Standing together,

working together

Standing amidst old and young, black and white, with my Muslim friend Samia close by on December 4th, I was struck by the powerful experience. We were gathered in protest of the grand jury decision concerning the stranglehold death of Eric Holder by a white policeman.

The words I'd heard sung only weeks before by the gospel choir CAMA
(Capital Area Music Association) came back to me:

“Hand in hand we will make it through,
Working together in harmony."

Those words capture the essence and the mission of the Community Responders Network, and came to life again at the foot of the Capital steps as the chant, “I can't breath” contrasted those singing Christmas carols while Governor Corbett presided over the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Yes, we were intruding on this annual tradition, but I have to wonder how often the voices of people of color have been raised when those of us in
the dominant culture refused to listen. That December evening in Harrisburg, those protesting nonviolently were standing in solidarity with the growing numbers of people across the country, voicing our shared pain and distress at the ways in which racism persists in robbing people of color of life itself.

Working hand in hand and behind the scenes, both the Rapid Response
Team and the Prevention & Education Team of the CRN are working on several cutting edge initiatives with the intent of ensuring that the Harrisburg community provides safety and opportunity for all who live here.

We hope you will be heartened to read of these ongoing efforts of the Community Responders Network. If you are not already involved, we invite you to join us in working together for the rights and dignity of each person in this community.

Margee Kooistra,
Chair, CRN Coordinating Committee

“Diversity Days” to Continue with School-Age Kids at YWCA

Based on the success of last summer’s “Diversity Days @ Camp Reily” program, the CRN's Prevention Ed. Team is continuing the program in 2015 for the K-5th graders who participate in before- and after-school programs at the YWCA.

Starting January 7th, sessions will be held twice a month when the Harrisburg School District has half-days. The intent is to help kids to understand concepts of diversity in age-appropriate ways, to develop a positive sense of their own identity and to instill positive ways of interacting with those who are different from them. We’re excited to see this program expand as we seek to build a strong foundation by teaching kids to appreciate and respect diversity.

CRN Launches YOUTH SPEAK Listening Sessions

In the wake of Ferguson, several public forums were held in Harrisburg but youth voices were
noticeably absent. To fill this gap, the CRN is organizing youth listening sessions to create safe spaces for youth to be heard and their concerns addressed as part of the larger conversation.

Decreasing youth involvement with the criminal justice system and increasing trust between urban youth and police is pivotal to improving police and community relations overall. Input from these listening sessions will be incorporated into law enforcement training sessions this spring.

The YOUTH SPEAK sessions use a circle process, in which each youth is given an equal opportunity to be heard. A question is presented to the circle and then each youth has an opportunity to share his or her thoughts, which are recorded on flipcharts so that everyone can see the concerns and ideas that the youth name.

Three questions are being presented to the youth:
1. What kinds of problems do you see between the police and the community?
2. What is the best experience you have had with a police officer?
3. What can police do and what can the community do to improve police/community relations?

To facilitate the listening sessions, the CRN is partnering with the Agape-Satyagraha Training Program out of Brethren Community Ministries (bcmPEACE), which teaches nonviolent conflict resolution and social change leadership skills to youth in grades 6-12. Youth and adult leaders from Agape-Satyagraha are facilitating the YOUTH SPEAK sessions, with support from the adult leader(s) of the youth programs at each location.

To date we have held four listening sessions, with youth from MLK Baptist Church, First Church of the Brethren, the YWCA's YouthBuild program and the United Methodist Neighborhood Center participating. Additional sessions are being scheduled. If you are a youth-serving organization interested in hosting a session, please contact Gerald Rhoades at 717-903-2674 or GeraldWR@aol.com. Similar listening sessions can also be held for adult groups.

"Oh Mankind! We created you from a single pair and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other and not despise each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the person who is most righteous, and God has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things." Quran 49:13

At a very young age I was taught by example that we were all World citizens and part of the Human family; we are all children of God. My faith teaches me "to enjoin what is good and prevent what is evil" - and to do this with people of all faiths, colors, languages and ethnicities.

I personally feel the warmth of a divine smile when I sit with good people from diverse backgrounds. It means the most to me when these very people stand next to me to protest injustice to anyone, anywhere. Places of worship and people of all colors and faiths opened their doors and hearts when my community was the target of intolerance, and I feel compelled to do the same for others.

I am convinced that most of the social evils of this day and age - like violent extremism, racial injustice, domestic violence, human trafficking and others - can only be eradicated by good people of all faiths, colors, and nations coming together. Not by putting a band-aid on problems but by looking at the root causes, and understanding the issues that have brought us to this point.

Most of the time, I find, it is people who are stripped of their dignity by socio-economic or political injustices, who see no hope, who perpetuate these evils. It will take some kind, sensitive global villages to right these wrongs one step at a time; people who have no other motive than to see love, peace and justice spread in the universe.

Dr. King once said: "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concern to the broader concerns of all Humanity." Pain is the same whether it is in the city or the suburbs, the U.S. or China, the Middle East or Africa. So we must not only stand together against injustices, but commit ourselves to small kindnesses every day. Even a smile in public places does wonders for my soul.

Samia Malik,
Founding Member of the CRN