Jena

I feel I must express some thoughts concerning Jena, LA. I lived in Jena for 12 years. Although it has been over nine years since I lived there, I recall my time in Jena.

First of all, the events that have occurred in Jena in the last several months have been blown out of proportion. What happened was a school-yard fight - but someone needs to be held accountable for their actions.

Second, Jena is not a racist town. Yes, the town is segregated with whites primarily living in one section of town and African Americans living in another section of town. But show me a town, especially in the south, that isn't just like that. That doesn't make the people of Jena or any other town racist.

Third, I am not condoning the actions of the D.A. Do I feel like the charges were severe? Yes, but the U.S. Attorney for Louisiana explained that the LaSalle Parish D.A. was within his rights to charge the young men like he did. I know the D.A. to be a good man so I don't feel that his actions were racist.

Fourth, the events that have occurred in Jena could have occurred in any town in the south. That doesn't make the events right, but we should be careful to examine our own towns.

Fifth, I believe that the fights that had taken place between the whites and the African Americans were not necessarily racially motivated. They were fights among students. Don't place blame on anyone else, except the young men who were involved in the fights - no matter the color of their skin.

Sixth, I believe that we in the United States should be more open to all people, no matter the color of their skin. God created each of us in His image. God doesn't see what color your skin is, so I shouldn't either. We should strive to be more inclusive in our churches of other races. We should also be more inclusive of other races in our personal lives. How can our churches be accepting of other races when we, the people, don't understand or appreciate the cultures of others?