GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES TO END RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

Keynote speaker Donzaleigh Abernathy

In the true spirit of the United Nations, women—and men—diverse in their religion, race and politics came together on March 21 to attend Global Perspectives to End Racial Discrimination. Colorful in both garb and opinion, the hundreds of forum participants rose together to cross the "Bridge of Peace" and declare ownership over a mission to "be a peacemaker and creator of harmony in my family, community and society across our nation and around the world."

"Today I have been very impressed," remarked a participant representing the Neo-Afro American Council of Black Republicans. "There were so many things I felt good about."

Jointly sponsored by the NGO section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UN and the Women's Federation for World Peace (International and United States), Global Perspectives commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The UN created this day in 1966 to memorialize the death of 69 people who police killed during a peaceful demonstration against apartheid in Sharpeville, South Africa.

It is a common belief that racism cannot be healed, as "the wounds of racism are too deep, too awful, too painful and in reality there is no healing," said Sheri Rueter, vice-president of Women's Federation of World Peace, US. Instead, promoters of this concept believe that the most that can be done is to promote dialogue and the most achieved is tolerance.

"I'll be honest with you," said Rueter, "I really don't like the word tolerance. Inherent in the word 'tolerance' is such a limited relationship..,[Instead,] we need a paradigm shift and that paradigm shift is love."

Global Perspectives proudly presented Donzaleigh Abernathy as the keynote speaker. Accomplished actress and author, Abernathy is the youngest daughter of Rev. David Abernathy, the famed civil rights leader and close friend to Martin Luther King, Jr. Her keynote address focused on her personal experience as a unique observer to civil rights history, speaking with fervor:

"What is wrong with a world that allows racial hatred and prejudice to persist? The greatest challenge that faces us today is to learn how to live together in peace. My father used to say, 'We hate each other because we fear each other. We fear each other because we don't know each other. We don't know each other because we won't sit down at the table together.' When we embrace our differences, when we celebrate our diversity it makes us stronger."

The Women's Federation for World Peace brought together an insightful combination of panelists to the forum: Zahra Nuru, Director and Senior Advisor to the Under-Secretary and High Representative of the UN office for the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states; Rev. Lonnie McLeod, pastor of the Church of the Living Hope in East Harlem, New York and adjunct professor at the New York Theological Seminary and the Unification Theological Seminary; and Suzanne Mulcahey, school psychologist and co-director of the Northern Californian chapter of the Interracial Sisterhood Project (ISP), which promotes the Bridge of Peace program. Each panelist brought a unique perspective, inspiring forum participants to return to their communities as active peacemakers.

"My first love is the youth and hearing the words of Suzanne Mulcahey was a blessing," shared Bishop Theodosia Stevens with the Reflections of the Covenant Youth Organization. "I'm going to be working hand in hand with her to bridge the gap... [because] without the young people we don't have anything and if we can bring peace at the level of the youth, we will have more than half the battle won."

Bishop Stevens words resonated among the reflections of other forum participants; many of whom also believed that the most effective way to eliminate racial discrimination is through youth outreach.

"I know that the issue of humanity and the issue of people coming together to live together as one family of man and one family in the world is the ultimately important issue in our existence and in the future," said participant Frankie Sanders. "We also talked about the future of the next generation of people respecting the identities and dignity of other human beings; and having that start when people are younger so that they do not carry on the ugly behavior of past generations."

Two teachers from New York, who implemented a program with their students to donate funds to Uganda, took away a message:

"To forgive and find peace from within." Global Perspectives inspired them to bring the ISP youth forum to their school "to bring down the barriers between our youth."

Those who attended Global Perspectives to End Racial Discrimination came away with many messages. Indeed, some of the most important lessons are the most obvious, such as the one imparted by Abernathy:

"We cannot all be the same. God didn't choose to make us that way. God made every man, woman, animal, plant and species on the face of the earth different. If you have a problem with that, if you want everybody to be exactly the same, then you need to go back and take it up with God."