Blessed Are The Peace Makers -
Post Vigil Reflections by Khaleelah Muhammad, J.D.,
Neighborhood Recovery Initiative Project Manager for the Auburn Gresham Community in Chicago

Elder Bernice King Addresses Congregants at St. Sabina

On Sunday, January 8, 2012, at the Faith Community of St. Sabina, a Catholic parish on the south side of Chicago, Elder Bernice A. King, the youngest daughter of the late Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered to an interfaith audiencean empowering and impactful message of nonviolence, “Exchange your piece for His peace.”  More than twelve hundred congregants and guests filled the room.

Father Michael Pfleger, the Pastor of St. Sabina, acknowledged in his introduction of Elder King, “I am a priest today because of what Dr. King and what he deposited in my life in 1966.” Father Pfleger had asked Elder Bernice King to focus her message on a call to nonviolence.  But it is clear that no one anticipated the more than memorable direction that Elder King’s message took and that we all were left the better for it.

Elder King delivered her sermon from the New King’s Version Chapters Matthew 5:9, which reads, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God”; John 14:27, which reads “Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid”; and Romans 8:19, which reads “For the honest expectation of the creature, eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God,”

Focusing on a call of nonviolence, Elder King stressed the need to “Exchange your P-I-E-C-E for His (referring to Christ) PEACE.”  Noting how we almost always want to give someone a piece of our mind,  Elder King cited two of the most dangerous weapons in the world as “our tongue and weapons we call guns, knives and other things. Those are our piece, but if we are going to have true peace in the world, P-E-A-C-E,and non-violence is going to be our way, then we have to exchange, give up, trade-in, your piece for His peace,” she said referring to Jesus Christ.

Elder King highlighted the need for a paradigm shift from peace- (& piece-) keeping to peace-making. “In too many instances when we’re talking about peace, we’re talking about peace keepers. We’re talking about trying to do something to temporarily quiet things down. We’re talking… about trying to get people to just cool out for a period of time, but I don’t know about you but at some point my cooling off is going to wear out and I will be right back to where I was to give you my piece.

“It’s got to be a little bit more than just keeping the peace,” she said. “Keeping the peace many times is indicative of people who don’t want any trouble. They don’t want to get down and dirty with a situation. They want to be cute and proper, clean, cool… but if you are a peacemaker you have to go through a process of confronting some ugly things. Dr. King was a peacemaker.”

This photo demonstrates the magnitude of the altar call that Elder Bernice King made to congregants, each one rededicating themselves to the struggle to be peacemakers.

Referring to peacemaking, Elder King stated that it is difficult to make peace if one does not have an understanding that true peace really comes by being at peace with the ultimate Peacemaker. “Jesus was a transformer and he was a revolutionary transformer. He was an ultimate peacemaker…You have to first have peace with God before you can even begin to be a peacemaker. You can’t give something that you do not have; so if you don’t have peace with God who is the ultimate Peacemaker, then it’s going to be impossible for you to be a vessel for peace.”

Elder King cautioned, “Peace with God is essential if we’re going to bring peace into our streets; It takes an individual who has come to an end of themselves to be that kind of weapon, that kind of vessel.” “…The world we live in today will not change until the people of God get in line, give up your piece, your prerogative, your desire and surrender to His peace, His prerogative and His desire. Nothing else will change and transform lives.”

“It’s good to gather in our houses of worship all around this nation, but at the end of the day, I think God is grieved when we just gather in these settings and nothing takes place to move out into the streets and the highways, the byways and the crevices and in the cracks to bring about change and transformation in peoples lives.”

“Nonviolence is in the tradition of peacemaking. It means you are not afraid to go into a war zone. You’re not afraid to go in a zone of conflict and violence. You’re not afraid to confront some ugly things and some dangerous and difficult things. It means you don’t buy into the notion that I can’t snitch on nobody.

Elder King distinguished that when you can’t snitch on anyone, “you’re just a peacekeeper, but a peacemaker has to speak up, has to stand up, has to say something, can’t be quiet and is willing to lay down their life for the cause. That’s a peacemaker. That’s not a peacekeeper.”

