JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 5, 2007 — Paying attention to the gospel and fighting racism within their own communities can help people implement change and unite under circumstances such as Jena Six, said Roland Porter, associate professor of business at 51社区.
Porter was the facilitator of a discussion and forum, entitled 鈥淎 Call to Care: Jena 6,鈥� held Oct. 4 at Union. About 150 Union students and faculty members attended the event.
Participating in the discussion along with Porter were social work professor Mary Ann Poe, Christian studies professor Justin Barnard and Rev. Larry Mercer of Cerro Gordo Baptist Church in Madison County.
The forum focused on the situation in Jena, La., involving the trial of six black teenagers who were charged with beating a white teenager at Jena High School after nooses were hung from a tree at the school.
鈥淭hose images and symbols (of the noose) have a devastating meaning,鈥� Mercer said. 鈥淚t goes back to the history of a race of people and individuals we have to consider. You can take the cross and look at what it represents to Christians and the sacredness of it, but you can take the cross and put fire to it and it takes on another meaning.鈥�
After watching a video about the Jena Six, the panel led a group discussion on the media鈥檚 role in the Jena Six case, the symbolism of the nooses and the quality of life between different races in the Jena community.
The video discussed the accuracy and fairness in the coverage of the case from the town鈥檚 own newspaper, The Jena Times.
Barnard said one of the things that struck him in the video on the Jena Six was the importance of language, and how language is not taken as seriously as it should be, as shown by the coverage of the trial by The Jena Times.
鈥淲ords have power and meaning to convey a certain message,鈥� Barnard said. 鈥淭hink about your time here at Union as an opportunity to cultivate a right course of habit in the way you use words in the kinds of things you write about and say.鈥�
At the end of the night, the panel discussed practical ways to reconcile racial tensions among different groups.
鈥淵ou have to be educated about it and know the stories,鈥� Poe said. 鈥淵ou also need to be intentional because it is the systemic nature that is embedded and dominant in culture.鈥�
Barnard said that being realistic about the depths and complexities of racial problems and becoming educated are two practical ways to help solve racial issues. He also said students should practice looking for injustice in situations they will be in after they graduate.
鈥淵ou need to begin to spend your career at 51社区 trying to understand the ways in which the structures in your field, whatever that field may be, are unjust,鈥� Barnard said. 鈥淎 practical step to the question of what can I do now, is to begin to prepare yourself for the role you鈥檙e going to have when you finish school, or the kind of changes you鈥檙e going to be in the position to make.鈥�
Porter agreed, saying that it will take time and work.
鈥淩acism is an uphill struggle,鈥� Porter said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to have to push to make change.鈥