By Camille Taylor
Tis the “Season4Reason” and “Peace on earth, good will towards men!” Does it seem odd that during a season of peace and hope you can’t turn on the T.V. without seeing so much hate?
Not In Our Town has a message on electronic billboards that proclaim this to be a “Season4Reason” amidst all of the ignorant and hate-filled messages we are receiving. It stands to reason that we’ve always had people of all faiths living not only in America but around the world. It stands to reason that we have both good people and bad people in every faith, non-believers, race, income, and gender. Some people take the opportunity to promote their own agenda when people are afraid and try to turn people against one another.
It stands to reason that we should get the facts before we jump to conclusions against others. It also stands to reason that everyone should not be lumped into one group and labelled when a small minority of individuals does something bad.
That’s why I’m happy to give you “good news” about some events in our community that reflect a “Season4Reason.” The WJBC Brotherhood Tree is in full speed this week at the National Guard Armory. Volunteers are needed each night this week to wrap, sort, and bag gifts that need to be delivered on the morning of Saturday, the 19th. This effort reaches people who are struggling financially from all faiths, races, and genders. Gifts are particularly needed in the 13-18 age categories, specifically young men 17 to 18. The focus is for them to have a decent Christmas, not to judge who they are or where they came from.
Last week, over twenty students from area schools came together to get the tools and resources they need to develop their Not In Our School Clubs. Their goal is to stop hate, address bullying, and to make their schools more safe and inclusive. Tomorrow,Wednesday, December 16th at 6 p.m., Not In Our Town is sponsoring an interfaith, community solidarity event on the east side of the Old Courthouse in downtown Bloomington. Co-sponsors are First Christian Church, New Covenant Community, the Presbytery of Great Rivers, and Moses Montefiore Temple in collaboration with the Islamic Center of B/N and Masjid Ibrahim Mosque.
By bringing all faiths together, we show that stereotyping groups within our community is not acceptable. We have the opportunity to make this a “Season4Reason” and spread “Peace on earth, good will toward men!” We just need the collective will to do it!
Camille Taylor, a retired Counselor from Normal Community High School, has been an educator in this community for 34 years. She is active in the community currently serving as a church elder and board member for both the Baby Fold and the YWCA. She has been recognized by the YWCA as a Woman of Distinction for education, a Martin Luther King Jr. award winner for the City of Bloomington, a Distinguished Alumni by the College of Education at Illinois State University, a Human and Civil Rights award winner for the Illinois Education Association, and the H.Councill Trenholm Award recipient from the National Education Association for her work with diversity. She lives in Bloomington with her husband, Arthur, and is a mother and grandmother.
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