Jena 6 demonstration: successful in creating a setback

Whatever we think about last week’s demonstration in Jena, Louisiana, one thing is certain: it was big. I received an e-mail on Friday with a report from Jordan Flaherty, writing for Left Turn Magazine:

Jena Ignites a Movement
By Jordan Flaherty
September 21, 2007

Six courageous families in the small Louisiana town of Jena sent out a call for justice that has now been amplified around the world. Yesterday’s mass protests in Jena were unlike anything I have seen in my life, a beautiful and enormous outpouring of energy and outrage that may have the potential to ignite a movement.

Still room left on the bus (but they won’t make you ride in the back)

If you’ve heard of the Jena 6, you may be interested in joining the sentencing vigil in Jena (I’m not calling it a demonstration, since I don’t believe demonstrations can help at this point, but a strong show of public vigilance can help). Charlotte metro residents can apparently still get a seat on buses that will leave on September 19 to arrive in Louisiana early morning on September 20.

You can read more about the Charlotte connection on WCNC.com. Read more about the planned trip, including your cost to join in, at PraisePreview.com.

Have you heard of the Jena 6?

If you’re watching national TV news, chances are good that you haven’t. If you read national newspapers, you may have missed the one or two brief stories they’ve published on the case. Let’s face it: the length of Britney Spears’s skirt and what clubs she is visiting is simply more important than an ongoing case of racial tension in modern day Louisiana.

Now MSNBC is giving a chance for us to hear more about the current difficulties facing race relations in this country, but there’s a catch: you have to vote for the story in order for it to be told. It’s the current Gut Check America vote, and the results of the vote lead to MSNBC’s report.

You can vote here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19876326/