By JoAnn Fields – Contributing Writer
San Diego, CA: A Community Prayer Vigil was hosted by the NAACP San Diego Chapter on Friday, September 11 at the Christian Fellowship Congregational Church (UCC) located at 1601 Kelton Road in Emerald Hills. Members of the San Diego NAACP, pastors, community leaders and concerned citizens from throughout the county of San Diego prayed together for justice and equality in the areas of education, law enforcement, employment and voting rights.
They prayed as a community for healing, guidance and justice for those who have experienced tragic losses including families of the 9 people killed at Mother Emanuel AME Church, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Ezell Ford, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Dante Parker, Samuel DuBose and countless others who did not make the headlines.
“In this era when our country and our city are experiencing such polarization, it is wonderful to have people of all faiths come together to petition for the common good: justice for all people,” shares Felicia Yearwood, Member, NAACP, San Diego Chapter and Co-Founder, San Diego Black Agenda Project.
Rev. J. Lee Hill, Jr., Senior Pastor, Christian Fellowship Congregational Church, states, “The UCC has a historic presence in the city of San Diego as a congregation that seeks justice and equality for all people. We believe that our biblical call to be a community of justice and reconciliation, is as important as our biblical call to be a place of prayer for all people–and we mean ALL people. This calling means that we not only pray for justice and equality, but when our prayers end we get up off our knees to actively participate with God in the realization of justice and equality in our community, nation and world. It was an easy decision for this historic United Church of Christ, in southeast San Diego, to say “YES” to opening its doors for prayer, because prayer what we do; prayer constitutes who are; prayer, we believe, still changes things.”
The NAACP, San Diego Chapter next event was held Wednesday, Sept. 16 at City Hall 202 C Street and began with a rally and followed with a community march. The NAACP, San Diego’s Mission Statement is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority citizens of the United States and eliminate race prejudice. The NAACP seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes. This mission is accomplished by seeking the enactment and enforcement of federal, state and local laws securing civil rights, and by informing the public of the adverse effects of racial discrimination. From school desegregation, fair housing, employment and voter registration, to health and equal economic opportunity, the NAACP is working successfully with allies of all races and plays a significant role in establishing legal precedents in order to improve the quality of life of America’s downtrodden.
