Te following was submitted to the Harrisburg Patriot-News on February 15, 2015, in response to a late January 2015 cross burning in Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania:
The recent cross-burning incident [hate crime] that occurred in Elizabethville has greatly upset a young African-American woman trying to make a new life for herself and her children. For this family, what should have been a fresh start in a welcoming community has become a rude awakening to deep-rooted prejudices.
On January 22, this woman discovered that a burning cross had been placed right outside her apartment. A burning cross is a symbol from our racist past, a bigoted and cruel past that, as a nation, we have worked for decades to move beyond. And yet, someone in our area chose to resurrect those old attitudes, reminding us that we still have work to do.
Speaking with people throughout the community, the most common response to this incident has been, ” I thought we had gotten past this sort of thing.” And yes, in some respects, we have. Laws and policies have been enacted to level the playing field for all races, creeds and genders, and colors. Laws and policies have also been enacted to impose harsh penalties when groups within our culture are specifically targeted out of hatred. Our school systems, churches and other organizations have worked hard to educate people concerning racist policies and attitudes; as well as to promote, at both the personal and the professional level, an attitude of acceptance and a goal of fair and equal treatment for all people.
This is all good, But it is clearly not enough, as the recent cross-burning incident makes clear. We can change the laws to protect people, we can impose stiff penalties when those laws are broken, and we can educate and encourage people to treat others fairly. But unless people’s hearts are changed, we will never eradicate the root causes of these acts and the attitudes that lie behind them.
Unless we stop laughing at racial jokes and slurs, people will assume it is still okay to say such things. Unless we stop turning a blind eye to unequal treatment of people based on prejudice, such inequalities will continue. And unless we teach our young people – and remind ourselves – about the atrocities once committed back in the days of legalized discrimination, we will never get past incidents such as this one.
Shame on whoever committed this despicable act in Elizabethville. And shame on anyone who secretly condones such acts, or condones the attitudes that inspire such acts.
Rev. Raymond W. Holland III, Salem United Church of Christ, Elizabethville; St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sacramento.
Rev. Thomas Bruner Jr., St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Berrysburg.
Rev. James Lewis, Trinity United Methodist Church, Elizabethville.
Rev. Nathan C. Minnich, Salem Lutheran Church, Elizabethville.
Rev. Jeffrey Wagner, St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, Lykens Township; Peace United Church of Christ, Berrysburg.
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[African American]