Elder King observed that a peacemaker is a person is not afraid of controversy or of challenges. “To be a true authentic, real what you call Christian (that) I call son of God and a citizen of the Kingdom of God, then you can’t be afraid to stand up, to speak up, to risk your life to go into some dark and dirty and difficult and hard places and be willing to risk the loss of some things. Our young people deserve it. The next generation is waiting for some people of God who’re willing to pay the cost of discipleship because it’s a discipline. Nonviolence is a discipline.”

“This is a call for peacemakers. This ain’t for peacekeepers. This ain’t for wimpy…weak, scary, intimidated folks. This is for folks who are not afraid to stand up when it is not popular, who are not afraid to speak up even though people may try to shut you down. These are for people who don’t care what they say about you because you know who you are in the Lord. This is not for people who run away from conflict, controversy and persecution.  Our children need us to put our lives on the line, to put our reputations on the line….”

Reflecting on her father’s statements, Elder King said, “true peace is not merely the absence of tension, it’s the presence of justice. Until there is justice, we’re not going to have peace…. People have to treated justly. Conditions have to be right. We have to deal with the wealth disparities in our nation today…Violence is only the voice of the unheard, and we’ve created a system that has locked too many people out. We’ve got to come together, band together, people of God. We’ve got to be willing to go into the center of this storm and this crisis because it’s about to pop,” she warned.

Igniting the audience, Elder King said, “When we show up in the streets of Chicago starting from this day forward, you show up as a king under the King of kings with the authority to release His peace in the land and call everybody who is out of order to come into order, but if you don’t have yourself in order for the ultimate King, then you will not be able to be effective in this way.”

She urged congregants to “stand in that authority and move in your kingship and begin to work to reclaim Chicago as the Kingdom of God. This will be a beloved community…because today some people decide to make a decision to lay down their life and to be a warrior of the kingdom.”

With a powerful message such as this, it is no wonder why congregants filed up from every direction, to answer the altar call.

Early on in her message, King acknowledged the presence of the Violence Interrupters, Senator Jacqueline Collins, the members of the Nation of Islam who were present and Ondelee Perteet who in September of 2009 at the age of 14 had plans of attending Orr Academy but instead was shot at a party leaving him paralyzed. He was there with his mother, Detreena Perteet. Father Pfleger presented them with a “Blue Heart Award.” (Click Here for VIDEO of the Award presentation)

National Council of Jewish Women, Cleveland Section hosted a candlelight vigil at 4:00 p.m. at Beachwood City Park on Sunday, January 8. We were delighted to have 40 people join us on a brisk afternoon. A local mayor, Mayor Earl Leiken of Shaker Heights (a MAIG member) joined us along with Toby Hoover of the Ohio Coalition to Against Gun Violence and her husband, Ed. NCJW president Judy Eigenfeld spoke movingly about those we’ve lost and the need for Americans to come together to keep all safe from gun violence. Susan Reis, the co-chair of the NCJW Committee to Stop Gun Violence spoke about why it is so easy for people like Jared Loughner to get guns that harm and kill others.

Three local television stations sent cameras and reporters, as well as a local weekly newspaper, which did an outstanding article about the vigil. Judy Eigenfeld and I also appeared on a local morning television program the morning of the event.

We were proud to have been able to bring so many people together, and to get the word out via local media. We are discussing making the vigil a yearly event.

Photo by Marc Golub

Click Here to read a news article on the vigil by Arlene Fine/Cleveland Jewish News

Friends of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort gathered at Saint Martin De
Porres Church in Milwaukee on January 8th to remember loved ones lost
to gun violence. We lit 86 candles representing the average number of
people lost to gun violence in the United States every day. Faith
leaders and local elected officials offered words of inspiration and
reflection. Sadly, the vigil came at a very appropriate time, as our
city experienced several tragic shootings in the first few days of the new year.

On display was a large card signed by more than 300 people from every
corner of the state, offering messages of love and support.

65 people braved the January weather and showed up outside the historic Courthouse in West Chester to participate in our vigil. At first, I spoke for about ten minutes, then opened up the mic for others. 12 people spoke about their personal experiences with gun violence, and it was very moving and disquieting. Rev. Ralph Mero of the Unitarian Fellowship of West Chester gave an ending prayer. People were so affected that they stayed and didn’t move for 5 minutes after all the speakers finished, then some broke out in a hymn. It ended up being a beautiful event.

