|
Episcopal Diocese of Maine |
|
Episcopal Diocese of Maine |
The Many and One Rally
"A defining moment in Maine history" as 4,500 Mainers turn out to support their
neighbors at Bates College on January 11.
Mainers
stand firm against racism: A report about the day by Heidi Shott
Thank you from Trinity Church and
Trinity Jubilee Center / Photos of Many and One
A prayer for the human family / www.manyandone.org
| January 13, 2003 from the Rev. Larney Otis, priest-in-charge of Trinity, Lewiston PROFOUND THANKS TO ALL who supported the Many and One Rally in Lewiston on Saturday. With your prayerful participation, the Rally was even more successful than we could have hoped for! Many of you faithfully held us in prayer during the weeks preceding the Rally; many congregations held candlelight vigils and/or prayer services; many congregations took the opportunity to reflect on issues of racism and other oppressions; many of you came to event itself. THANK YOU! Those of you who came had the extraordinary experience of hearing the voices of a diverse group of folks speaking and singing passionately about their present experiences and their hopes for a future in which ALL voices will be heard, a future in which the dream of justice, peace and respect for the dignity of every human being is fulfilled. The Many and One Rally was a foretaste of that longed-for future as representatives of the Somali, Latino, Franco, Native, Disabled, Youth and African American communities all gathered on the dais with Governor John Baldacci and Attorney General Steve Rowe and spoke to an audience of 3,200, including Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Tom Allen. At Trinity Jubilee Center, the day unfolded quietly with the usual Saturday meal being served at 11:30. Unusual, however, for a Saturday, was the presence of Rev. Nancy Moore, Executive Director of Trinity Jubilee Center, Rev. Gary Drinkwater, Deacon at Trinity and several members of Trinity's congregation to assist Program Coordinator Calvin Dube and regular volunteer Karen Reinert with whatever might be needed. Because no one knew just what the day would bring and because Trinity and the Jubilee Center had made an extra effort that day to be available to provide safe space and emergency transportation if necessary, especially to any Somali who might need extra help and support, a few "extras" were in order. A group of noisy protesters from Boston did show up outside City Hall,just across Kennedy Park, making everyone a bit nervous and edgy. Police quickly quieted the protesters, however, and all were able to relax again. I am convinced that events unfolded as they did, peacefully and safely, both at Trinity, at the Many and One and at the World Church rally in large part because so many people were praying for us. Granted that Police, City officials and the Many and One Coalition worked hard to assure the success of the Rally, but the positive energy coming our way, holding us in our work, sustaining us during tense and tiring moments, was palpable. On behalf of Trinity Church, the Trinity Jubilee Center and the Many and One Coalition, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We are MANY, we are ONE. Thanks be to God! |
Links to related stories published in the Lewiston
Sun-Journal
and the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
Tolerance triumphs as racists attract few - January 12
http://www.portland.com/news/index1.shtml
scroll down for all three stories
Racists huddle, Call for white pride - January 12
http://www.sunjournal.com/story.asp?slg=011203diversity
Lewiston gets ready for whatever happens -
January 10
http://www.sunjournal.com/story.asp?slg=011003lpd
Leader of the WCOTC, Matthew Hale, was arrested on
January 8 in
Illinois on charges of soliciting murder of federal judge..
Associated Press story
below
Diversity rally plans prominent speakers - January
8
http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/030108lewiston.shtml
Profile on Matthew Hale, leader of World Church of the
Creator - January 5
http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/030105hale.shtml
Update
January 8, 2003
Update December 15, 2002 As you are by now aware, the World Church of the Creator has
scheduled a meeting in Lewiston on January 11, 2003. Currently this event is scheduled to
be held at the Armory from 1-3 p.m. that day. This location, however, may change. 1) Pray for us. Our hope is that this is a non-event, in the sense that the World Church is completely unsuccessful in gaining any kind of foothold in the Lewiston community. 2) Plan to hold some kind of educational program or teach-in in your congregation on undoing racism and creating diversity some time in the near future or reinforce the work you have already done in this area. 3) Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers throughout Maine condemning racism and advocating diversity (Please know that "the Somalis" are only the EXCUSE for WCOTC to come here. Their main target is Jews (according to their website, Hitler is one of their heros and it is the Jews who are responsible for the attack on the World Trade Towers on 9/11/01. They will also target African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Gays, Lesbians, etc. etc.) 4) Consider sending a small delegation to the Many and One Rally, or better yet, have some sort of "event" in your own congregation around that date. (Martin Luther King Day is January 20th) 5) Please DO NOT attend the WCOTC event. At a meeting this morning (12/13/02) representatives from a variety
of sectors including the religious communities, law enforcement, city and state
government, education and ethnic groups came together with one voice: NOT IN OUR CITY! NOT
IN OUR STATE! The spirit of respect and appreciation for diversity is heart-warming. Not
everyone is "there" yet, however, and it is our fervent prayer that the spirit
of unity will be powerful enough to overcome the spirit of division and hate.
