MLK Week Kicks Off

On January 14 in a small inland northwest town MLK Week kicked off with the Netflix documentary 13th:

Sandy Williams, publisher of the Black Lens News and Rev. Walter Kendricks president of the Spokane Ministers Fellowship started the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations with the screening of the Netflix documentary film 13th at Bethel AME Church in Spokane hosted by the Rev. Lonnie Mitchell.

Spokane Washington 2015 Census DataAfter the screening the audience – predominantly white residents of the inland northwest – broke up into small groups for discussion. How did they feel? What did they need to do about it?

1. I wish all the kids in our school district could see this.
2. I never heard of the organization ALEC.
3. I have 4 family members with a total of over 100 years in prison plus one with 3 strikes you’re out.
4. I think we need political action.
5. I take Netflix and I have never seen this before.
6. I worked on both sides of this issue – as a corrections officer on the inside and as a youth counselor on the outside.
7. The corrections industry is a cesspool.
8. We need to talk about self responsibility.
9. Black people need to have serious discussions about race also.
10. White people need to check out SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). PJALS is starting a SURJ Spokane branch.
11. Look into  Hope Cafe : Washington State Department of Corrections initiative.
12. We can send out information to follow up on this meeting.
13. Subscribe to Black Lens News.
14. We can join forces with a group started on the west side of the state called Black Prisoners Caucus.
15. There is a small group that meets the First Thursday of every month at the Rocket Market at 43rd & Scott at 10 am and discusses actions that may be taken to build the community we would like to live in.

As the meeting at Bethel AME was ending a workshop called

Love > Hate: Bystander Intervention Training

was being held by PJALS across town at the Spokane Public Library. This workshop gave hands on experience in how to challenge oppressive statements.