Beyond Tolerance rally promotes racial diversity in Wichita (+video)

Some of Wichita’s top city and religious leaders pledged their support Sunday night for moving beyond racial tolerance.

A “Moving Beyond Tolerance” rally drew about 200 supporters to Century II’s Expo Hall from all walks of life.

“Today is an event,” said Bishop Wade Moore Jr., president of the Greater Wichita Ministerial League. “But our mission in faith is to become a movement. Not a movement of intolerance. Not a movement of just tolerance. But a movement to get to know people who may be just a little bit different than you are. A movement called ‘Beyond Tolerance.’ ”

In an effort to help promote racial diversity and overcoming hate with love, the group has tied white, brown and black ribbons in front of City Hall, Wichita State University, middle and high schools, churches, homes and businesses. Also, some area pastors have agreed to volunteer and exchange pulpits to help build relationships outside their places of worship, Moore said.

Mayor Jeff Longwell spoke at the rally and thanked Moore and the Rev. Sam Mysken, president of Global Faith in Action, for their efforts.

“They came to my office a short time – two to three months ago – with their dream for what Wichita could become,” Longwell. “It took me maybe all of about 10 seconds to say ‘yes’ to those two. ... I am so pleased I can be a part of their vision. ... Coming together as a community is so important, now more than ever. ... Recently, there has been a lot of divisive rhetoric from political leaders and news media. It is our duty to rise above that and realize we are one people, regardless of our background.

“Let’s make our community one of inclusion and support, not fear and prejudice.”

Various community leaders took pledges of support for the movement, including Rabbi Michael Davis, Congregation Emanu-El; Balbir Mathur, founder and president of Trees for Life; Lynn Rogers, Wichita school board member; Kenya Cox, president of the Wichita branch of the NAACP and newly elected president of the Kansas State Conference of branches NAACP; Leah Barnhardt, president of Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation; Ted Ayres, director of community engagement and opportunity at WSU; Richard Smith, president of Hebrew Congregation; and Russell Fox, political science professor at Friends University.

One of the rally’s featured speakers was Kenon Brinkley, the 2015 national high school original oration champion from Andover, who spoke about types of tolerance, intolerance and shaming. Brinkley is a sophomore at WSU.

“There are people in our country who are actually so afraid of terrorists that they would take a select, few dangerous people and call them the same as 1.6 other billion people in this world,” Brinkley said. “We have people who will see African-Americans behind cells and think we all belong behind cells. There are people who think that an African-American shot by a white police officer means all police officers are out to shoot African-Americans. And that’s just not how the world works. That thought process has contaminated our society.”

Moore told the audience that the idea for the movement was inspired shortly after he and Mysken met following the deadly shootings in June at a black church in South Carolina. The accused shooter posted pictures on social media of himself posing with the Confederate flag.

“Beyond tolerance has a mission, and its mission statement is to transform our community by respecting all colors of humanity through truth and justice,” Moore said. “We want our city of Wichita, Kansas, to be known as a City of Peace ... a place where everyone is welcome and a place where everyone is respected.”

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 8:16 PM with the headline "Beyond Tolerance rally promotes racial diversity in Wichita (+video) ."