tuesday, april 27, 2004
news
the university daily kansan
3A
Kansas, Missouri youth march for choice in D.C.
By Laura Francoviglia
lfrancoviglia@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The March for Women's Lives in Washington, D.C., was more than a march for abortion rights.
The purpose of the march was to gain reproductive rights and access to health care, but also included issues from across the socioeconomic spectrum - women's issues, gay civil rights, racial issues and economic factors.
"It's the future of activism," said Cornelius Minor, Atlanta graduate student and The University Daily Kansan columnist. "For anybody in this society to win, we've all got to work on it."
Nearly 340 participants from Kansas and Missouri, the largest contingent of Choice USA, drove in seven buses for 26 hours each
way to Washington, D.C. The contingent marched alongside hundreds of thousands of others.
The group missed conferences and lectures Saturday because of a late departure and unexpectedly long bus ride.
Despite their late arrival, the Choice USA contingents led the march. They pushed their way to the front of the other groups and wore orange T-shirts that set them apart from the crowd. The KU Choice contingent slept in sleeping bags on the gym floor of the local YMCA with showering as the only luxury.
"It felt empowering mostly because so many people were supporting you and your ideas," said Marcy Quiason, march participant and Raytown, Mo., freshman. "We were respected as youth — the first people who are
going to lead the country."
Johanna Maska, Kansan associate opinion editor, was the Choice USA regional organizer for Kansas and Missouri. Maska, Galesburg, Ill., senior, said Choice USA's focus was to represent the younger generation and to educate people about the history of choice and also making choice an individual issue.
"Our political beliefs are challenged," she said. "Our educational structure of liberal arts is all about challenging our perspective."
Feminist Majority, Planned Parenthood, National Organization for Women, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and the American Civil Liberties Union were among the sponsors for the march. The thread uniting the groups was freedom of choice from the government in individual moral issues.
Members of Choice USA participate in the March For Women's Lives. The Sunday afternoon event was held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
"It was blatantly about the separation of church and state," said Joelle Mausolf, Kansas State University student.
A memorable moment for march participants was a speech from U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D.N.Y.). Clinton emphasized the importance of voting for U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in the upcoming presidential election as a way regain their voice in government.
"People are thirsty for dialogue," Minorsaid. "Abortion is a polarized issue."
—Edited by Meghan Brune
Senior Chris Cardinal carried a younger participant on his shoulders as they walked in an anti-abortion march in Washington, D.C., Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of thousands of women, men and children marched to support women's reproductive rights, which made it one the largest marches in U.S. history.
Church's statement accepts all sexual orientations
By Patrick Cady pcady@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Plymouth Congregational Church welcomed African Americans during the 1950s and '60s, at a time of rampant racial conservatism and prejudice. Now, it has opened its doors even wider.
Plymouth, 925 Vermont St., has officially released a statement accepting all people into its congregation regardless of race, mental ability, economic status and sexual orientation.
Many faiths stress openness.
But Plymouth and Peace Mennonite Church, which is located at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave., are the only two churches in Lawrence to have such a focused statement.
Plymouth's statement came after months of internal division and debate until finally becoming crystallized.
Peter Luckey, senior pastor of Plymouth Church, said he was deeply proud of the congregation for its decision.
Sarah Burris, a member of Queers and Allies, has followed the progress of Plymouth and is intrigued by the environment of openness.
"I think it would make me more inclined to check them out," Burris, Lawrence junior, said.
Aaron Glover, a Catholic and also a member of Queers and Allies, sees the Plymouth statement as progress.
"I'll be ready for the day when every church treats its gay members as straight members," Glover, Wichita freshman, said.
As a corollary to the statement, some within the Plymouth Church are also considering performing same-sex unions.
Luckey said that because Kansas law outlaws same-sex marriage, that option was a moot
point. But about half of his congregation might be supportive, he said.
Other faiths have also watched the Plymouth congregation with interest.
The Catholic Church is filled with a similar spirit, said Vince Krische, priest and director of the St. Lawrence Catholic Center, 1651 Crescent Road.
"The Catholic Church welcomes everyone," Krishe said.
Krische said Catholics believed that all humans were basically sinners, but were all equally welcome under the eyes of God.
Some agreed with Plymouth's
statement in general but didn't fully support it.
tally support. Marshall Lackrone, pastor of Calvary Temple Church, 606 West 29th St., said that his church didn't discriminate and welcomed everyone but doesn't support same-sex relationships.
Representatives at KU Hillel Foundation and the Jewish Student Center support Plymouth's move.
"I feel great that Plymouth congregation stood up for what it believes, and hope every congregation does that," said Polli Kenn, program director at the foundation.
Rabbi Scott White of the Lawrence Jewish Community Center, 917 Highland Drive, said religious autonomy was important. Ratifying such open and affirming statements lies within its power as a congregation, White said.
He said the Jewish faith was as split on homosexuality as society was, but the Lawrence congregation viewed it liberally, believing in equality in sexual orientations.
Edited by Louise Stauffer