A Force for Change LETTER TO THE REVOLUTION...am her and she is me. She is all of us. She is our herstory and our now. And as I watched the debates a few days later, and then the election,

July, 2020

Volume 2, Issue 7

PIKES PEAK

SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

After years of rehabilitation in

hospitals and being told that I

wouldn't survive, that my legs

would have to be amputated, that I

would be crippled for life … after

years of being told that

I COULDN'T OR I WOULDN'T,

I vowed I WOULD — and I DID.

What saved my life besides those

women that day, was my vow to use

whatever I had left to go out into

the world and spread love, peace,

and forgiveness so that something

as senseless as a joyride would never

again turn into a hate-filled killing

spree.

I now serve as a cultural

ambassador working overseas with

refugee populations in war-ravaged

and impoverished areas. Yet where

there is so much anger, exhaustion,

and despair, still a young boy or girl

can come to believe that there is

more power in learning to drum

than in learning to bomb.

I’ve dedicated my life to leading

people out of the slavery of a

captured voice and spirit and into

the freedom of their own power by

helping them learn to strengthen

their voices and shine their light on

the world no matter where they are

from, how much money they

have, the color of their skin, or

their status in their home, village,

or society.

And in all the places I have traveled

to, I have come to know fierce

collaborators of every hue and class

and have found kindred spirits

from every religion, race, and creed

by connecting with people from

that inner, authentic place. I have

seen the most beautiful places and

Amikaeyla Gaston A Force for Change LETTER TO THE REVOLUTION

Dear Mamas,

WE ARE IN AN

EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT

Yemaya Asesu, Asesu Yemaya …

Yemaya Olodo, Olodo Yemaya …

Mama Yemaya — with all of your

fierceness as the goddess of

the ocean, we ask you to be gentle

in this moment, for the women and

children here at your shore praying

for safety, for your protection, and

for your love and guidance …

because

WE ARE IN AN


This is a time when we not only can

make a difference but must make a

difference — and we must continue

to dare to hope, to be dauntless,

fierce, fearless, brave, courageous,

and bold, even when we are weary,

lost, and alone. And although I am

not that old, nor that young, I must

admit that a part of me is tired. I

have a weariness in my core, and I

think that on some level the truth is

that at our communal core, no

matter our race or gender,

socioeconomic status, or level of

privilege, WE ARE ALL TIRED

OF IT THAT OUR BASIC

RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONE

ANOTHER AND TO CARE FOR

OUR PLANET IS STILL UP FOR

SALE, UP FOR DEBATE, UP

FOR A VOTE.

We are tired of women and girls

from all over the world being

treated as ancillary beings who can

be used, abused, mistreated, and

murdered.

AND WE ARE ALL TIRED OF

BEING SICK AND TIRED.

But lucky for us,

WE ARE IN AN


Years ago, I was murdered by a hate

crime in Hart, Michigan. Five white

guys in a big white truck went on a

killing spree, running over black

women. They had hit two women

the weekend before at a reggae sun

splash, and then they found me. I

was in a field of flowers waiting to

get into the Michigan Womyn’s

Music Festival when they swerved

off the road, sped up, hit me, and

dragged me 86 feet on a gravel

road. They crushed my ribs,

punctured my lungs, damaged all of

my organs, and smashed my legs

and my collarbones. As I rolled

under the truck, I became lodged

between the wheel and the exhaust,

and my flesh began to cook. The

driver was the mayor’s son, and

when he told the cop what he and

his friends were doing, the cop told

him, “Don’t worry son — one less

nigger dyke in the world is fine with

me.”

I know this because I heard him as

my blood oozed out, my flesh

cooked, and my body began to die.

My spirit left my flesh, and I would

have completed my journey had it

not been for the community of

heroes around me. The women

who lifted the van off of me — the

women who ran to call the

ambulance when the cop didn't —

the women who kept shouting for

me to say my name and remember

that I was there and still alive. They

were my heroes that day, and I am

eternally grateful for them.

