Sometimes it is hard to speak up for things that we know are wrong or unjust. We would much rather sit on the side line and wait for someone else to speak. However, often times nobody speaks up because of the fear of being persecuted, talked about, or simply afraid your voice doesn't matter. God has used the voice of regular people for centuries. He used Moses against Pharaoh, Esther against the Persian king, Jesus to the Pharisees, Paul to the Gentals, Martin Luther to the church, Martin Luther King Jr to segregation, and the list goes on and on. Now it is your turn.
Take a moment and read this article:
Jena 6: Jenna Six, An American Tragedy - Jena is a small highly segregated rural Louisiana town that we published a story about a few weeks ago that many other outlets had ignored. It is now in the news front and center so we thought we would revisit the topic and perhaps introduce it to those who are reading about it for the very first time. In September of 2006, a black student asked permission from school administrators to seek the cool offering of solice under the shade of a tree that is commonly reserved for the enjoyment of the white students of the school.
School officials allegedly told the Black students that it was ok to sit wherever they wanted and they went ahead and did so. The next day, three nooses, in the school colors, were found hanging from the same tree.
After an investigation, the Jena high school principal determined that three white students were responsible and it was recommended that they be expelled. The expulsions would subsequently be overturned by the white superintendent of schools and issued the students a three day suspension, saying that the nooses were simply "a youthful stunt."
As a result, black students organized a sit-in under the tree to protest the soft treatment given to the white students. African American parents tried to voice their opinions and were repeatedly shot down.
The town's district attorney quickly arrived, flanked by police officers, and told the Black students to stop making such a big deal over the nooses. The school assembly, like the schoolyard where all of this had begun, was divided by race, with the Black students on one side and the white students on the other. Directing his remarks to the Black students, District Attorney Reed Walters said, "I can make your lives disappear with a stroke of a pen."
In November, tension was still high and the academic wing of the school burned in a fire. An attack ensued outside of school where the assailant, a white student, was charged with simple battery after an Black student was punched and beaten with beer bottles. Hostilities grew.
On Monday, December 4 2006, a white student named Justin Barker got into a fight with Black students. Allegedly, the white student had been allegedly racially taunting the black students in support of the students who hung the nooses and was reportedly taken to the hospital treated and released.
Six Black Jena students (Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Beard) were subsequently arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder. All six were expelled from school. On the morning of the trial, the District Attorney reduced the charges from attempted second degree murder to second degree aggravated battery and conspiracy.
The all-white jury deliberated for less than three hours and found Mychal Bell, the only one charged as an adult, guilty on the maximum possible charges of aggravated second degree battery and conspiracy. He awaits a Sept. 20 sentencing hearing. Mychal Bell faces up to a maximum of 22 years in prison. The cases against the other five Black students are pending." - Article provided by www.postchronicle.com
You are probably saying what does this have to do with a voice? Everything, you can make a change. You can be the difference by lending your voice as a voice of liberation for those who have been oppressed by injustice. Let me encourage you by sharing with you the words God uttered to Joshua "Moses is dead". This is major because moses symbolizes a former thing or system Joshua and others relied on. God is now saying everything you used to look to is gone. However, God gives him and us hope by saying "Just as I was with moses so will I be with you". It is time for us to take our place and raise our voice knowing that God will be with us. Lets not forget the power of prayer. Lets commit to praying for these young men and their families, the town and state, their peers, the legal system, and the relationships that were probably wounded due to the actions of few. Again their names are: Bryant Purvis, Jesse Beard, Carwin Jones, Mychal Bell, Theodoore Shaw and Rovert Bailey
There are several ways you can use your voice:
You can contact: LaSalle Parish- District Attorney J. Reed Walters at (318) 992-8282 and demand justice for the Jena Six.
Write the Office of the Governor Attn: Constituent Services
P.O. Box 94004 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9004 Facsimile: 225-342-7099
You can also sign a petition at the website below:
www.colorofchange.org
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