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Commentary: We must rebuild on a rock of justice

Sep. 16, 2005

NOTE: A photograph of the Rev. Chester Jones and related coverage of the
hurricane response are available at http://umns.umc.org.

"To be poor in America was to be invisible, but not after this week, not
after those images of the bedraggled masses at the Superdome, convention
center and airport. No one can claim that the...orthodoxy of low taxes
and small government, which does wonders for the extremely rich, also
inevitably does wonders for the extremely poor. What was that about a
rising tide lifting all boats? What if you don't have a boat?"

- Eugene Robinson, columnist, The Washington Post, 9/09/05

A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Chester Jones*

I have been glued to the TV in recent weeks, watching the crisis in the
storm-ravaged cities of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama unfold.
Hurricane Katrina's destruction and devastation have spared few. The
pain and loss so many people are experiencing are unfathomable.

As Katrina demolished the beautiful coastline and the rising waters
covered the historic city of New Orleans, a harsh reality was exposed.
This reality was not caused entirely by the hurricane. It was, instead,
the impact racism and classism have on our society - a reality that was
present long before the high winds and rising waters.

So often, the Commission on Religion and Race staff hears questions and
comments expressing doubt about the impact of racism in today's society.
Cross burnings have become rare (though unfortunately, do still occur);
blatant racism is considered unacceptable in the public sphere; and
institutionalized segregation is illegal. Yet, after watching TV during
the past few weeks, it is impossible to deny that racism still rears its
ugly head.

As Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners, said, "Sometimes it takes a natural
disaster to reveal a social disaster."

To be sure, racism alone is not to blame for this social disaster;
poverty certainly plays a large role. But all too often, the lenses of
poverty and race overlap. The area hit by Hurricane Katrina has some of
the highest poverty levels in the country. New Orleans has a poverty
rate of 28 percent. Of that, 86 percent are black. While so many people
have been hurt by this disaster, people of color and the poor have
suffered disproportionately.

There has been much criticism of the city, state and federal governments
for their slow response in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Our
society and the church also must take some responsibility. One thing has
been made clear to all of us: there is a wide gap between the haves and
the have-nots. The tragedy of the storm left the tragedy of injustice
and inequity clearly exposed. We as a church and as a larger society
must renew our commitment to the struggles of those who are left behind
because of their race, class, age, gender or other reasons.

The ones left behind are subjected to injustice, prejudice and
oppression. They were left behind simply because they are the least of
many. And this reality must call our church to long-term action on
behalf of justice and equity.

It would be good for us to remember that when the disciples were
discussing with one another who was the greatest among them, Jesus broke
into their conversation to say: "If anyone wants to be first, that
someone must be the last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35).  For
Jesus, service, not rank or privilege, is the mark of greatness. The
service to which we are called must extend beyond racial and
socioeconomic borders.

The sorrow and exasperation of residents affected by the storm have been
immense. This sorrow has spread across the country, sparing no one. The
sorrow, anguish, and grief Jesus experienced on the cross were so severe
that Jesus' human nature cried out, "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?" (Matthew 27: 46). This same cry has been heard from the
survivors in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Many feel forsaken by God.

But it is their nation and their brothers and sisters who have forsaken
them. I have read the stories of Jamaican immigrants, working on
Mississippi's casino ships, whose visas only allow for work in the
casinos. They are stranded, stuck without enough money to get home. I
have seen the faces of poor black families, stranded in New Orleans
because they did not own a car or have enough money to evacuate. I have
heard the cry of the Hispanic baby whose family, in the country
illegally, is scared to leave home in Biloxi, Miss., to get supplies
because of the influx of law enforcement in the area. I have been told
of Native American tribal lands, where water and assistance have yet to
arrive.

The lesson that we must learn from Hurricane Katrina is the lesson given
in the Bible about the "wise man who built his house on a rock."
(Matthew 7:24). We must be wise enough to go now and rebuild cities like
New Orleans, Biloxi, Waveland, Miss., Mobile, Ala., and other places
destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and rebuild them with a just foundation.
Justice must serve as our rock.

We will rebuild these cities on strong foundations to withstand nature,
but this foundation must be provided for all residents, regardless of
their economic status or racial-ethnic identity. We have the gift of
opportunity to truly see the reality left behind in the wake of the
storm. It is a reality that does not reflect God's call for justice.

We have the opportunity now to resurrect and rebuild the walls and
levees around cities along the Gulf Coast. These levees must be strong
enough to hold back the waters of hurricanes and the waters of
injustice. This means honestly looking at the bureaucratic and
institutional racism exposed. It means ensuring evacuation plans truly
provide for everyone. Free public transportation is vital for those
fleeing in the face of emergencies.

It means economically and racially integrating our neighborhoods. We
must not allow the poor to be pushed out and made invisible in our
cities. We must ensure that everyone lives on high ground. There is much
work to be done in order that we do not forsake our brothers and sisters
again.

The diversity and complexity of these problems should strengthen our
resolve to meet the challenges we face, to break down the barriers of
race, age, language, gender and class that we have built to separate
nations, races and families from one another.

I pray to God that we will chose as a denomination to work through the
United Methodist Committee on Relief in meeting the immediate needs of
those affected, but also that we will not just meet people's immediate
needs. We must make a long-term commitment to see those who have been
invisible in our society. We must work to eliminate the racism and
classism that infest our society and its structures.

We must rebuild on the rock of justice and equity for all people.

*Jones is top staff executive of the United Methodist Commission on
Religion and Race.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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