Inside this issue:

Amikaeyla Gaston

LETTER TO THE

REVOLUTION

2

Amikaeyla Gaston

LETTER TO THE

REVOLUTION

2

Message from

President Allen

3

Poetry 4

M4BL 5

Food for Thought 6

Films We Should See 7

You are Your

Choices

8

Say Their Names 9

Reflecting Back,

Looking Forward

10

President Obama’s

Task Force

11

Books We Should

Read

12

Peacefully Protest …

NOW

13

SCLC Wyoming 14

Message from

President Allen

(cont’d)

15

The Back Page 16

News & History

sclc PIKES PEAK

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Amikaeyla Gaston LETTER TO THE REVOLUTION

bent doesn't matter because sexism

is alive and well and the oldest -ism

we know. We women face it every

day, and despite how it wears us

out, this struggle for equality, I

remember that my grandmothers

and great-grandmothers had to face

sexism and racism while standing

strong and powerful and yet they

carried on — and I am their legacy.

You are the legacy of your ancestors

— their hard work, their knowledge,

their survival spirit. So you owe it

not only to yourself to live a long

and powerful life, you owe it also to

them.

WE ARE IN AN


This is a time when we need to

muster all our strength, gather our

community, and call on all our

ancestors. We are in a time that

demands we ask the medicine from

the plant spirits, animal spirits, and

all elemental nature spirits, orishas,

devas, or whatever name you wish

to call the celestial beings that

surround us. We all must come

forth and stand in witness and in

action to our powerful present —

our NOW — and empower one

another.

For this is the time to be seen, be

heard, and make a difference.

Love,

Amikaeyla

met the most beautiful people —

beautiful because of their resilience

and the transformative power of

spirit in the face of tragedy. When

you bear witness to a young girl

realizing that she has a right to her

voice and embracing her fabulous,

brilliant self with strength, renewed

will, and determination — it stops

you cold and renews your belief in a

higher calling and mission and

renews your own commitment to

being a part of that change.

It is time to be seen, be heard, and

make a difference.

I recently went home to

Washington, DC, a masala of north

and south, homegrown and

transient, powerful and

impoverished, descendants of the

indigenous and the slave. I went to

commemorate the opening of the

beautiful National Museum of

African American History and

Culture, to be a part of the

festivities with family and friends

who had come from near and far,

and to remember …

(By and by when the morning comes …)

Remember not only my ancestors,

and what they went through when

they were brought, chained in

boats, across the Atlantic and

bought and sold as chattel by others

who viewed them as animals, as

product, as disposable …

(My sweet mama will carry me

home …)

But remember, too, how our

country came to be and what this

society is founded on and rooted

in: thievery, larceny, murder, rape,

and misogyny …

(She will tell me the story of how we

overcome …)

And remember also how we

survived and thrived and continue

to live and give and share and care

and be daughters, mothers,

grandmothers, great-grandmothers

of the earth, salt, soil, sand, sea,

dusk, and dawn …

(And we'll understand it better by and

by …)

And as I stood in front of

Harriet Tubman’s shawl and hym-

nal and wept, I remembered these

things: her words of courage, her

intrepid spirit, the fact that she ran

by moonlight through the trees, felt

the moss and lichen to determine

the right direction, ate plants from

the earth to keep her strength,

drank from the streams, and swam

across rivers to make it to freedom.

She was brilliant and bold, dynamic

and dauntless …

(And we'll understand it better by and

by … )

I wept because I remembered that I

am her and she is me. She is all of

us. She is our herstory and our

now.

And as I watched the debates a few

days later, and then the election, I

remembered that your political

Page 2

female

“there is an

amazon in us.

she is the secret we

do not have to

learn.

the strength that

opens us beyond

ourselves.

birth is our

birthright.

we smile our

mysterious smile.”