We had 25 people at our vigil in front of the Old Kennett Meeting House on Route 1 in Kennett Square, PA. We were all residents at Kendal at Longwood, a retirement community adjacent to the meeting house. We had a lot of appreciative honks and waves, and the traffic was pretty good because we are just a mile from Longwood Gardens and many were heading there to see the lights. I’m glad they saw our lights first.

About 50 people attended the vigil in Sacramento, which was co-hosted by the Sacramento Valley/Nevada County Brady Campaign Chapters, the Lutheran Office of Public Policy, Physicians for Social Responsibility/Sacramento, the Friends Committee on Legislation of California, and Rev. Alan Jones of St. Mark’s Church. Those present were honored and pleased to be joined by Congresswoman Doris Matsui, Senator Darrell Steinberg, and Assembly Member Roger Dickinson.

Supporters gathered on the steps of St. John’s Lutheran Church, where the music, flowers, and candlelight at dusk provided a perfect setting. Signs bore the names of victims of gun violence inside a heart. The elected officials spoke of the enormous tragedy of gun violence and their commitment to prevention.

The church bell tolled as the names of victims were read – first from Tucson, then from Seal Beach, Cupertino, and Los Angeles, and finally, from Stockton in 1989. The names of more victims were said – a brother and a son lost by suicide, a daughter by homicide, two men by homicide, a friend…there are too many victims. It was a solemn, beautiful, and moving event.

Then, walking two by two, a short memorial procession to California’s Capitol Park was followed by a candlelight vigil. In silence, people stood together in witness to the tragedy of gun violence and their resolve to prevent it. Passersby expressed support. All were heartened by the thought of candlelight vigils around the country. May their collective light lead America from the darkness of gun violence.

Former Duluth Deputy Police Chief John Beyer rang the bell in memory of Officer Shawn Schneider of Lake City, whose funeral was held last weekend. Schneider was slain during a domestic incident involving a gun. Beyer was among several individuals and families who remembered loved ones lost to gun violence during the Too Many Victims candlelight vigil held in Duluth on January 8. The event was sponsored by the Northland Protect Minnesota/Brady Campaign and the Peace UCC Church Just Peace Committee. Photo by Alan Peterson

Read the full story from the Duluth News Tribune.

Stamford hosted a community vigil co-sponsored by the Interfaith Council and CT Against Gun Violence. A cross-section of the community participated, underscoring how this issue impacts us all. We heard from Lt. Chris Baker of the Stamford Police Department about the alarming increase in guns and gun violence in Stamford. He is seeing the impact of guns in his work with the Narcotics and Organized Crimes Unit. We heard from Mary Pelicci Hamilton about the lasting effects of losing her father to gun violence years ago. We heard from Chester Addison Community Center director Michael Hyman about the need for safe communities and activities for our children. We heard from State Representative and U.S. Senate candidate William Tong about his own family’s brush with violent crime and his efforts to ensure that Connecticut remains a place with safe and sane gun laws. And, among other clergy, I spoke of my hope that we can change the conversation about guns in this country. Anyone interested in working to prevent gun violence in Fairfield County is welcome to get in touch with me at kateheichler@gmail.com.

Link to a news story by The Stamford Advocate

On January 8, 2012, Koinonia Baptist Church held a vigil to both acknowledge the anniversary of the mass shooting involving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and to acknowledge the 196 victims of murder in Baltimore in 2011. Bishop Douglas I. Miles was the organizer of the event, which was one of many across the nation conducted in collaboration with the Brady Campaign.

The vigil began at 1:00 p.m. culminating the worship day for the church with more than 70 people in attendance. Central to the event were testimonies of those who suffered loss due to violence. Brittany Leavy, a senior at Dunbar High, recounted the experience of losing her best friend, an innocent bystander who was killed by gunshots intended for someone else in 2011. She spoke of the sense of loss and the devastating pain she still carries. Randolph Bradley, a deacon of Koinonia, spoke of the pain now suffered by his grandson due to the loss of his father to gun violence.

Bishop Miles spoke of the need for the whole community to come together to break the covenant with death and violence that seems to pervade the city despite the recent drop in murders and other violent crimes in Baltimore and statewide. Rev. Dante K. Miles, pastor, led the vigil in a prayer for peace. The singing of hymns and other spiritual music punctuated the gathering. Later Bishop Miles recounted how much the vigil was needed because most present had either experienced violence first hand or was close to someone who had. Plans are to conduct the vigil on an annual basis.

