The Yin-Yang symbol represents contrasting
forces of the world working together to
figure out a social order harmonically.

Diversity of people working together brings more unity. However diversity of issues and groups to deal with them can be an obstacle to unity. For example, this week there were three marches and rallies I was invited to for justice for people of color. There was a march of Solidarity by Black and Brown students at Marquette; there was a Coalition for Justice March and rally on anniversary of death of Dontre Hamilton, an unarmed black man shot 14 times by a police officer in a downtown park; there was a rally and march by Voces de la Fronter for rights of immigrants.

The local Catholics for Peace and Justice Newsletter lists has a listing of over 25 actions and events around peace and justice issues for the month of May by different organizations: Poverty 6, Segregation and Racism 2; Immigration 2; Environment 7; Violence, Crime, Guns 6; Religion and Prayer 2. There are many more events, actions around peace and justice issues not listed in this newsletter. You can attend one or two talks, rallies, prayer events, films and actions a day by a variety of organizations. This is where diversity of groups and organization working on issues of peace and justice divides us.

Many of the groups working on these issues, national and local use the internet. Emails, Facebooks pages come our way each day asking us to sign a petition, read an article, call someone or donate money. Many groups follow the popular media. When something makes the news there are groups asking us to do something or give money for their work.

This kind of diversity can divide us. Organizations vie for attention and money. As one major peace and justice persons told me: “You have your issues and I have mine.” Just think if all the groups working on environment issues would put their differences aside and work together on one specific issue and after receiving some closure move on to new issue. If a number of organization working on peace and justice issues, would pool their resources and work together on one specific issue just think of how much change we could make on that issue before moving on.

However, “the powers that be”, capitalist of the military/industrial/education empires keep throwing more and more issues of peace and justice at us, more war, injustices and, more harm to poor. We respond by more information, more groups, and more competition for money. Divide and conquer has been a tool of the rich and powerful for many years. Issues of justice and peace become more distractions for us and a source of people losing interest or just moving from issue to issue.

Diversity in Unity, working together, is a powerful tool for change. Diversity of organization working on same or diverse issues weakens our ability. Can we just work together with fewer issues at one time but with more nonviolent power for real change? Diversity is good but this diversity is obstacle to unity.

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