—Lucille Clifton

June 27, 1936 to

February 13, 2010

Continued from the Front Page

NEWS & HISTORY

A Message From Our President, Mr. Henry Allen PRESIDENT OF PIKES PEAK SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

On December1, 1955, 42-year-

old Rosa Parks was arrested in

Montgomery, Alabama for

refusing to give up her seat to a

white man. As word of her

arrest ignited outrage and

support, Ms. Parks unwittingly

became the “mother of the

modern day civil rights

movement.” Black community

leaders formed the

Montgomery Improvement

Association (MIA), later named

the Southern Christian

Leadership Conference (SCLC)

led by Baptist minister Martin

Luther King, Jr., the role that

placed him front and center of

the fight for civil rights.

Arguably one of the most

famous event of the civil rights

movement took place on

August 28, 1963 - the March on

Washington. More than 200,00

people of all races congregated

in Washington, D.C. for the

peaceful march with the main

purpose of forcing civil rights

legislation and establishing job

equality for everyone. The

highlight of the march was Dr.

King’s speech in which he

continually stated, “I Have A

Dream.”

So I answer those questions in

the spirit of Dr. King’s vision

with that speech. I admit, we as

a people have made significant

gains in obtaining equal rights

but we as a people have yet to

reach the full potential of what

this country has to offer.

Dear Members and Friends of

the Pikes Peak Southern

Christian Leadership

Conference,

For the past several weeks, I

have been asked about the

position of the organization on

events occurring in our

community and across the

nation regarding the death of

Mr. George Floyd and the

abusive of power by law

enforcement against black

men.

My initial response is we will

follow the guidance of the

National Headquarter of the

Southern Christian Leadership

Conference but we as a

chapter are encouraged to be

deeply involved in the civil

rights and social justice matters

pertaining to our local

community. I can proudly

announce this chapter has

been and still is involved in our

community, advocating for all

people but especially for

people of color since its

inception six years ago.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

once wrote, “We may have all

come on different ships, but we

are in the same boat now.” The

PPSCLC has no disillusions

and we understand the civil

rights struggle is just as real

today as it was in the days of

Reconstruction, but we also

realize civil rights is not only a

Black issue but also a

White, Brown, Yellow and Red

human issue. We look at this

struggle as a human issue,

fighting for the soul of this

Nation.

Our nation began this struggle

back during the Reconstruction

era. This era ended the

remnants of the Confederate

session and abolished slavery,

making the newly freed slaves

citizens. Civil rights was

ostensibly guaranteed by the

three new constitutional

amendments.

In 1868, the 14th Amendment

to the constitution gave Black

Americans equal protection

under the law.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment

granted Black Americans the

right to vote. but many white

Americans, especially those in

the South, were unhappy that

people they once enslaved

were now on a more-or-less

equal playing field.

In 1909, the oldest and most

recognized civil rights

organization in these United

States, the National

Association for the

Advancement of Colored

People (NAACP), was founded

by a group of White and Black

men and women. These

founders included Mary White

Ovington, Ida B. Wells, W.E,B.

Du Bois and William English

Walling.

Page 3 NEWS & HISTORY

Blacks has made substantial

social and economic progress,

gaining political rights that long

had been denied to them,

entering professions from

which they had been blocked

and largely overcoming

centuries of overt racism.

However, these very visible

signs of improvement mask

deep inequities that relegate

tens of millions of Black Ameri-

cans to second-class status,

with far fewer opportunities to

achieve good health, political

influence, prosperity and

security.

The Majority of Americans fail

to recognize the magnitude of

these problems. A recent 2019

study found that over 97% of

respondents vastly

underestimated the huge gap

between the median wealth

Continued on Page 15

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) LET AMERICA BE AMERICA AGAIN

And all the songs we’ve sung And all the hopes we’ve held And all the flags we’ve hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay - Except the dream that’s almost dead today. O’ let America be America again The land that never has been yet And yet must be—the land where every man is free. The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose - The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives, We must take back our land again, America! O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath - America will be! Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain - All, all the stretch of these green states - And make America again!

Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed - Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It was never America to me.) O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There’s never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.“) Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars? I am the poor, white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek - And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak. I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain

Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one’s own greed! I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean - Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today—O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years. Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That’s made America the land it has become. O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home - For I'm the one who left dark Ireland’s shore, And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa’s strand I cam To build a “homeland of the free.” The free? Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we’ve dreamed

Page 4

I, Too, Hear

America Singing

“I too, hear America

singing

But from where I

stand

I can only hear Little

Richard

And Fats Domino.

But sometimes

I hear Ray Charles

Drowning in his own

tears

or Bird

Relaxing at Camarillo

Or Horace Silver

doodling,

Then I don't mind

standing a little

longer.

— Julian Bond

NEWS & HISTORY


COMMUNITY CONTROL

We demand a world where those most impacted in our communities control the laws,

institutions, and policies that are meant to serve us—from our schools to our local budg-

ets, economies, police departments, and our land—while recognizing that the rights and

histories and our indigenous family must also be respect.

This includes:

1. Direct democratic community control of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, ensuring

that communities most harmed by destructive policing have the power to hire and fire officers, de-

termine disciplinary action, control budgets and policies, and subpoena relevant agency information.

2. An end to the privatization of education and real community control by parents, students and com-

munity members of schools including democratic school boards and community control of curricu-

lum, hiring, firing, and discipline policies.

3. Participatory budgeting at the local, state and federal level.

This information reprinted from Movement for Black Lives and can be found at https://m4bl.org/

“Now is the time to make justice a reality

for all of God's children. It would be fatal

for the nation to overlook the urgency of

the moment. This sweltering summer of

the Negro's legitimate discontent will not

pass until there is an invigorating autumn

of freedom and equality -1963 is not an

end but a beginning. Those who hope that

the Negro needed to blow off steam and

will now be content will have a rude

awakening if the nation returns to

business as usual.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Excerpt from I Have A Dream Speech

https://m4bl.org/



This film asks America to talk about the causes and consequences of systemic inequity. Designed for dialogue, the film works to disentangle internal beliefs, attitudes and pre-judgments within, and it builds skills to address the structural drivers of social and economic inequities.

PLEASE JOIN US

TO SEE THIS

GROUNDBREAKING

FILM AND ENGAGE

IN THE DISCUSSION

ADMISSION FREE

HOW TO ACCESS THIS PROGRAM:

CLICK ON THIS LINK (OR TYPE INTO YOUR BROWSER)

AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86887651121

JULY 4TH AND JULY 11TH (11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM)

FILMS WE SHOULD SEE

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86887651121


1. I have the privilege of having a

positive relationship with the

police (generally).

2. I have the privilege of being

favored by school authorities.

3. I have the privilege of attending

segregated schools of affluence.

4. I have the privilege of learning

about my race in school.

5. I have the privilege of finding

children’s books that

overwhelmingly represent my

race.

6. I have the privilege of soaking

in media blatantly biased

toward my race.

7. I have the privilege of escaping

violent stereotypes associated

with my race.

8. I have the privilege of playing

the “colorblind” card, wiping

the slate clean of centuries of

racism.

9. I have the privilege of being

insulated from the daily toll of

racism.

10. I have the privilege of living

ignorant of the dire state of

racism today.

“The irony of

American history

is the tendency of

good white

Americans to

presume racial

innocence.

Ignorance of how

we are shaped

racially is the first

sign of privilege.

In other words:

It is a privilege

to ignore the

consequences

of race in

America.”

Tim Wise

10 WAYS YOU MIGHT HAVE WHITE PRIVILEGE


SAY THEIR NAMES

BLM in ASL


and hundreds of prosperous businesses, all owned and operated by black Tulsans and patronized by both whites and blacks.

One of the most prominent entrepreneurs was Lola T. Williams who

owned The Dreamland Theatre and a small chain across Oklahoma. The theater seated close to 1,000 people for live musicals, films and more. This was only one of four theaters in the area. Not too far from Mrs. Williams’ theater was the Stradford Hotel on Greenwood Avenue. Owned by J.B. Stradford, it was one of the largest and most successful black-owned hotels at the time. Prior to opening the hotel, Stratford bought large tracts of land in Tulsa and sold them exclusively to blacks, subscribing to the belief that they had the best chance at economic success by pooling their resources and supporting one another’s businesses.