Nine of us gathered at St Peter’s Episcopal Church to reflect on the lives of those affected by gun violence – one was a victim of gun violence herself, others are relatives of victims and all are advocates and educators in the struggle to eradicate gun violence from our communities. Ours was a small, but intense, gathering. We shared fond memories as well as stories of unrelenting fear, offered one another consolation and encouragement, exchanged lists of resources and ideas for action, and left, not as the strangers who had gathered, but as a determined coalition inspired and empowered to transform a narrowly-focused system supporting the isolated interests of a few into a society accountable for the well-being of us all.

Elder Bernice King’s sermon, “Exchange Your Piece for His Peace,” was nothing short of phenomenal. I t was clear that the multitude of congregants from many faith traditions who filled the room were deeply moved by her message. I certainly was. If there was any doubt about the impact, the alter call (which was a non-traditional altar call, to say the least) left no doubt. I was humbled by the volume of people who came up and committed to and/or rededicated themselves to peace. The message provided courage to go forward in the movement and the anointing provided the strength and backing to do so.

By Khaleelah Muhammad, J.D., Auburn Gresham Neighborhood Recovery Initiative Project Manager

Link to news coverage by WGN

Link to news coverage by ABC

Gun violence survivor Ondelee Perteet and his mom receive the Blue Heart Award and addresses the congregation

This video features the song, “Still I Rise,” performed during the January 8th vigil service held at the Church of the Ascension in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The vigil, entitled “Remembrance of Life for Victims of Gun Violence,” was organized by Protect Minnesota.

CeaseFirePA–working with Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) and the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP)–was able to get approximately 30 very committed people with personal gun violence stories together at Wesley Center A.M.E. Zion Church in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. This was actually solid turnout for a vigil that wound up being scheduled squarely in the middle of the first and, as it turned out, last Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game of the season. For those of you unfamiliar with how Pittsburgh feels about football, let me assure you the entire town shuts down when the Steelers are playing. Rev. Glenn Grayson led the prayer portions of the evening, provided the venue and shared his own personal story. Just over one year ago, he lost his 19-year-old son to random gun violence. Other speakers included Betty Lane and Shirley Gaines of the East Liberty Concerned Citizens Corporation, Monique Flowers, and Reginald Roberts of the B-PEP Coalition Against Violence.

Supporters with the Greater Denver Chapter of Million Mom March and Colorado Ceasefire gathered outside the emergency room of Denver Health Medical Center, home of the Rocky Mountain Regional Level 1 Trauma Center featured in Eugene Richards’ book “The Knife and Gun Club, Scenes from an Emergency Room.” We lit 34 candles in remembrance of the lives lost due to gun violence each day. We read a statement acknowledging the destruction caused by gun violence in Colorado: Participants stories of personal loss and unending grief due deaths from gun violence. And we recounted some tragedies in the news recently: A woman gunned down by her ex-­husband as their children watched her die, a five-year-old girl who killed herself with a loaded, unlocked firearm, a South  Sudanese immigrant who escaped violence in  his home country to be gunned down in front  of his home, a 5 year old boy shot and killed  by a three-year-old just before Christmas, a woman ambushed and killed by her ex-­boyfriend. We called upon our elected officials take action to prevent more deaths from illegal guns.

Due to the vagaries of Pacific Northwest weather in January, Washington CeaseFire held its vigil at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in a public plaza in downtown Seattle. The featured speaker was U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott of Seattle, a Democratic colleague of Gabby Giffords’ in Congress. McDermott spoke about his connection to the Tucson shooting via Rep. Giffords and her aide, Gabe Zimmerman, who was killed at the event. He addressed the need for sensible national gun laws, and specifically for a limitation on magazine size. Also speaking was WA CeaseFire board president Ralph Fascitelli. The event attracted nearly 50 people as well as reporters from all four local TV stations and the Seattle Times and Seattle Weekly newspapers. The stations broadcast coverage of the event Sunday, in conjunction with national stories about other vigils and Giffords’ return to the scene of the shooting. The newspapers’ coverage appeared in print and/or online. The event was highly effective in terms of communicating to the public on the issues of firearms safety.

Click here to watch news coverage of the Seattle vigil.