HIMPower Magazine August 2015 | Page 24

Personal Empowerment Black Lives Matter How You Can Help Save a Life T here is a growing chorus that Black Lives Matter, an expression which has become the 21st Century’s rallying call for the civil rights of darker skinned people worldwide who have died in police custody. No longer is the term restricted to America. Due to the lack of accountability by authorities in Toronto (Canada) following the deaths of two men of African descent, Black Lives Matter – Toronto went a step further. They issued a number of specific demands. It remains to be seen whether their requests will be granted. Yet, it does speak to the growing frustration that has become painfully obvious about the great divide drawn by the color line. This is not to say that everyone whose skin is not of a darker hue is part of the problem. In fact, a number of our Father’s fairer skinned children have joined the fight. In Charleston (SC), whites and blacks joined hand-in-hand to bring healing to a community 24  HimPower August 2015 rocked by the slaughter of nine innocent people. The vicious act prompted the Governor, a white female, to stand firm on removal of the Confederate flag which had flown on top of the State House for over half a century in protest of desegregation. Numerous Christian organizations have also joined the fight in ways that haven’t made headlines in mainstream news media. Some have even reached across state lines to form a partnership that enabled them to have a more meaningful impact. PBS station WFYI, the SALT Project (SALT is a two-time Emmy Award winning not-for-profit project dedicated to reclaiming and sharing the beauty of Christian life through film, music, and ideas), Christian Theological Seminary (The Seminary’s historical roots are steeped in the abolitionist movement) all of Indianapolis (IN), and predominantly white, joined the Trinity United Church of Christ Chicago (The largest predominantly