Dear Diocesan Friends, You may have heard that a white supremacist group, the World Church
of the Creator, has petitioned and received provisional approval to demonstrate at the
Armory in Lewiston on January 11, 2003. Prayers and more For the Human Family Since hate is with us still,
Friday, January 10 Trinity, Lewiston, will have a candlelight vigil
Friday, January 10, 8-8:30 and will ring its bell from 8:25-8:30. Your bells of St. Andrew’s, Newcastle, will host a community prayer vigil at 5:30 p.m., Friday, January. 10. Brunswick will have a prayer and candlelight vigil Friday January 10, 8-8:30 p.m. at the town common. Bethel churches and Gould Academy will ring their bells at 8:25 - 8:30 p.m. on January 10. St. John's, Southwest Harbor, will hold a candlelight vigil 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. January 10, on the steps of St. John's weather permitting, otherwise, inside the church. The church bell will be rung from 8:25 to 8:30, joining bells throughout the state. St. Mark's, Waterville, will have a service of Prayer and Light on Friday evening, January 10th, from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Saturday, January 11 St. Michael's, Auburn, will be open for prayer all
day St. Ann's, Windham will have a prayer vigil on January 11
from St. George's, York Harbor, will hold a prayer vigil on January 11 from 1:00 to 3:00. Good Shepherd, Rangeley, will be open to the community for prayer on January 11 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and will ring its bells in solidarity with Lewiston at 8:25 p.m. St. Thomas', Camden, is planning an all-day Day of Prayer and Meditation on Saturday, Jan. 11. The church will be open from 6:30 a.m., with intentional prayer from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. We plan to use the Collect for the Human Family and a reading (MLK Jr. and others) at the top of each hour, and we have asked that parishioners in commit themselves, in advance, to a time slot so that there will be a continuous presence all day. St. Luke's Cathedral's Emmanuel Chapel, Portland, will be open for prayer and conversation on Saturday January 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. Taking A Stand Against Hate, Portland City Hall,
Friday, January 10, 2003, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Christ Church, Norway, will sponsor a prayer service for the community on Saturday, January 11, from noon to 1 p.m. People will have an opportunity to sign a poster, made by folks from Christ Church, to show solidarity with the people of L/A and the Somali people. We will take the signatures and poster down to the Many and One event as soon as we are done. |
return to the Diocese of Maine home page
Mainers stand firm against racism
Last November, when the Rev. Larney Otis called upon Episcopalians across Maine to saturate the City of Lewiston with prayer, she had no idea just how seriously Mainers would take her request.
Just days before, city officials gave permission to a white supremacist group, World Church of the Creator based in Peoria, Illinois, to hold a rally in Lewiston on January 11. Lewiston attracted international attention after the wide-spread reporting of an open letter written by Lewiston's mayor Laurier Raymond in October. The inflammatory letter urged the city's growing Somali community to discourage others Somalis from moving to Lewiston. He wrote that Lewiston is "maxed-out financially, physically and emotionally" and called on the Somalis to "exercise discipline." With that letter, Raymond drew the ire of the Somalis as well as many long-time Lewiston residents, church leaders, and other minority communities. He also focused the spotlight of the World Church of the Creator and other hate groups, such as the National Alliance, on the nation's whitest state.
