New Strategy for Rooting Out Racism and Sowing the Seeds of Peace in Ferguson
Springfield, IL (PRWEB) November 27, 2014 -- On November 25th 2014, New York Times reported in their article "The Meaning of the Ferguson Riots", President Obama stated "We need to recognize that this is not just an issue for Ferguson, this is an issue for America.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/26/opinion/the-meaning-of-the-ferguson-riots.html)
As Campaign Director of the Weed Out Hate Initiative and author of German language book, "Sät die Blumen des Friedens", 2013, Allegria Verlag Berlin Daniels researched and analyzed the deepest Judaic spiritual roots of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Promised Land" and "Mountain Top" rhetoric for utilizing spiritual gardening as a means for repairing social divisions.
He has been on the ground in Ferguson discussing this concept with local millennial clergy leaders like Pastor Robert White. In addition, he has been "weeding out hate" with dozens of local residents along the Ferguson hot zones. In his discussions, Daniels relates how one day the children of White police officers and the children of African Americans could be rooting out weeds as a civic prayer for peace. Praying for peace without first praying to root out the inner weeds in society is like applying makeup without first cleansing the pores. This is a great method for re-activating that "King-Code" spirit in the protesters and even the police.
To Daniels, these are not only distant dreams. Plans are being made for a "Weed Out Hate, Sow the Seeds of Peace" tribute to Martin Luther King on April 3rd, 2015 with the 250 community gardens in greater St. Louis. Daniels is working with Gateway Greening and local churches for distributing over 5,000 packs of Sunflower Peace Seeds for this massive sunflower planting event.
Not just theory, but an accepted strategy: On April 22, 2013, the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany kicked off their "We have a Dream" Campaign honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the FEZ Youth Center in Berlin. 80 German high school students planted sunflower seeds. In his keynotes address, former U.S. Ambassador Philip Murphy stated "This is a great project. If I had to pick two topics that I think are the most important to people everywhere, they would be: first, the message of tolerance that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. represented and second, the importance of environmental responsibility. It is important that governments take these issues seriously. It is also important that each and every one of us do all that we can as individuals to promote tolerance and the environment. This project combines both of these two messages: respecting and caring for each and respecting and preserving nature. It’s fantastic. What a great way to celebrate Earth Day. I think it is fantastic that this is a German-American project. It was inspired by Marc Daniels, an American gardener, author, and civil rights activist. He started a “Weed Out Hate” initiative three years ago. Since then young people in my country have been involved in various initiatives to symbolically root out weeds, which represent hate, and plant sunflower seeds as a sign of peace, love and respect." The U.S Diplomatic Mission in Berlin published this link chronically the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnT6Ak1cDTQ
On September 13, 2014, Daniels gave a Jewish tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. at the official commemoration honoring his historic visit to Berlin 50 years ago. Many of the speakers referred to the work that still needs to be done in light of the recent unrest in Ferguson. The following morning, Daniels presented German President Joachim Gauck with a pack of Sunflower Peace Seeds, the ones being distributed in Ferguson.
During that weekend, Daniels gleaned many aspects of Kingean philosophy from honored guest speaker, Dr. Bernard La Fayette. He is an ordained minister, is a longtime civil rights activist, organizer, and an authority on nonviolent social change. He co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960, and he was a core leader of the civil rights movement in Nashville, TN, in 1960 and in Selma, AL, in 1965. He directed the Alabama Voter Registration Project in 1962, and he was appointed by Martin Luther King, Jr. to be national program administrator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and national coordinator of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign.
Based on these credentials, Daniels is reaching out to local and national media for interviews discussing how our acute national rage can be transformed into a heightened state of civic unity.
Marc Daniels, WeedOutHate.org, +1 (217) 416-9847, [email protected]
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