Public Service Announcement

Dear Friends,
 
Getting to stay up late at night to watch TV was something that my Italian grandparents indulged me in whenever I spent my summer vacation with them. Just before the eleven o’clock news was about to air, there was a nightly public service announcement that always got my attention. A deep male voice would boom, “It’s 11:00 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?”
 
As a child, it seemed that my grandparents’ small town in Pennsylvania was especially concerned about the welfare of its youngest citizens. I later learned that this PSA, which originated at an ABC affiliate in Buffalo, NY, ran on TV stations in other towns across the United States. It was a short, yet serious message of responsibility. It reminded parents that they ought to know what their kids were up to– especially at night – for their safety and well-being.
 
Historically, PSAs were introduced in the U.S. during World War II and were meant to encourage the public to help meet the country’s needs (such as investing in U.S. savings bonds). Public service announcements today tend to focus on health and safety awareness, and TV and radio stations air them at their discretion. A chief characteristic of PSAs seems to be that they deliver messages that are deemed to be for the common good.
 
If I were to think about delivering a 10-second message that was focused on the common good, what would it be?  What short sentence could convey that the well-being of all persons begins with making the well-being of all persons a priority?
 
Perhaps:

It’s 2014. Do you know where love lives?
 
If we are called – as religious and ethical teachings guide us – to act with love and compassion towards one another, is it possible that we can bring more love to the complex and seemingly unyielding issue of racism in our country? Or to the persistent inequality experienced by countless Americans in their ability to access good healthcare and education? Where and how does love live in our relationships with one another? With other communities and other nations? What does “treat others as you would like to be treated” look like in this day and on these issues?
 
It seems that the thorny work of dismantling oppressive systems must include doing a lot of listening. And, how do we do that?
 
As an example, last Friday PBS hosted a live town hall meeting in Ferguson to talk about racism. Entitled “America After Ferguson,” local citizens and national advocates and government officials talked about their hopes and fears and what they believe it will take to change. Viewers tweeted comments throughout the broadcast. The conversation is still ongoing (#AfterFergusonPBS).

Were there any easy answers? Of course not. However, there were plenty of thoughtful comments that I might consider as I join with others to be part of the solution. Like this one, from an audience member:
 
It’s not black people vs. white people. We have to work together to change the system. 
 
We have to work together – clearly a PSA for the common good we might all agree upon.
 
Warmly,
 
Terry