Otis is priest-in-charge of Trinity Church, a small Episcopal congregation in the heart of the city whose Jubilee center offers much-needed services to the city's most needy residents. Almost immediately Otis and the Rev. Nancy Moore, executive director of the Trinity Jubilee Center, joined with other ethnic community and religious leaders to plan their response. Out of the initial discussions, a coalition called Many and One was born, based on the motto We are Many; We are One. At an early meeting, Moore took issue with the name of the white supremacist group. "I want to reclaim the word creator. The Creator didn't create just one color, just one kind or just one view of the world. I want to reclaim the diversity that is creation," she said. "In Lewiston, our neighbors are named Abdi, and they're named Jose. We are all a part of this community."
The Many and One Coalition emerged with a plan to hold a counter-rally in a gymnasium at Lewiston's Bates College at the same time as the hate rally was scheduled at the National Guard Armory across town. Otis, a member of the event's steering committee, through email and the diocesan website, urged Maine Episcopalians to pray for the people of Lewiston and the fearful Somali community and to hold prayer vigils in their own towns and cities. "Our hope is that the Lewiston-Auburn community becomes so saturated with prayer and peace that there is no room left for hate, fear and violence," she said.
Congregations across the Diocese of Maine took her words to heart. Plans to ring bells in solidarity with the people of Lewiston at churches across the state from 8:25 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on January 10 began to take shape. Ecumenical prayer vigils in churches and on below-freezing village commons were planned. Delegations from congregations to the Many and One rally began to arrange carpools.
On Friday evening, January 10, vigils in Lewiston, Bar Harbor, Brunswick, Newcastle, Waterville, Southwest Harbor, and other communities drew hundreds of people. On Saturday, January 11, people gathered to support the Many and One rally in Episcopal churches in neighboring Auburn, Norway, Portland, Camden, Rangeley, Falmouth, Windham, York Harbor and others. The Rev. Anne Stanley, rector of Christ Church in the western Maine town of Norway, described their ecumenical event, "We showed that Maine's outlying areas believe diversity is God-given and makes us strong. What a gathering! Jews, Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalist, Unitarians and Episcopalians. We had much laughter, tears and a tremendous sense of wanting to be together. We signed a colorful poster which we later delivered to the rally."
In Lewiston, security tightened with more than 150 police from Lewiston and neighboring towns stationed around the city and at both venues. Streets around Bates College were closed and 3,000 folding chairs in the Merrill Gymnasium were fastened together to prevent them from being used as weapons. Before the 1 p.m. start time, the gym's seating capacity of 3,200 was filled to overflowing with a celebratory crowd enjoying the music of a drumming group. Speakers included the newly elected governor John Baldacci, members of the Somali, Latino, African-American, Native American, Franco-American, gay and lesbian, Jewish, and disabled communities. State Attorney General Steven Rowe, who oversees the state's enforcement of civil rights, told the crowd his message to hate mongers, "You are wasting your time here. Your germs of hatred and bigotry will not live." Rachel Rodrigue, a granddaughter of one of the thousands of French-Canadians who came to Lewiston in the nineteenth century to work in the textile mills, challenged those gathered to remember the importance of the day, "Do you remember where you were when a small community in Maine taught the world how to live together?"
Maine Episcopalians were well-represented at the Many and One rally. Henry Male, Senior Warden of St. Ann's Church in Windham, attended the rally with his young daughter Katie and his wife Donna. "We live in a state that, for the most part, lacks diversity, so any opportunity to celebrate it should be taken. I want my daughter to learn that. Besides," he added, "I missed out on all the marches in the 1960's, so this is my chance." The Rev. Larry Estey, vicar of St. Brendan's the Navigator in the down-east fishing community of Stonington, drove three hours to attend the Many and One rally with several members of his congregation. "We wanted the island and our congregation to be represented here and to take back what we experienced," he explained.
As the rally unfolded local children recited prayers from their respective traditions and high school youth told of their positive and broadening experiences in making friends with students from other ethnic groups. The entire Maine congressional delegation attended as participants. Noticably absent was Lewiston's mayor, Laurier Raymond, who was on vacation in Florida. Hundreds of people sported stickers that read, "Where's the Mayor?" or, appropriately for the high Franco-American population in Lewiston, "Oł est Le Mayor?" Later in the day, Somali leaders gathered on the front steps of City Hall to call for his resignation.
