Mennonites gather in Washington to discuss race, public policy

Mennonite Central Committee
Saturday, 29 April 2000

WASHINGTON-- "How do you preserve equal opportunity amid shifting points of view?" Wade Henderson, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights director, asked a group gathered to discuss Anabaptist approaches to race and public policy. Henderson spoke about current challenges to affirmative action during the annual spring seminar sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. Washington Office.

More than 60 people from across the United States came to Washington, D.C., for the three-day seminar April 9 to 11. They attended workshops on topics ranging from environmental racism to criminal justice, and contributed their ideas on Anabaptist principles to guide civil rights advocacy. Speakers included Dr. Wilma Bailey, professor at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., and Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Jackson, Democrat from Illinois, challenged the group to unite behind fundamental rights, such as the right to health care and education for all persons. "I am of the opinion that the right to health care is more fundamental than the right to have a gun," he declared. But he reminded the group that we must see American history through the lens of race, which has deeply shaped the current political atmosphere.

A fiery panel discussion on affirmative action included two leading thinkers on affirmative action — George Curry, editor of Emerge magazine, and Robert Woodson, director of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. Curry argued that race and gender-based affirmative action programs are effective and necessary as long as discrimination continues to occur. Woodson contended that affirmative action is a flawed program that has helped middle and upper-class persons of color while leaving behind those with lower incomes.

Malinda Berry, a student at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries (AMBS) in Elkhart, Ind., outlined ways in which Anabaptist theology can contribute to the debate. Hannah Mikals, a high-school student from Normal, Ill., said she appreciated the chance to hear differing perspectives. "We hear mostly positive things about affirmative action – it was good to hear other points of view."

"My eyes were opened to a lot of areas that need work," said Willmar Harder, an AMBS student. Harder and other participants had the chance to put their new-found learnings into action when they visited their Congressional representatives at the conclusion of the seminar. They encouraged their representatives to support a bill that would document how often persons of color are stopped by police officers solely because of their appearance.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org