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What the world needs now is love, determined love, because that's the only thing that's going to turn around seemingly hopeless problems in our community.
 It was determined love that the Revs. Fred Shuttlesworth, Ralph David Abernathy and Martin Luther King, Jr. displayed here on the streets of Birmingham almost 50 years ago, when they marched for civil rights on the Friday before Easter Sunday 1963, and were arrested for their trouble.
They were determined that they would live - and if necessary, die - for the principle of true brotherly love, the kind of love that says no to injustice, no to hatred, no to violence without being violent itself. Their stubborn, determined loved caused them to stand up to hate-filled leaders who commanded men with dogs, guns and hoses. to stand in the face of their own fear.
But in the end, it was the young people who took the non-violence message and methodology to a higher level. They were the ones who purposely put themselves in harm's way because they believed the adults who told them they could make a difference. They walked the non-violent path with courage and conviction. They were disciplined little soldiers in the battle for civil rights, a battle that the children ultimately won.
Birmingham City high school students should know this history like the backs of their hands, since some of their own relatives and family friends took part in the struggle then. But they don't know. The story isn't really taught in schools, not in a meaningful way. Their elders don't share their stories -- it's still painful or an embarrassment for many. And history lessons often bore the young, who are more focused on the now, not the past.
So it's no surprise that the hard-won lesson about the power of determined love over violence has skipped a generation or two. The resulting lack of love is demonstrated every day in ways big and small -- from disrespectful attitudes and comments of all types, to mayhem and murder, at home and in the streets. The message is twisted now -- Love thy neighbor, but only if they love you. Do unto others before they do unto you.
Our youth today are facing dogs and hoses, but of a different kind -- bites at their self-esteem that make them feel less-than because their test scores aren't as high or they come from a "bad" community; peer pressure that accuses some of "acting white" or not cool for wanting to speak correctly or to get ahead academically; fear of being trapped in violent situations, and a host of other ills and issues that disrupt education, corrupt character and promote poverty of the mind and the spirit.
To address these problems, City Councilor Jay Roberson and other adults involved in the PEN OR PENCIL Program are tearing a page out of the history books. They are turning to the youths. It started with a reenactment of the 1963 Children’s March I mentioned earlier. The National Alliance of Faith and Justice designed the PEN or PENCIL project to help youth learn lessons of the past to address current problems with high drop-out rates and juvenile justice issues.
Just as adults turned to the youth then, Roberson and others are turning to them now, because they are still altruistic and still hopeful. And they are tired of seeing the fights and violence in their schools and communities. It's a civil rights struggle to free minds and hearts to fully live out the rights won by their fore-fathers and mothers.
On Sunday, October 10, 2010, local ministers called the community to "100 Days of No Violence," with Birmingham City school youths taking the lead, to remind them that, like young folks of the past, they can make a difference today. Students in Birmingham City high schools have signed "Freedom of Choice Agreements" that they will avoid attitudes and confrontations that lead to violence, and they will encourage others to do the same. It says in part:
"I realize I am abstaining (boycotting) from conduct  which might require boarding a bus to prison or jail. I understand that by participating in this movement, I will hold myself accountable and actively involved with my peers and mentor in efforts to refrain from any acts of violence or negative behavior. In doing this, I am building enduring capacity within the city of Birmingham to use the historic and modern-day efforts of youth and service as a solution to address pressing challenges."
During the 100 day-initiative youths will take part in and help plan pep rallies and community service projects from now until the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in January. Some will visit The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (as some students from Wenonah have already done). They will also help craft projects that reminds young people of their pledge and gives them the courage to stand up to the problems they face - problems we all face - with determined love like they did in 1963.
Can "these kids" really make a difference? Can they really help the rest of us go 100 days and beyond with no violence? Or at the very least, give pause to young person who may think about what the words of their peers who've committed themselves to non-violence? Only time will tell.
But if we adults are serious about teaching the kids, then we have to learn the lessons ourselves. And it's obvious we haven't. We're in the midst of Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention month. One of my dear friends, Tahiera Monique Brown who herself survived domestic abuse, has shaved her beautiful hair off and is bald to show solidarity with victims and a symbol of new beginnings.
If the children see us living the dream today, then I can dream a world where one day, some of these very same young people from Birmingham, Alabama, who take these updated history lessons of persistent peace and determined brotherly love to heart, will teach others around the world to do the same.
It never hurts to dream or believe. After all, belief, especially when combined with determined love, can move mountains of hatred, fear and bigotry. Birmingham itself is proof of that.
vickii
P.S. If you want to help with the 100 Days of No Violence campaign, feel free to call Councilor Jay Roberson's office at (205) 254.2498.
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