About 150 people rallied at the community stage in Adel Wednesday evening in order to show their support for racial justice and their opposition to racial hatred.
Half-a-dozen leaders from the local faith community led the hour-long rally, offering prayers and edifying thoughts regarding the recent racial unrest in the U.S. in the wake of several police killings of unarmed African Americans, most notably the May 25 murder in Minneapolis of George Floyd and the June 12 murder in Atlanta of Rayshard Brooks.
Among those addressing the assembly were the Rev. Eric Trout, pastor of the Adel Restoration Church; the Rev. Pat Stalter, left, pastor of the Woodward Christian Church; Justyn Lewis of Des Moines, organizer of the June 6 “Solidarity March-Our Generation’s March on Selma;” Bishop Ron Woods of the Prevailing Church of Des Moines; and Dr. Ryan Whitson, pastor of the New Hope Church in Adel.
Most of the speakers alluded to the recent nationwide protests against police brutality targeting African Americans, including protests in Des Moines, and mention was made of an act of vandalism June 7 in Adel in which racist and homophobic words were spray painted on a residential property.
Stalter repeated the schoolyard truism — Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me — and said the saying was false.
“Words do have power,” Stalter said. “We must use the power of words to lift up, to build up, to reach out and to welcome.”
Many attendees of the outdoor rally wore anti-virus face masks, presenting a challenge to facial recognition. It did not appear than any state or local elected officeholders were present at the rally for racial justice, but Warren and Karen Varley from Stuart attended. Warren Varley, a Democrat, is currently campaigning for the Iowa Senate District 10 seat, which includes Perry, the most populous town in the district. The seat is currently occupied by second-term Adel Republican Sen. Jake Chapman.
Snappy’s Stick-Fire B-B-Q was on hand to satisfy the multitude’s hunger for smoked meats if not its hunger for racial justice. Among the wise words taken home by the rally goers were those of the African American poet Maya Angelou, whose poem, “Human Family,” ends with these lines:
In minor ways we differ,
in major we’re the same.
I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
Does this mean we can start having live music on the same stage now? That is the same-size crowd that the free acts got last summer, so after this no one can say it is unsafe to have music like last summer.
Does this mean the 4th of July activities are now back on? Surly, after the community came together for this worthy cause, we can be allowed to come together to celebrate the 4th?