Rev. Linda McCrae
“What is it going to take?”
Bryan Stevenson is calling upon us in the faith community to think deeply and act boldly. We share a vision of a society in which mass incarceration and racism are no more. Many of us have been working on this for a long time. What’s it going to take to get there?
I heard Bryan Stevenson’s words as both encouragement for what we are doing and challenge to go further. Summing up some of the lessons he’s learned, he urged us:
- To get close (“proximate”) to people who are suffering. Have real conversations. Listen. Getting close changes our perspective and commitment.
- To tell the truth. We can’t have reconciliation without telling the truth. We can’t begin treatment without an accurate diagnosis.
- To keep hope alive – that’s our superpower.
- To be willing to do things that make us uncomfortable.
Marion County has taken some positive steps toward reducing incarceration. Several years ago, Faith in Indiana and other groups worked hard to prevent a huge jail expansion that would have doubled ICE detentions and fueled the criminalization of people of color. The new jail currently under construction will have increased mental health and substance abuse services. The city will end its contract with a private company to run the jail.
And, there’s still a great deal of work to be done. Let’s get together, tell the truth, organize, and work for change.
Rev. Linda McCrae
Senior Pastor, Central Christian Church
