Black Pastors Tell African-American Communities:
"If You Love the Children, SAY SO."

Following an underground railway route, African-American pastors and pro-life supporters dedicated four days over the Columbus Day holiday to a march protesting the abortion of Black children. To bring the nation's attention to the enormous tragedy of abortion for African-American communities, the marchers placed 1,452 roses representing the number of Black children aborted daily in the U.S. on the steps of the Supreme Court at the culmination of the march. Beginning with a prayer rally Friday evening, October 8, at New Calvary Baptist Church in Montclair, N.J., the marchers chanted, "If you love the children, say so," as they walked through Newark, N.J.; Philadelphia, Penn.; Wilmington, Del.; Baltimore, Md.; and Washington, D.C.

Damon Owens, media spokesperson for the event, said the march was a wake-up call to the Black community: "We're calling our preachers. We're calling our political leaders, and saying either you are with us or not. And if you're not with us, issue a report of where you are."

Star Parker, founder and president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal (CURE), added her strong pro-life voice and leadership to the march. She commented, "We have to join the debate that has been going on for a long time.... Our white brethren have been standing for these babies for a long time. And the media has been able to isolate us on the issue. We need to know that this is not a black or white issue, but Black folks need to show this society that [the pro-life movement] is not a white radical right-wing religious experiment. When you see those children inside the womb, they're colorless. We want to bring national attention to this holocaust [of abortion]."

Pastor Johnny Hunter, whose organization, the Life Education and Resource Network (LEARN), was a principal organizer of the march, said, "We're hoping that if the black community gets involved enough, we can help out every pro-life organization that's out there. Different groups are having to fight this battle from different ways and different perspectives. If we can get the Black people to wake up and stop cooperating with the death industry, it'll make it easier to not only save black children but save all children.

"I am hoping," he added, "that the day comes that there are only three Black children aborted each year and we're going to be marching for three people.... We're hoping the day comes when everybody lines up and we say sorry we can't march because they're not doing abortions anymore. I know that's a high ideal, but it's not really impossible."

Pastor Hunter is already planning the march for next year, which he says will be similar, coming down the same route, but with a few new features to it.

Akua Furlow, research director for LEARN, remarked, "One of the main things we are wanting to do on this march through the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and here in Washington, D.C., is to tell our Black elected officials, to tell our pastors, to tell anyone that will listen, that we did not trade our unborn children for civil rights in this country. We did not trade the fruit of our womb to ride on the front of the bus of Planned Parenthood. We're here to say so."