LITANY

Leader Nicole: Peace, peace, we pray for peace. Sometimes we say, “peace, peace” when there is no peace.

Voice 1 Luke: We play on the same team, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, but when we get on the bus, we don’t sit together.

Voice 2 James: Some kids looked at my Afghan friend and said, “Be careful or he’ll fly planes into your house!”

Voices together: What’s up with that?

Voice 3 Jen: The TV stereotypes hurt: white hat, black hat, Hispanics as illegal, every Asian is a martial artist, every Middle Easterner a terrorist.

Voice 4 Leah: The ethnic and racial jokes are harder. Then when you object, they say, “Hey, can’t you take a joke?”

Voices together: You don’t have to take a joke.

Voice 1 James: Where do kids learn this stuff? It’s got to be from their parents,

Voice 2 Luke: From their grandparents, from TV, radio, blogs, YouTube, Facebook.

Voices together: Once you get started, every race can be insulted, stereotyped, blamed.

Voice 3 Jen: It’s better than when our parents were kids, but it’s moving too slowly.

Voice 4 Leah: Making it a law not to discriminate isn’t enough.

Voices together: We don’t want our kids to go through this.

Leader Nicole: What about people of faith? Can God help us move on? What needs to happen for there to be hope for the future?

Voices one after another in this order James, Luke, Jen, Leah, Nicole: hope, understand, look, listen, forgive, speak truth, love, reach across, move on, let go, don’t be afraid, pray, trust, pay attention, don’t judge, stand up, learn, get to know.

Voices all together: LOVE.