Christian Living

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March For Freedom
©

by

Stephen A. Peterson


I’ll never forget the day of the March For Freedom on the Bloomington campus of Indiana University in the early fall of 1968. It was a sad emotional year when civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, and, Presidential candidate, Robert Kennedy, were assassinated. The color caravan of walkers of Black, White and persons of the other socially recognized colors swelled then wound its way through the university starting at Ballantine Hall ending at Dunn Meadow located behind the Student Union Building.

The first two students in the procession carried a banner proclaiming “WE’RE ALL GOD’S PEOPLE—BLACK/WHITE/BROWN!” Students, professors waving American flags, girls sporting skirts of the American flags, guys with caps with tiny American flags sticking up, people of African descent holding the hands of people of European descent, signs announcing that we are children of God, smiling and giving the peace sign to anyone who passed by. As I watched, I was impressed with their dedication, awed that many had left their jobs, classes and did what was the unthinkable at that time in the United States—be seen holding the hand of a person of color by a white person in public or admitting to being married to an African-American woman, openly and in public, by a Euro-American man on the staff of major American university.

Then I saw her. She walked with a measured tread this Euro-American woman and held the arms of an African-American man next to her then she put out her hand to me, “Come join us!” As I looked into the face of this young Euro-American woman’s face, I realized she was blind. BLIND! I could only imagine the courage it must have taken for her to walk around the university block after block on streets she could not see with men and women she did not know or could identify who they were. When the crowd arrived at Dunn Meadows, she asked where she was and who I was. “Dunn Meadow and my name is Steve, a student here at the university” was all I said. She responded with an angelic smile that will always be remembered. She thanked me never asking me what race I was just, “Are you saved by the grace of God?” When I responded, that I am, she smiled once again opened her walking stick and went on her way.

The march lasted but a few hours but its message lingered—Godly trust! That is the real foundation of racial harmony in the United States—not this notion of tolerance that seemingly seeks to accept any all things nihilistically humanistic. Godly trust is a foundation I can lay wherever I am—in my home, when I disagree with my wife and children; in my church, when I disagree with legalism; my community, as I become involve in bridging the gap not only on the basis of race and ethnicity but also with respect to religious discrimination and any sort of injustice. It is a foundation that all may build on as well.


Prayer: Lord, help we who call ourselves people of God, work for peace among those who are racially different in these ways:

in my church:______________________________________________
in my community:___________________________________________
in our nations:______________________________________________

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