Greenwood flourished and became a symbol of black wealth, pride, and unity. At its height, the business center boasted

of various grocery stores, nightclubs, drug stores, churches, funeral homes, restaurants, banks, hotels, and the likes. The community was completely self-sufficient and became the home of many black multimillionaire entrepreneurs. With this growth and

success came envy from white Tulsans. Many of the businesses in Greenwood (which they referred to as “Little Africa”) were more prosperous than those in the white community. Racial and economic tensions soon came to a boil in May of 1921.

On May 30th, Dick Rowland, a 19-year-old shoe shiner at a Main Street parlor took the elevator at nearby building to use the restroom. At the time, the white elevator operator on duty was 17-year-old Sarah Page. What happened while the two were in the elevator remains unclear, yet it resulted in Page accusing Rowland of sexual assault. Although she never pressed charges, the damage was done. The story made the front page of the Tulsa Tribune with the headline “Nab Negro for attacking girl in elevator”, while rumors began circulating that a white lynch mob was searching for Rowland.

June 1st, 1921 will forever be remembered as a day of great loss and devastation. It was on this day that America experienced the deadliest race riot in the small town of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ninety-four years later, that neighborhood is still recognized as one of the most prosperous African American towns to date. With hundreds of successful black-owned businesses lining Greenwood Avenue, it became a standard that African Americans are still trying to rebuild. The attack that took place in 1921 tore the community apart, claiming hundreds of lives and sending the once prosperous neighborhood up in smoke.

In the early 1900s, Tulsa, Oklahoma experienced a major oil boom, attracting thousands. Many African Americans migrated from southern states hoping to escape the harsh racial tensions while profiting off of the oil industry. Yet even in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jim Crow laws were at large, causing the town to be vastly segregated with most African Americans settling in the northern section of the town. From that segregation grew a black entrepreneurial mecca that would affectionately be called “Black Wall Street”. The town was established in 1906 by entrepreneur O.W. Gurley, and by 1921 there were over 11,000 residents

From https://officialblackwallstreet.com/

Continued on Page 11

https://officialblackwallstreet.com/


The incident further divided the town with one side believing Rowland raped Page and the other holding on to the belief that he simply tripped as he got onto the elevator and grabbed onto Page’s arm as he tried to catch his balance. Hundreds began to gather outside of the county jail that held Rowland. First, a group of armed whites, followed by a group of armed black men fearful of Rowland’s safety and determined to protect him.

What ensued was one of the most devastating riots in American history. An event that can only be characterized as terrorism. Before dawn, a mob of angry white men stormed into Greenwood armed with guns, some provided by local officers who also participated in the riot. Hundreds of businesses and homes were ransacked and set afire. Black men, some who served in World War I, rallied together and armed themselves, ready to fight for their families and community. Whites indiscriminately shot and killed men, women, and children on foot and by car. As the number of casualties on both sides escalated, airplanes used in World War I were dispatched, firing rifles at residents and dropping fire bombs on the black community.

Outnumbered and outgunned, the riot grew worse for black Tulsans. Countless families began to flee after being trapped between rampant flames and gunfire. By the end of the attack, close to 300 blacks were murdered, while many others were left injured, homeless and held in internment camps by local law enforcement. By 1942, remaining black Tulsans rebuilt Greenwood without any assistance from the state and saw a resurgence of over 240 businesses.

Continued from Page 10

BLACK WALL STREET

MASSACRE

ANGUISH AND ACTION The Team with President Obama works to help leaders change their world—and the world needs changing. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the loss of far too many Black lives to list, have left our nation anguished and outraged. While now is a time for grief and anger, it is also a time for resolve. Find resources at www.obama.org to learn what you can do to create a more just and equitable world.

GET INFORMED! LEARN ABOUT POLICE VIOLENCE

AND ANTIRACISM IN AMERICA.

