What Will We Do?
Pax Christi St. Louis Presents
Pax Christi
Anti-Racism Training & An Introduction to Organizing
14 March 2015
The young the old, the weak, wait no, they were all bold! Thirty-five bold St. Louisans from many different neighborhoods and parishes gathered this past Saturday to discuss how to address racism in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. The workshop “What will WE do? Anti-Racism Training and an Introduction to Organizing” was moderated by Pax Christi’s Tom Cordaro and Cathy Woodson. Participants learned about the many forms of racism including Internalized Racist Superiority and Internalized Racist Oppression. They discussed misconceptions about what is and isn’t racism and the problem with the reticence of the white majority to address white privilege. Many personal stories and family anecdotes were shared and attendees were challenged to not let this new learning end with themselves.
November 25, 2014
From Pax Christi St. Louis
To the Citizens, Police, Criminal Justice System and Political Leaders in St Louis County and Missouri:
In light of the recent Grand Jury decision, we are disappointed and saddened because of the lack of clear accountability for the taking of a young man’s life. We thoughtfully and prayerfully call for actions to end systemic racism and structural oppression, locally and nationally. The casual disregard for the lives of the poor, especially young black men, is a moral scandal. Our laws, policies and regulations must be revised so those currently disenfranchised need no longer fear injustice and the implicit threat to their lives.
Accordingly we join others in calling for full accountability any time a life is taken. Police officers in particular should be models when enforcing the law. Citizen review boards, formed to assure equality of all, should be established to provide oversight to police departments, and Quality Policing Initiatives brought forward from the community should be reviewed and implemented.
We call for a demilitarization of the police force. While we do not condone destruction of property, looting, or violent behavior of any kind, we hope that better police methods can be used, while still protecting the right to protest and the lives of all citizens.
We do not believe that police officers should be trained to ‘shoot to kill.’
And finally, we believe that police departments should represent the communities they police, both racially and geographically.
May the spirit of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr’s ‘nonviolent social change to build the beloved community’ be the central theme in how we interact with one another. And, may the Peace of Christ be paramount in our hearts.
Members of Pax Christi St. Louis
Pax Christi St. Louis is a justice and peace organization within the Roman Catholic Church committed to a spirituality of non-violence and promoting reconciliation, economic and interracial justice, and human rights.
Current Events: Ferguson, MO
Read a Reflection from our own member, John Powell, a Ferguson resident
http://paxchristiusa.org/2014/
Read about “One Ferguson’s” plan rebuild community structure in Ferguson: http://oneferguson.com/ONE_
Pax Christi StL stands in solidarity with the Don’t Shoot Coalition to demand justice for Mike Brown.
Visit the below sites to follow news, upcoming events and demonstrations:
http://fergusonoctober.com/ Upcoming weekend of demonstrations Oct. 10-13
http://www.prayingwithourfeet.org/
A prayer of Lamentation for Ferguson and racial justice: http://paxchristiusa.org/2014/09/23/prayer-lamentation-for-ferguson-mo/