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A CRY FOR UNITY

"…Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true." Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

Unity. Working together to produce a single major effect.

Galveston is an Island of diversity. This is a call to all people of Galveston and especially to the leaders of the minority community to awaken to the cause of unity. Let us work together for the peace and prosperity of all people in Galveston and of humankind.

Now that was easy to say. It was also easy to write the words. Can one be so naïve to think that it is possible? Can a person be dumb enough to believe that there are enough people in Galveston who really want to actually reach out and extend their hands?

A popular radio call-in talk show host always prefaces his response to a question, by saying, "In my opinion." It is his way of telling the callers how he would address a particular problem or situation. Sometime the callers did not want to hear his opinion, They wanted the talk show host to tell them that they were right and correct in the action taken and the other person was wrong.

Pastor Dan Erickson, First Baptist Church Chisholm, MN, wrote a paper entitled Matthew 12:22-30, "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?" He said true unity requires agreement on essential truth. Pastor Erickson also cited a verse Abraham Lincoln quoted in a speech in 1858 when he was running for the U. S. Senate against Stephen Douglas. It is one of the most famous speeches in American history. "…A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe the government cannot endure permanently, half slave and half free. I don't expect the Union to be dissolved, I don't expect the house to fall, but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other."

Unity. The state of being one.

It is important to clearly understand that a lack of unity is really a big deal.

Conflict and division get in the way of progress. When issues that affect our daily lives here in Galveston are discussed, our lack of unity tends to be very destructive, whether we are talking about the City government, the workplace or the church.

Ego. The "I " or self of any person; a thinking, a feeling, able to distinguish itself from other selves.

Egotism. Self – importance or self-image.

…"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority."..Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

Territorial disputes here in Galveston can often be observed as little lines drawn in the sand. Territory 1 belongs to A. Territory 2 belongs to B and you better not cross over into Territory 3 because that belongs to C and C has always done that.

Unity. A concord or agreement.

…"It is necessary to understand that Black Power is a cry of disappointment. The Black Power slogan did not spring full-grown from the head of some philosophical Zeus. It was born from the wounds of despair and disappointment. It is a cry of daily hurt and persistent pain." Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? 1967.

Racism. A belief consisting of hatred or intolerance of another race or races.

Racism. A word that is quickly used and stated by some people to stir up a race and to camouflage the real issues.

How quick we as a race are to stir up the people over issues that seem designed to continue to create an ongoing disturbance with no resolution in sight. We attempt to fire a cannon, but we have left the gunpowder and cannon balls at Pelican Island. The chronic complainers are people who are always complaining, always running to the media. There are some in the media that love to feast upon the few vocal chronic complainers. The newspapers love to hear from them. The stories create a lot of verbal action with little or no substance.

Issues at the Galveston City Council, Galveston Parks Board, and Wharves Board often find themselves displayed in some of the local newspapers way before the council members and board trustees have had a chance to correct or resolve the problem. However, In all due respect, some of the complaints have had some merit and warrant a resolution. But sometimes, one is not given the chance to respond, because there are some that feel chaos and discord will correct the problem.

Unity. A whole or totality as combining all of its parts into one.

Does racism exists in Galveston? Yes it does. Does racism exist in Houston and major cities? Yes, it does. Who practices racism? Is it primarily White vs. Black, Hispanic vs. White, Black vs. Hispanic, Black vs. White, Asian vs. Hispanic, Black vs. Jew? All races vs. races? We are all guilty to some extent. Are there problems affecting minorities at City Hall? Yes, there are. Are there problems affecting people at City Hall? Most certainly. Are there problems that the Park Board is not addressing that affect minorities? Yes, there are. Are there issues that the Galveston Chamber of Commerce have ignored and have not addressed regarding minority businesses? Most certainly, there are. Are there problems affecting other residents of Galveston at the Park Board? You bet ya. Are there problems between ILA labor and Port of Galveston management? Yes. Are there issues of concern that affect minorities at Moody Garden, UTMB, and American National? Surely there are some.

If all of the above are true, then how can we solve the problems? No one listens when some people are taking pot shots with the intent to stir up the races. Nothing constructive really happens. A strong united community makes things happen. This is not about territories. This is about your neighbor, a member of your congregation, a friend, a loved one.

Galveston is an Island of diversity. The issue we face together is not about power, nor is it about egos. It time we recognize that fact and move forward together.

Unity. To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Where do we go from here? I resolve in 1999 to work for unity in Galveston. I resolve to use all my skills; strength and ability to reach out and find a common bond for people wishing to address mutual issues and problems. I hold out a hand of friendship to the community and church and anyone else that desires to take a first step toward addressing these common issues together. I ask all of you to join us in working together to tackle the problems we face here in Galveston. Before casting a stone of criticism, come to the table first, and you may be surprised at what we all can do together.

…"The cornerstone of building a better life of opportunity, freedom and prosperity is the Reconstruction and Development Programme. This needs unity of purpose. It needs . . . action. It requires us all to work together to bring an end to division, an end to suspicion and build a nation united in our diversity…." Nelson Mandela Inauguration Speech, Cape Town, May 9, 1994.