The High Road Starts Out on Common Ground

A few months ago, Democratic state Sen. Art Torres gave a speech that still has me thinking. He spoke about the tensions among L.A. residents in the wake of last spring’s riots. He also talked about what binds Latinos, blacks, Asians, Anglos and others together.

Torres talked about “common ground.”

That day, he didn’t sound like a man smarting from his electoral loss to Gloria Molina. He sounded like someone concerned for his city. What impressed me most about the 22-minute speech was where and how Torres delivered it.

The grandson of a Baptist missionary to Mexico, Torres spoke before an overflow crowd at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest black church in L.A. He sounded more like a preacher from South-Central than an East L.A. politician. If he was uncomfortable about appearing before a religious, non-Latino audience, it didn’t show.

His speech attracted some news media attention at the time. But his message was important enough that I want to share some of it with you in this space, especially since this is the time of year to take stock of such matters.

“This church is steeped in the history of America. Of taking God’s word to those most in need, not by shaking them into submission, not by damning them, but by showing them the way. Church and God are integral to our lives and social, political and public responsibilities are God’s work. They are linked arm-in-arm in a vision that cannot be swayed.

“We are here united to begin the process of healing, to build a new city on the hill . . . on common ground.

“But my community is angry, frustrated and hurting.

“Just a few years ago, we wanted a (Latino) president at Cal State L.A. and we didn’t get one. But Dr. (James) Rosser came and we embraced him because we know that as an African-American, he would listen to us. And he has.

“We thought that one of our own might be selected as president for Cal State Northridge. (Former school board member) Julian Nava applied (but was) rejected. We had to regroup.

“We had hoped to have one of our own to become the next police chief of Los Angeles. We had qualified candidates but again, one of our own was not selected. But Willie Williams was, and we welcomed him with Latino leaders . . . to say to him, ‘You are part of our community and we will work with you.’

“I bring this history not to create new tensions, but to let you know what my people are feeling. We must move on beyond our disappointments to what we can achieve walking together as Jesus asks us to do.”

“The poverty of Los Angeles affects all of us. In South-Central Los Angeles and in Koreatown, the average income is $18,000 (a year). This is one-half of the statewide average of $36,000. Black, brown, yellow . . . common ground.

“Thirty percent of all the people who live in South-Central Los Angeles live below the poverty level. Black, brown, yellow . . . common ground.

“People walk our streets homeless every day. Black, brown, yellow, poor white . . . common ground.

“We are served by a mediocre health care system that fails to meet our needs. Black, brown, yellow . . . common ground.”

“But now we begin the hard work. . . . We must recognize that we have a power more glorious than hate. We have a power more glorious than jealousy. We have a common ground in the Koran, in the Bible, in Buddha, and that power is love. Pure and simple love.

“We must begin our common ground today and approach it with love as Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists. It will require leadership. It will require sacrifice. It can be done. It must be done.

“Is the spark of God within us or not?

“Jesus said, ‘As ye believe, it shall be done unto you.’

“If our belief is limited, the measure of our good is limited.

“If your life is not what you want it to be, if your illusion is not what you want to see, change it! Change it! Instead of concentrating on what is different among us, we must choose to concentrate on what is common among us.

“This is the purpose of our existence . . . to glorify God in us, as us, through us.

“And this is our highest common ground.”

The journalists who heard Torres’ speech reported that the news in it was the proposed creation of a think tank operated by ethnic minority academics, researchers and others to help shape L.A.’s future.

I keep thinking about God and common ground.