THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 19, 1996 TAG: 9607190505
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 67 lines
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., a former NAACP director and the executive director of last October's Million Man March in Washington, D.C., will be guest speaker at a Sunday rally to raise awareness about recent black church burnings.
The gathering, open to all, will begin at Providence United Church of Christ, 2200 Vicker Ave., at 3 p.m.
Dr. Alexander Jamison Sr., pastor of the host church and president of the Southern Region of Ministers for Racial and Social Justice, organized the event. The local chapter, the Eastern Virginia Association of Ministers for Racial and Social Justice, comprises 27 churches, most of which are in Hampton Roads. The region encompasses all of Virginia and North Carolina.
Jamison said that he expects as many as 500 people to attend Sunday's rally.
The purpose of the gathering, Jamison said, is to heighten community awareness about the numerous burnings of black churches that have occurred in southern and western states during the past 18 months. He contends that the media have downplayed and under-reported the incidents. The rally also will be a venue for disseminating information to black churches about what they can do to protect themselves, Jamison said.
``I am really concerned about the African-American churches destroyed by fires, but the communities, too, because the church is the focal point of the African-American community,'' Jamison said. ``It's hard to separate church from community, because they're so intertwined.''
The burnings ``are ripping out the heart of the African-American community,'' Jamison said. ``The Jesse Jacksons, the Andrew Youngs, the Michael Jordans and the Bill Cosbys - the African-American church has produced these kinds of people. It is that one structure, perhaps, that becomes everything to the African-American community. Where can our kids go now to be safe?''
Jamison said that he believes the estimate of 40 black church burnings is erroneous, a result of under-reporting by the media. He cited a recent report by the Atlanta-based Center for Democratic Renewal, saying that it indicated a total of 72 black churches had been burned during the last 18 months.
``There are many more we're not even aware of,'' Jamison said. ``The world doesn't really want to know how many churches are burning.''
Jamison said also that he believes that many of the burnings are the work of an organized group rather than isolated incidents, as recent reported arrests would indicate.
``I think it's a conspiracy as well as copy-catting, because the average Joe doesn't know how to burn a church to the ground,'' he said.
When small black churches are destroyed, more often than not there is little or no insurance, Jamison said.
``It's a sad reality that there's no hope for rebuilding. . . . The hub is no longer there,'' he said.
Jamison said Sunday's rally also would provide a venue to raise money for rebuilding burned churches.
He urged black congregations to get insurance coverage, sufficient lighting and burglar alarm systems.
``We need a voice like Chavis', long a civil rights worker,'' Jamison said. ``We need a stronger coalition, not just for protection, but for strength.''
Chavis, who lives in Baltimore, served as NAACP director from 1993 until 1995. Earlier, he directed the United Church of Christ's national Commission for Racial Justice. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., former NAACP director, will speak at
Sunday's rally at Providence United Church of Christ in Chesapeake.
KEYWORDS: FIRE BLACK CHURCHES by CNB