At least 1,500 people remained outside the gym unable to gain entrance. Despite the cold January temperatures, the outside crowd transformed into an event in its own right: from atop enormous snow banks they sang civil rights-era songs and waited for the speakers from inside to come outside to deliver their speeches via blowhorn. After two and a half hours of speakers and music, thousands of Many and One ralliers marched in a three-block procession to the city Armory to raise the final cheer in support of the Somali community and the future of cultural and religious diversity in Lewiston.
Across town, at the heavily police-protected National Guard Armory, the World Church of the Creator rally was coming to a peaceful, restrained close. Of the 36 people present at the rally, housed in the culinary arts classroom of the armory, most arrived with the event's substitute speaker, Jon Fox. The group's leader, Matthew Hale, was arrested in Chicago on January 8 for soliciting the murder of a federal judge who presides over a trademark lawsuit he is involved in. Outside the armory about 450 protesters and observers gathered, both anti-racist and racist sympathizers. One man was arrested after a confrontation with a person trying to enter the building. At the event's close, police whisked those attending the rally away in police vans to their cars outside the security perimeter without the knowledge of the protesters outside the building. The crowd quietly dispersed.
At the Trinity Jubilee Center, the Rev. Nancy Moore and program staff served the regular Saturday meal and provided a haven for anyone who wanted a safe place to stay. After lunch she took a "cold, long walk" to the Many and One rally at Bates. "Several people warned me along the way that it was full, but I wanted to go and get a sense of the atmosphere. It was definitely worth it just to stand in the parking lot for a little while. People were enjoying music and drumming, talking to one another and just being together. I never made it inside the building, but I don't feel like I missed a thing," she said.
Otis, who worked tirelessly for several weeks as a member of the Many and One steering committee, said later in the day, "I am convinced that events unfolded as they did, peacefully and safely, both at Trinity, at the Many and One and at the World Church rally in large part because so many people were praying for us. Granted that Police, City officials and the Many and One Coalition worked hard to assure the success of the Rally, but the prayers coming our way, holding us in our work, sustaining us during tense and tiring moments, was palpable."
Heidi Shott is the Communications Officer for the Diocese of Maine and editor of The Northeast.
By MIKE ROBINSON
Associated Press Writer
January 8, 2003, 2:23 PM CST
Avowed white supremacist Matt Hale was arrested in Chicago by federal agents today on
charges of soliciting the murder of U.S. District Court Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow.
A member of Hale's group in 1999 went on a shooting spree that killed minorities in
Illinois and Indiana.
Hale, a 31-year-old East Peoria man, was arrested by agents of the FBI-led Joint Terrorism
Task Force as he arrived in Chicago's federal courthouse for a contempt of court hearing
in a lawsuit on trademark infringement.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald scheduled a news conference later today at the courthouse
to discuss the case.
A two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury charged Hale, the self-appointed
head of the World Church of the Creator, with attempting between Nov. 29 and Dec. 17 to
get another individual to kill Lefkow.
Lefkow has been presiding over the trademark infringement suit and on Dec. 13 issued an
order requiring Hale to show cause why he should not be held in contempt.
The indictment also charged that Hale had "by force endeavored to influence,
intimidate and impede" Lefkow from presiding over the lawsuit.
Hale was taken into custody as he passed through the metal detector at the north end of
the lobby of the skyscraper courthouse.
Witnesses said that after the arrest a number of Hale's supporters yelled protests in the
lobby. Police and agents then flooded the area.
Fitzgerald said in a statement issued by his office that "freedom of speech does not
include the freedom to solicit murder."
He said the "conduct alleged in this indictment is disturbing on many levels, but
particularly so because it targeted a judge, whose sworn duty is to apply the law equally
and fairly to all who appear before her."
In May 2000, an Oregon-based religious organization sued Hale's group, saying it had
infringed on a trademark through the use of the name "Church of the Creator."
Lefkow issued a series of rulings favorable to the Oregon group in the case.
The indictment said that Hale's World Church of the Creator has held itself out as a
religious organization "dedicated to the survival, expansion and advancement of the
white race."
In 1999, former church member Benjamin Nathaniel Smith went on a shooting spree that
targeted minorities in Illinois and Indiana, killing two people and wounding nine before
he killed himself. Killed were former Northwestern University basketball coach Ricky
Byrdsong and a member of a Korean United Methodist church.
