The battle against bigotry continues, panelists say

By Jenny Gamito - Florida Catholic

MIAMI SHORES | Some ways that clergy can help counter racial discrimination was the focus of a recent meeting of the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews. 

The panel discussion took place at the archdiocesan Pastoral Center as part of MCCJ's monthly gatherings. Archbishop Thomas Wenski kicked off the event by acknowledging the longstanding relationship of the archdiocese with the coalition.

"In 50 years, this community has certainly grown, and part of that growth is cooperation and understanding," the archbishop said at the meeting, which took place Sept. 17.

Pastor David Imhoff of Grace Lutheran Church called for combating bigotry via "new experiences."

�Prejudice is being down on something we are not up on,� Imhoff said. �As clergy, we must win battles one at a time. New experiences help shape people differently.�  

Historically, the civil rights movement allowed for equal rights, but there are still battles to fight, said Rabbi Solomon Schiff, himself a veteran of such battles.

"We have come a long way since the civil rights movement, but it is not enough," said Schiff, director of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation�s Community Chaplaincy Service.  

J. Fritz Bazin, from the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, noted that "the dominating culture is still the Caucasian culture, and there are a lot of blacks in it.  For the world to be better, blacks have to be part of the dominating culture."

In order to create that comprehensive and cohesive society, �Let�s try to expose the children to cultural variety as early as possible, this will decrease ignorance,� said Father Elie Saade of Our Lady of Lebanon. He recommended a "multi-cultural and multi-religion festival in all the churches."

Being able to identify oneself is the biggest challenge, Father Saade said. �People usually identify through their culture or their religious beliefs, and this can be conflicting at times. Before that, let�s identify as human beings first.�  

MCCJ was founded in 1935 as part of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, with a mission "to advance understanding and respect among all cultures, religions and races," according to Roberta Shevin, executive director. "MCCJ seeks an inclusive community in which all people are treated with dignity and respect."

She cited several activities as part of the organization's mission: "Creating safe havens for dialog, training inclusive leaders, and highlighting the benefits of diversity through education, advocacy, dialog and conflict resolution."