Town leaders speak out on racial divide

If this fractured nation becoming increasingly defined by our differences is to be made whole again, it must begin with individuals and communities chiseling into the hard surfaces that divide us.

That was the message a Pottstown Borough Councilman offered last week in the wake of shootings that have ripped wide open wounds of prejudice and mistrust.

The comments at a Pottstown council meeting came one day before President Obama spoke at a memorial service for five Dallas police officers slain during a protest over shootings by police in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis.

Reflecting the nation’s heartache, Councilman Joseph Kirkland and Mayor Sharon Thomas eloquently related the significance of what is happening in cities across the country to the challenge of change that begins in our towns.

In his comments, Kirkland returned repeatedly to an analogy of an uncarved block of stone, which, with joint effort, can become a beautiful sculpture, but only if “everyone takes their turn with the chisel and hammer,” cutting away prejudice and pre-conceptions with “an open mind willing to be changed.”

“It used to be that good, heartfelt and open conversation could relieve tensions and build bridges,” said Kirkland.

“Today, sides are retreating to their respective corners and digging in. No need for conversation. What’s the point? ... Any sign of compromise, or willingness to change one’s mind is viewed as weakness.”

“In spite of man’s inhumanity to man, we can’t give up on each other,” said Thomas.

“Many of our fellow citizens around the globe are concerned about America imploding internally ... Let us look for the elements that divide, those elements often buried right inside the heart and seek to pull light and hope out of hearts that are often tainted, jaded or prone to orchestration.”

Police officers and their families are owed our gratitude, Kirkland said. “Every day, when they go to work, they and their families never know if they will return.”

At the same time, Kirkland said he also believes “a man or woman of color, should be able to walk the streets of this country without their families knowing if they will ever return.”

Kirkland and Thomas were two voices in one small town in a nation where even President Obama admits words have been inadequate.

But they stood and spoke, exhibiting leadership in an issue that affects this community and every citizen of this nation.

Kirkland said that as an African American member of council, he felt it was his duty to “speak out in some small way, not only in support of our police officers, but also for our black communities as a whole.”

“It does not have to be one or the other,” he said.

Last Sunday, a special service at Heart of God Family Worship Center on North Hanover Street honoring first responders and planned months ago, took on added significance in the wake of the nation’s turmoil. And on Friday, Bethel Community Church of Pottstown held a “Community Prayer Vigil” to offer prayer for Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the senseless loss of lives in Dallas. “It is critically important that Pottstown come together as one so we might live in harmony, peace, and love,” read the church post on Facebook promoting the event.

In Dallas, Obama said when he has doubts, he remembers a passage from Ezekiel, in which the Lord promised to take “your heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh.”

This is where change begins — in each town, one person at a time. It begins with leaders willing to stand up and speak even when words fail them. It begins with praying together and the honoring and respect due to both police and people of color.

It begins with each of us committed to chiseling at the heart of stone until it becomes a heart of flesh.

‘In spite of man’s inhumanity to man, we can’t give up on each other.’

— Pottstown Mayor Sharon Thomas