabe said that following a period of (continued on page 5) US FOR out to become an even greater communicator by Phil Schervish Peacemaker Training Institute so that FOR both the international peace-making Peace Fellowships will select two members may put more effort into developing the community and the operating environment each year. Local groups and chapters have June 20 to 22 marked the beginning of Nonviolent Youth Collective. This year’s of local non-profit organizations. The hopes been divided into six regional groups. Three the 93rd year of FOR National. The National theme, “Building the Conscientious are that the plan will be a living document, regions will participate in the selection of Council held one of its three-times-per- Objector Movement through Creative consulted often during the day-to-day three council members each year. year meetings. Resistance,” will have a primary focus on decision making process. Louisville, in the Mid-West region, along The council has expanded to 24 developing college campus chapters. The FOR National wants to hear from you. with the Mid-Atlantic and Northwest members representing all geographic areas. major event for the year will be International Check out, and feel free to contribute to the regions will select council members Louisville is represented by two people: C.O. Day, May 15, 2009, and the new FOR blog at www.forpeace.net. beginning their terms in even-numbered Dennis Bricking is beginning his three- continuation of the “I Will Not Kill” As you might have picked up, years. A complete list of chapters by region year term, while I am entering the last year campaign. Those interested can stay abreast enhanced, meaningful communication is a is forthcoming. of my term. Dennis serves on the of Youth + Militarism activities at the goal for the coming year. The FOR USA Finally, the new National Council Administration Committee and I am on the website, youth.forusa.org. website is undergoing complete redesign. Committee will propose three at-large Membership and Program Committee. Iran Program: Iran continues to be a It can be accessed at www.forusa.org. Also, candidates for selection each year. When The national office is completing a focus of FOR National. The third Civilian the national office hopes to facilitate the first cycle (three years) is completed, reorganization brought about by some Diplomat delegation (21 people) recently communication among the chapters with the National Council will have six members financial and staff problems a few years from the traditional peace fellowships, nine ago. Mark Johnson, the executive director members from local chapters, and nine at- for the last year, and almost an entirely new large members. staff have performed admirably in bringing FOR National wants to hear from you. Check out, and feel free The council passed a $1.8 million bud- FOR back to a national stature. The get for the operation of these programs and reorganization has focused on the following to contribute to the new FOR blog at www.forpeace.net.

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