Editorial April 2, 1990 Issue

Reconciliation and healing

Ann Kenrick

Sometimes in the midst of the cruelest human tragedies, a light breaks through and healing begins to occur. Then there comes a measure of reconciliation. This happened in Boston earlier this year, after the whole city had been caught up in a real-life drama that occupied the newspaper headlines and television news for weeks.

In the course of an apparent robbery, an expectant mother was shot and she and her baby died. It caused the community to do a lot of self-examination. At first, the surviving husband said that the couple had been assaulted by a person of another race. But later, when further details were reported, and the husband became the prime suspect, many felt victimized by the racial stereotypes and fears that had been raised by this tragic event.

Many people in the community turned to God in prayer to find ways to bring healing and reconciliation to this city and its people. Then in a truly profound gesture, the family of the young mother announced that they were setting up a scholarship fund in her name. This fund will provide opportunities for the neediest students—in the very neighborhood that was most maligned by the racial stereotypes—to pursue a college education. This generous gesture by the grieving family has touched the whole community.

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