Trust between law enforcement agencies and the

people they protect and serve is essential in a

democracy. It is key to the stability of our

communities, the integrity of our criminal justice

system, and the safe and effective delivery of

policing services. In light of recent events that

have exposed rifts in the relationships between

local police and the communities they protect and

serve, on December 18, 2014, President Barack

Obama signed an executive order establishing the

Task Force on 21st Century Policing. The President

charged the task force with identifying best

practices and offering recommendations on how

policing practices can promote effective crime

reduction while building public trust.

Task Force Recommendations with Action Items

THE SIX PILLARS

Building Trust & Legitimacy

Policy & Oversight

Technology & Social Media

Community Policing & Crime Reduction

Training & Education

Officer Wellness & Safety

1. Broken Windows Policing

2. Community Oversight

3. Limit Use of Force

4. Independent Investigations &

Prosecutions

5. Community Representations

6. Body Worn Cameras (BWCs)

7. Training

8. End For-Profit Policing

9. Demilitarization

10. Fair Police Union Contracts

Look for Pikes Peak SCLC’s 2020 Justice Manifesto to be released soon:


HUMANISTIC APPROACHES TO MULTICULTURALISM AND DIVERSITY Perspectives on Existence and Difference Edited by Louis Hoffman, Heatherlyn Cleare-Hoffman, Nathaniel Granger, Jr., and David St. John Providing an overview of essential topics in multicultural psychology, Humanistic Approaches to Multiculturalism and Diversity focuses on the intersection of humanistic psychology and multiculturalism, including history, theory, research, and practice.

The authors examine the unique contributions of humanistic psychology to multicultural psychology on topics often ignored, such as cultural empathy and indigenous psychology and diversity. The book critiques and rectifies previous failures to adequately engage multicultural issues by providing methods for integrating multicultural psychology and humanistic therapy. Readers will find that each chapter advances scholarship through a dialogue with multicultural perspectives and builds a foundation for future scholarship and clinical practice.

BOOKS WE SHOULD READ

Nathaniel Granger, Jr., PsyD is a past president of the

Society for Humanistic Psychology (APA Division 32)

and the recipient of the Hari Camari Early Career

Award. He is an adjunct professor at Saybrook

University and the Chief of Staff of Pikes Peak

Southern Christian

Leadership Conference.

Dr. Granger is also the

founder and director of

Be REAL Ministries,

Inc., where he serves

the community by

working closely with

marginalized groups as

a pastor and registered

psychotherapist.

“The celebration of difference and diversity is at the very core of a

humanistic ethic; yet humanistic psychology itself, has been

woefully inadequate in addressing issues of multiculturalism,

racism, and the dehumanization of minority groups. The value of

this book, therefore, is immense: taking our field right to the

forefront of current debates and dialogues on these issues.”

Mick Cooper University of Roehampton, UK Author of Existential Therapies

Book Review

Humanism: an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather

than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and

goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational

ways of solving human problems.

Multiculturalism: the presence of, or support for the presence of, several distinct cultural

or ethnic groups within a society.

Diversity: the inclusion of different types of people (such as people of different races or

cultures) in a group or organization


PEACEFULLY PROTEST NOW!


SCLC WYOMING

On behalf of the Pikes Peak Southern Christian Leadership Conference, our President, Mr. Henry Allen, the Board of Directors and our Members, we welcome the new SCLC Chapter in Casper, Wyoming! You have joined a supportive and active professional community dedicated to educating our youth and adults in the areas of personal responsibility, potential, and community service, to ensuring economic justice and civil rights and to eradicating racism wherever it exists .

Former Casper NAACP chapter president Jimmy Simmons will head [the new SCLC Chapter]. "It's a big move," he said in a phone interview. Simmons said the civil rights organization's expansion west is a needed move as racially motivated crimes continue to happen and increase across the country. The Wyoming Chapter of the SCLC will work with victims of racism throughout the state.

