The carpetbaggers have finally discovered Jena. In light of the recent racial problems providing headlines for a controversy-hungry media, visitors with agendas are attempting to paint the city as the most racist, depraved, and ignorant place in America. Their hope is to influence the case involving “The Jena Six,” the six young black boys arrested for attempted second degree murder for allegedly beating a young white boy at Jena High School. A series of what appear to be racially connected events are being used to exert pressure on the LaSalle Parish District Attorney to drop the charges. These “outsiders” are combing the city in search of proof that Jena is such a morally and economically depressed area that the charges must be inherently motivated by prejudice. Although racism and bigotry exist in Jena, just as it does in every city, large or small, in America and beyond, the facts simply do not support such innuendo.

For the period 1999 to 2001, the average poverty rate in Louisiana was 17.5%, which placed it 50th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, ranked lowest to highest. The Mississippi Delta is one of the most impoverished areas in the United States. Jena is actually a bright light in the midst of that economic darkness. According to data released by the US Census Bureau, in 2000, the median household income was $30,219. LaSalle Parish as a whole was $30,470, which ranks it among the highest in Central Louisiana, ahead of Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, Natchitoches, and Winn Parishes. Only Grant and Rapides Parishes scored higher in the region. The unemployment rate has gone from approximately 5% to 3% in the last few years as businesses, including a new Super Wal-Mart, have boosted the area economy. “Help Wanted” signs hang in many windows of area businesses. According to a source at the local Wal-Mart, there are sixty more jobs waiting for anyone who can pass a drug test.

Educationally, Jena High School ranked near the top hundred, at 102, in performance for all high schools in the state in 2002. These rankings are based on the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program for the 21st Century (LEAP 21) and the Graduation Exit Examination for the 21st Century (GEE 21) provided by Louisiana Department of Education. The scores have improved each year since. On group performance scores in the 2005-06 school year, LaSalle Parish scored 95.6, almost six points above the state average of 89.9.

Despite the progress, the cruel sisters of bigotry and prejudice remain as a legacy in the South. Jena has not escaped its clutches; yet the future here is brighter than ever before. Government mandated programs and public education have helped awaken our citizens to social injustices, but we can’t go any further without dealing with the hearts and souls of our people. Political and educational leadership must be accompanied with spiritual leadership if Jena is going to overcome the stealth racism that plagues our country. The ministers in our community must shake the pews of our churches with the thunderous Voice of Heaven: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!