Walk This Walk To Repudiate Hate

Sat., Oct. 9, 1999

By Rebecca Nappi rebeccan@spokesman.com (509) 459-5496

Late afternoon on fall Sundays is a good time to mellow out, nap, watch movies on television, catch up on house and yard work. The week is so busy for most people, busy with family, work, church, sports, school, community activities. Weekends become sacred times of home and quiet.

So it can seem like a lot to ask people to leave their homes this Sunday afternoon and show up at 4:30 at Temple Beth Shalom, 1322 E. 30th Ave. in Spokane. And then ask them to walk two miles downhill to St. John’s Cathedral. It is a lot to ask, but maybe not.

Organizers of Sunday’s “Walk Against Hate” hope to attract women, men and children of the Inland Northwest who detest bigotry, racism and hate-sparked violence, but are so busy with full lives that they haven’t voiced this opposition much. The walk, organized by Churches Against Racism, provides the opportunity.

Judy Butler, steering committee member for the group, says: “So many people I know ask, `What can we do? How can we stop the hatred?’ Well, you write a letter, join a group and you walk with us. If the majority of us are silent, hatred grows stronger.”

Plans for the walk began as a counter event to The Aryan Nations march scheduled for Labor Day. Then Buford Furrow Jr., a man with strong Aryan Nations ties, was arrested for shooting up a Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles. Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler canceled the march and Churches Against Racism decided to do its walk anyway. The Los Angeles shootings made it even more urgent.

As the Rev. Ken Beason of St. John’s Cathedral says: “We can’t react to Butler. We need to be proactive.”

The Aryan marches attract dozens of spectators and plenty of media attention - too much, some say. The Walk Against Hatred, in contrast, is one of light and hope. It deserves - and needs - a good turnout and media attention.

So, on Sunday when the excuses begin to play in the head - I’m tired, I’m busy, I won’t make a difference anyway - ignore those excuses. Lace up your walking shoes, grab a coat, hat (and gloves if it’s chilly) and assemble at Temple Beth Shalom. There will be a ceremony at the temple, then the walk begins at 5. At 6:15, there will be a brief prayer service, with singing, at St. John’s Cathedral. You don’t have to walk back from the Cathedral because buses will be provided for the return trip.

The sound of hundreds of people walking ends the silence about hate and racism in our community. See you there.

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