|
|
Justice Sunday
Justice Sunday
Justice Sunday National Continuum Briefing Points
Table of Contents:
^ Return to Top
Historic Significance
- History reveals that on November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court of the United States banned
segregation on Montgomery buses as a result of a year long boycott which began December 5, 1955.
- In a speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on February 11, 1958 at Bennett College in
Greensboro, North Carolina, he stated, “. . . Never forget that the Montgomery story is not a story, it’s not
a drama with only one actor. But it’s a drama with 50,000 actors, each playing his part amazingly well. And
I hope you will never forget the humble people of that community. You hear a great deal, I imagine about
a fellow by the name of Martin Luther King. You’ll occasionally read his name, and you see his picture here
and there. But Martin Luther King would not even be mentioned in history if there had not be a Rosa Parks
and 50,000 humble people who had the courage to stand up and who said in their hearts that we’ve had
enough. . .”
- This amazing act and selfless service of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as he led the civil rights
movement symbolized the highest regard for people of all races, civic responsibility, and citizen
service.
^ Return to Top
National Leadership and Oversight
- Since 2000, the National Alliance of Faith and Justice (www.nafj-nabcj.org) founded and has
sponsored Justice Sunday as a national movement to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as
an icon for change through service.
- The commemoration serves as a campaign to mobilize meaningful volunteer acts throughout the
nation, heavily but not exclusively targeting national communities of faith.
- Each year, the Alliance (NAFJ) selects an Honorary National Committee. Among the prior officials
to lend their names and images to this cause have been: The Honorable Christopher Shays, U.S.
House of Representatives; Mr. Al Lenheart, President and CEO, National Crime Prevention Council;
The Honorable Mary Landrieu, U.S. Senate; The Honorable Barry Black, Chaplain of the U.S.
Senate; Mrs. Gwendolyn Chunn, President, American Correctional Association; Bishop Gerald O.
Glenn, Former Director of Juvenile Justice, State of Virginia; The Honorable George Nicholson,
Appellate Justice - California Court of Appeals - Third District, and more.
- Mayors from cities across the country have and continue to issue proclamations declaring the Sunday
prior to the King federal holiday as Justice Sunday. The proclamations also support the need for
programs referenced in this document and encourages citizens of the city to become responsibly
engaged.
^ Return to Top
Correlation with Faith
- Symbolizing his profession as a clergy and in respect for the Baptist tradition of worship, we chose
the Sunday before the federal holiday as a symbol of who he was and to represent the platform from
which he most often gave the charge to serve, the pulpit. From this and other variables presented
thus far, we derived the name for the movement, Justice Sunday.
- The life of Mrs. Rosa Parks was deeply embedded in her faith belief as an active member of the
African Methodist Episcopal Church.
^ Return to Top
Correlation with Service
- Reflecting upon the eulogy Dr. King suggested for his own funeral which provides the best
indications of the values he would still affirm in his life: “ . . .I want you to say that I tried to love and
serve humanity. . .” While environmental and other projects are important, it is for this reason that
we strongly believe that service which honors Dr. King, should be orchestrated in a manner which
echoes his philosophy of service to humanity and mankind.
- January is National Mentoring Month. It provides the perfect opportunity to kick-off a year of
service around mentoring and justice.
- Through the oversight of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the King federal
holiday offers the perfect opportunity around which to design an annual campaign which calls to
action and benefits the very populations Dr. King most served.
- Dr. King lived and died in the performance of service on behalf of those most vulnerable and subject
to oppression.. It is most befitting to honor him in the same manner.
- In 2005, NAFJ was selected by the Corporation for National and Community Service to serve as an
intermediary for sub-grants supporting volunteerism and community service in or around the Martin
Luther King, Jr. holiday. From 29 grantees, over 6,000 volunteers were recruited and mobilized.
To recruit 20,000 volunteers has been set as a goal for the 381-day campaign.
- Youth will be rallied to serve while learning during school/community based presentations.
^ Return to Top
Correlation with Justice
- FREEDOM COSTS . . . CRIME DOESN'T PAY. . . Using volunteers inspired annually to make a
difference by Dr. King’s and Mrs. Parks’ leadership, faith leaders and parishioners are encouraged to
use this campaign to help youth remain crime-free, develop program models for more equitable
justice, and to encourage and inspire former offenders to transform their lives.
- Justice Sunday advocates the increase of prison ministries and preventive outreach in the communities,
churches, and faith-based organizations in reentry services to prisoners and their families as a cause
for action.
- “Prisons themselves do not dissolve family bonds - but the advocation of justice without empathy.”
In her book, "All Alone in the World: Children of the Incarcerated," by journalist/activist Nell Bernstein,
she indicates one in 33 of all American kids and one in eight African-American kids currently have
a parent behind bars. One in 10 kids either have a parent in jail, on probation or on parole. A
zealous campaign to recruit volunteers around this issue is a key component of Justice Sunday.
- The Annual Justice Sunday National Continuum recruits volunteers and specialists to offer detention
reform, alternatives to incarceration, and effective reentry and aftercare programs to reduce the
disenfranchisement we experience in the system.
- To salute Mrs. Rosa Parks’ love for youth, throughout the entire 381 days, volunteers will be recruited
to answer the call to service. Support to juveniles and other youth at risk of criminal behavior (before
crime occurs) and children of incarcerated parents (mentoring) will be a priority, including mentors
for those in foster care and those cared for by grandparents or other relatives.
- Using worship bulletins, electronic messaging, website design, and sign-up forms, denominational
conference presentations and recruitment drives, the Justice Sunday National Continuum (381-day
Campaign) will also encourage volunteers to offer their time by providing conflict resolution training,
family violence intervention programs, victim impact educational classes, pre-employment preparation
training, and mentoring of offenders prior to and beyond their release.
- Through institution-based community service and volunteer programs, eligible inmates are
encouraged to commemorate Justice Sunday as a day of service.
^ Return to Top
More Material Related to Justice Sunday
|
