Selected Remarks of
The Rev. Dr. Jarvis L. Collier, Pastor
The Pleasant Green Baptist Church, Kansas City, KS
Delivered to the
African American Leadership Commission Conference
June 11, 2009
I am privileged to share a few words relative to our shared commitment . . . to engage our hearts and minds [as we are] called to worship, witness and work toward a redemptive agenda of faith, vision, enhancement, empowerment for our respective communities. . . .Irrespective of our locale of involvement, in America today there are glaring challenges, all crying out for redress: a public educational system designed for mediocrity; an ever-widening disconnect between the “haves” and the “have-nots”; 40-plus million without health insurance; a growing criminal justice system, expanding on the backs of minorities; misplaced priorities among youth; a celebration of ignorance and buffoonery in music, television and film; sky-high unemployment rates, bringing uncertain job futures for black youth amid economic chaos. By any measure, we face, arguably, our most persistent period of stagnation. And, sadly, few seem to care!
By The Rev. John C. Welch
Chair, African American Leadership Commission
President, Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network
The nation was in turmoil with corruption running throughout. There was socio-political tension with the religious leaders playing a crucial role in its perpetuation. Prophets and priests downplayed the severity of the situation because it was to their benefit.
Geographically speaking, The Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area is one crazy, mixed-up place. Spanning 318 square miles, it encompasses two states (Missouri and Kansas), nine counties and 10 separate city governments, and is home to almost two million BBQ loving souls.
Ms Lori Villarosa, Executive Director, Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity, was one of only three women appearing on the dais at the AALC Conference (the other two were Mary Gonzalez and Mayor Joyce Seals, who moderated the Coalitions Panel), and hers was a welcome voice, indeed.
John Brittain is defined, in large part, by the law. This is evident not only in his impressive resume, but in a worldview that is filtered through the law.
Brittain is also a man who spent three decades of his professional life in the academic world, including the post of Dean of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston. He is a school desegregation specialist and was a lead lawyer in the filing of the landmark Sheff v. O’Neill school desegregation case (1989). He recently left his position at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to teach law again at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.