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A little background on Jena 6
On December 4, 2006, a Caucasian Jena High School student was assaulted by six fellow (African American) students. The six students were subsequently arrested and charged for this crime. There were many critics on how the case was handled, including, but not limited to Civil Rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson who is of the opinion that the arrests and subsequent charges were racially motivated.

• Jena 6 is not the best mold to highlight racial disparities in our Judicial System, more so given that the 6 teenagers did in fact commit a crime. Civil Rights leaders should however, continue to cease the moment to highlight that there are in fact racial disparities in our Judicial System.
• Even though the possibility exists that the arrests and charges against these teenagers were racially motivated, there still exists, the cloud over their heads which is that they brutally attacked another teen.
• There could and never would be any justification for violence against another person.
• Notwithstanding that the charges in this case are excessive, it would be a greater miscarriage of justice if the six teenagers were to be immediately “freed” (as is being advocated). A crime was committed and justice that is impartial, rational and nondiscriminatory has to and must be (eventually) served.
• Jena six is more than a Caucasian American and African American issue. It is bigger than our Judicial System. It is bigger than that small town of about three thousand in Louisiana.
• Jena six is echoed on the streets of Iraq where sectarian violence has resulted in the deaths of thousands; Jena six is echoed in the deserts of Darfur where the cry for help has been largely ignored by most world leaders; Jena six is echoed on the streets of the United States every time racial profiling is used by the authorities and ordinary citizens alike.
• Christians (and Muslims alike) must not sit idly by while grave injustices continue to exist in our society today. Too many Saturday and Sunday mornings have passed by with little or no mention or call for action in response to the atrocities in Darfur, the sectarian violence in Iraq and other issues of the day.
• We are called to take the lead in speaking and fighting against discrimination, racism and injustices. The Christian church must NOT allow history to repeat itself when she sat idly by during the (Jewish) Holocaust.
• Desegregating our Saturday and Sunday morning worship services is a great start- another topic to be discussed another time.

At the end of the day, we need to stand up for what is just, to fight for those who cannot fight themselves. Jesus said “I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

Read more about Jeana 6 here