BISHOP BRYANT IS JOINED BY U.S. REP. MAXINE WATERS, THE REV.JESSE JACKSON AND A CADRE OF COMMUNITY LEADERS AT ECUMENICAL RALLY TO KEEP KING/DREW TRAUMA UNIT OPEN
LOS ANGELES - (November 16, 2004) - The Rt. Rev.John R. Bryant drew a resounding ovation from the standing-room-only crowd at Macedonia Baptist Church in Watts when he said the infusion of the Holy Spirit into the King/Drew debate - like a jolt of electricity from a defibrillator - can keep health care in South Los Angeles from "flat-lining."
"If you love the Lord," Bryant admonished, "you must march, fight, protest, organize.... You've got to put your love to work....You've got to put your love on the line and declare, 'Here I stand'.... You must stop taking 'no' for an answer and understand that you serve a God who majors in 'yes!'"
The impassioned plea from the presiding prelate of the A.M.E. churches west of the Mississippi River came on the day that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was to meet to determine the fate of the King/Drew Trauma Unit.
Bryant was joined by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, Compton Mayor Eric J. Perridon, Los Angeles City Council members Janice Hahn (CD-15), Martin Ludlow (CD-10) and Bernard Parks (CD-8), and a cadre of religious and community leaders andconcerned citizens, including the Rt. Rev. Henry M. Williamson, Bryant's counterpart in the C.M.E. Church. In a surprise visit, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, provided both the historical and contemporary context of the fight for King/Drew.
The former presidential candidate began by honoring the Rt. Rev. H. Hartford Brookins, retired bishop of the A.M.E. Church, and leaders like him who were instrumental in moving the Black community of Los Angeles beyond the riots of the 1960s. Jackson the quickly moved to the passage of a multi-million dollar bond measure designed to raise the funds to keep L.A. County trauma units like King/Drew operational.
The minority community "voted disproportionately for the bond for the County's trauma units," Jackson said in his signature "call-and-response" style. "They took the people who voted most for the bond for trauma - who had the most trauma - and took your money to build a trauma center downtown where there is no trauma, just drama," Jackson remarked, referencing the final stages of a new trauma center at California Hospital Medical Center in downtown L.A.
As she promoted the event at area churches the day before, Waters touted King/Drew's close proximity to Los Angeles International Airport as another of the array of reasons why the Trauma Unit must remain open. "It's a matter of Homeland Security," she explained. "LAX is the nation's third busiest airport. In the event of a terrorist attack there, the injured would go to King/Drew. This hospital is broadly recognized for providing excellent care to critically injured patients. Where will they go if there is no King/Drew?"
The eight-term Congresswoman added that she was heartened by the number of anecdotes she's heard from Los Angeles residents who know of a loved one, colleague or friend who was saved by the expertise of King/Drew's dedicated physicians. Some residents, she said, went so far as totearfully display the scars from their King/Drew surgeries which literally saved their lives. Stories like those are why Waters has pledged to make the sound operation of King/Drew the "top priority" of her new congressional term.
Waters also commended the Rev. Leslie R. White, pastor of Grant A.M.E. Church, for his help in mounting a massive letter-writing and petition campaign and for opening the doors of Watts'largest church for planning meetings, rallies and for community prayer. "Rev. White is a powerful voice for the voiceless," Waters told Grant's parishioners, moments before White broached the issue of the hospital during his Sunday sermon. "I am honored to stand with him as we resolve to keep King/Drew open and working to meet the health care needs of our community."
Resurrected from the ashes of the race riots of the 1960s and opened in March 1972, King/Drew Medical Center is named for the quintessential civil rights leader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, and famed physician Dr. Charles Drew. The hospital treats some 45,000 patients each year- nearly early 5 percent of which are severely injured, maimed or wounded - while serving 1.5 million people in a 94-square-mile swath of Los Angeles County.
The Rev. William R. Johnson, presiding elder of the Compton-area C.M.E. churches, said it would be a "disgrace" if Los Angeles - with one of the largest minority populations in the nation - wasunable to sustain a hospital so aptly named. Like Johnson, for many in attendance the possibleclosure of the Trauma Unit is viewed as the beginning of the end of the Medical Center tself. "The Trauma Center is what brings the world-class doctors and nurses from around the globe," explained L.A. Councilman Martin Ludlow (CD-10). "By closing the Center, the Board of Supervisors would be closing the one thing that works right at King/Drew."
Recalling the days when the Black Church was the community leader on social, political and economic matters at the height of the Civil Rights era, the Rev. Reginald Pope of Los Angeles vowed that the trauma unit wouldn't be closed without out a fight. "What we've fought to gain, we must fight to maintain," he said.
Beyond powerful preaching, the event featured the spirited Community Singers and participation by religious leaders of various faiths, creeds and languages. The truly multicultural event left Compton police-officer-turned-mayor Eric J. Perrodin encouraged. "It's good to look into the pulpit and see Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests, Baptist and Methodist ministers all fighting for one cause," said Perrodin. "With the Lord on your side, nothing else can go wrong."
To be a part of the effort to keep the King/Drew Trauma Center open, contact the Church Office at 323-564-1151.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters may be contacted through her staff member, April Lawrence, at 323.727-8900 or via e-mail at, SaveKingDrew@yahoo.com
Photos are available by contacting Rev. Kevin T. Taylor at revkttaylor@hotmail.com
Archive of The Christian Recorder Online from 2004-2016; Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