“Unfortunately, racism has not gone away in the American West, though it's not easily brought to light,” Simmons said. He added the SCLC's presence in Wyoming will help change that. Simmons has been in the West for nearly five decades and in that time he has worked on civil rights and hate crime cases throughout the region. In 2003, Simmons said he worked on hanging in Riverton. He has also taken part in a segregated water fountain case in Colorado in 2006. "In 2006 you have a segregated water fountain?" Simmons said. "That's ridiculous." In the coming weeks, staffers for the organization will be hired. Simmons said the SCLC is looking at opening an additional office in Wyoming, though it hasn't been decided where.

By ZACH SPADT K2 RADIO

February 26, 2020


held by Black families (17,000)

and White families ($171,000)

a ratio of 10 to one.

Respondents estimated the

gap to be 80 percentage points

smaller than the actual divide.

We still face an overcrowded

prison population. The

American system incarcerates

more people than any other

country in the world. Currently,

there are over 2 million people

in prisons, jails, and detention

centers. This number

represents 25% of all inmates

in the world even through the

US population makes up only

5% of the global population.

According to the Center of

Disease Control (CDC),

between 2007 and 2010, more

than 35 percent of the death by

abortion in the United States

happened to black babies,

despite the fact that blacks

represent only 12.8% percent

of the population. Conversely,

non-Hispanic whites, who

make up 63.7% of America’s

population, account for only

37.7% of all U.S. abortions.

Whatever the intent of

abortions practitioners, by

functional standard, abortion is

a racist institution in the United

States, with black children

aborted at nearly four times the

rate of white children.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics

“Employment Situation” data

for April appeared to contain

nothing but good news.

Unemployment dropped to the

lowest level since December

1969, as it fell to 3.6%. Jobs

added in the month totaled

263,000.

Notably, however, the jobs

situation for black Americans

remains substantially worse

than that of almost any other

group.

The unemployment rate for

black Americans was 6.7% in

April. That puts it 86% above

the national rate for all adults.

Other comparisons are worse.

The rate for black Americans

was 116% higher than for

whites in April and 204% higher

than for Asians. Of the major

categories the BLS measures,

only one group has a worse

rate, which was teenagers at

13%.

The Census puts the black

population at 13.5% of

Americans as of July 2017

newsletter.

As we watch the marchers

filling the streets of this nation

by folks of all color, demanding

Police reform, let us not forget

or be distracted as members

and friends of the Pikes Peak

Southern Christian Leadership

Conference that yes, police

reform is much needed but we

must not allow this one issue

define the civil rights struggle

for this struggle is about much

more - it includes Social Jus-

tice, Education, Employment,

Fair Housing, and the well

being of our children. NO, we

cannot nor will we allow one

single issue to define this

historic movement.

President Henry Allen

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

603 S. El Paso Street

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903

Phone: (719) 368-6423

Email: [email protected]

www.pikespeaksclc.org

PIKES PEAK

SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

OUR MISSION

In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is renewing its commitment to bring about the promise of “one nation, under God, indivisible” together with the commitment to activate the “strength to love” within the community of humankind.

OUR FOCUS

SCLC’s focus is to educate youth and adults in the areas of personal responsibility, leadership potential, and community ser-vice; to ensure economic justice and civil rights and to eradicate racism wherever it exists.

their respective communities

to implement national

programs (such as voter

registration, improvement of

education and direct action

against any form of injustice

or inequitable treatment) and

stand as an advocate for those

on the margins of society.

The Southern Christian Leader-

ship Conference is a nonprof-it, non-sectarian, inter-faith,

advocacy organization that is

committed to nonviolent action

to achieve social, economic, and political justice.

The Southern Christian

Leader sh ip Con ference

consists of localized chapters

and affiliates that are located

throughout the country. The

S o u t h e r n C h r i s t i a n

Leader sh ip Con ference

chapters and affiliates support

the organization by working in

THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

SOUTHERN CHRIS-

TIAN LEADERSHIP

CONFERENCE

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do

that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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A Force for Change LETTER TO THE REVOLUTION...am her and she is me. She is all of us. She is our herstory and our now. And as I watched the debates a few days later, and then the election,