Religious Intolerance for Wiccans in the Face of Victory

It has come to my attention from a friend, who is a Pagan by self-description, but supports others in their religious pursuits and championing of Freedom of Religious practice in the United States, that the San Francisco Chronicle, a trusted Bay Area news source with decades of longevity, has posted a very offensive article regarding a court decision to hire a full-time Wiccan Chaplain in California.

I have never seen (recently, anyway) a more stereotypical, uneducated and biased, nor politically incorrect and insensitive, understanding of Wiccans from a trusted news source that was not an Op-Ed column (Editorial Opinion). As we have many practicing Wiccans within the FOI and TOI, I felt our memberships should know about this. I urge you to blog about it, contact the Senior Editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, and cc Debra Saunders herself--the author of the column. While I understand it could be her way of gaining attention through negativity, and putting a stamp next to her name--this sort of intolerance/misinformation cannot go unnoticed, as it shadows the victory for Wiccans everywhere, especially those seeking religious connection and rehabilitation through their spirituality inside our prison system.

When I was working at Native Youth Alliance in my late teens and early 20's, we went into the Federal Prison System in Manchester, KY, and Schuylkill, PA, and were the first organization to work with the chaplains there to provide Native brothers with their Freedom Of Religion, by holding pow-wows, prayer vigils, and building a sweat lodge within prison grounds for their religious purpose and use. Only certain inmates could participate in the program, and were required to maintain a high standard of behavior in order to attend the events. In Manchester alone, there were 20-30 inmates at our first pow-wow inside.

Our goal was to give them back their traditional roots, and while it was met with somewhat sour expectations and frowned upon in the traditional Native communities at the time, we rehabilitated many of those men who went on to lead productive, crime-free lives after they were released. I still come into contact with people to this day that were in the program, or know someone who was in the program--and every story has been a positive one. My fellow writer and friend, Owl Goingback, sees a few them at pow-wow all the time.

Back then, I was never sure I was doing the right thing, but when one is called, you can only do what feels right. The hard-core Traditionals were concerned about having the drum inside such a negative place--the heartbeat of the earth--but we believed in balance, and in this connection to earth through heartbeat, song, and bonding principals with spirit, could and did create some positive in an otherwise negative place. The authorities and prison officials mocked and smirked at us as we went in, and the chaplains were forging new ground at a time when a "freedom" such as religion might not have been tolerated otherwise--both inside and outside. The wardens were a step above everyone else. It made a difference to Native communities far and wide.

Reading this article on the court victory for hiring a Wiccan Chaplain was bittersweet for me; I was so happy about the decision to see that very base freedom being exercised...and at the same time so very sad that the very root of intolerance, laughing in the face of justice, was slapping me in the face with every word I read. The imbedded title in the URL alone says it all: "Does this broomstick go with my prison stripes?"

Please inform others. Knowledge is power in the face of adversity. If we cannot educate one person--such as Debra Saunders--we passively agree to let the San Francisco Chronicle's tens of thousands of online readers believe that the word "Wiccan" is synonymous with a portrayal of a 1970's sitcom called Bewitched.

Letters to the Editors may be made via web form here - but it is better addressed directly to those on the mastiff - all of them - and be sure to cc the Assistant to the Ex. Editor and VP, who is likely to escalate it to her boss much faster than all of them put together:

Blot, Jennifer Administration -- Assistant to Executive Editor & VP

Bushee, Ward Executive, Administration -- Executive Vice President & Editor

Cooper, Audrey Editorial -- Deputy Managing Editor

Mina, Frank Editorial Management -- Assistant Managing Editor

In the Harmony of Isis, with the Justice of Anubis, and the Watchful Eyes of Wadjet,

Rev. Rain Graves
Priestess | Temple of Isis & Fellowship of Isis