August 4th of this year is a day that will long live in infamy for many in this state and particularly those of us who live in the Newark Metropolitan area. On that night three outstanding and promising young people had their lives mercilessly taken and a fourth was seriously injured. I cannot think of anyone whose own life was not shaken and saddened by the brutal slaying and wounding of these young people. All of the young people were attending or about to begin classes at my alma mater, Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware. It is my fervent and heartfelt prayer that out of this tragedy will come the motivation and commitment to bring senseless and barbaric loss of life and violence to an end.

The Newark Metropolitan area has been a battleground for years with increasing numbers of homicides and violent acts due to increased gang activity, drugs and other crime. In the face of this violence the current city administration boasts that crime is less than it was at this time last year. This is totally irrelevant to the citizens who live in Newark who are afraid for their lives and that of their children’s. Furthermore, the tragedy raises concerns regarding relations between African American and Hispanic communities and the heated issue of immigrants.

It is imperative that positive action arise from this tragedy so that we do not continue to lose our children and youth to senseless violence and so our neighborhoods and cities can be safer places to live. To allow our children to remain prey and our neighborhoods and cities unsafe would be a greater tragedy than the loss and injury suffered on, before and after August 4. Unfortunately, the time to act has passed for those we have already lost, but it is not too late for us to redeem the present and the future, and drive out the violence and death along with the fear, pain and loss it brings.

Mr. James Harvey, father of one of the young men whose life was senselessly taken, in his grief and loss made a statement at a press conference on August 6 where he stated that “parents must do a better job of raising their children.” His words, I believe, give sound direction to what must be done to save our children and make safe our neighborhoods and cities. What must be done cannot be done by government; it must begin with people on your own block; families and citizens working together. It must involve churches, schools and local organizations with the common goal to rebuild communities. Over the last 30 years or more, our sense of community has deteriorated. We live in the same neighborhoods, blocks and areas but more and more have little in common, little if any, shared values, goals or standards. We live next door but we neither know, nor care, nor watch out for each other; we have little in common except maybe race or that we live in the same neighborhood on the same street.

There is an urgency that we rebuild, and community, clergy and the church must take the leadership in this rebuilding effort. Clergy and the church cannot and should not rebuild our communities alone. We live in a time when most people who live in our communities don’t belong to or attend a church, so we must reach out to schools and community organizations to be a part of this effort. Yet, I believe clergy and the church must take the lead because what is required to rebuild and restore community is to “raise up a standard” for our people. Much of what ails us is that we have let down our standards over the last 30 or more years. Many of us remember that when we were growing up we had standards that we understood we had to live by and obey. How often did we hear “we don’t have that” or “you don’t do that here.” Today, we allow and tolerate almost anything from our children and people in our neighborhoods.

During September, the Black Ministers Council will seek to provide some leadership in moving clergy and the church to begin the social reconstruction and spiritual restoration of communities around the state. It will require an ongoing effort that involves everybody— individuals, families, schools, civic organizations, fraternities and sororities, etc. We will actively solicit ideas and advice from these areas.

The pain of last month’s senseless executions and serious injuries are still fresh and cause us to be heart sore, but the tragedy also provides us the opportunity and the challenge to rebuild and restore community, and to raise up a standard for our people.