Religious Denominations Band Together Issuing Joint Call To End Racism

A broad coalition of U.S. religious leaders has issued a statement caning racism "an evil that must be eradicated from the institutional structures that shape our daily lives, including our houses of worship."

The endorsers represented, among others, the National Congress of Black Churches, the Southern Baptist Convention, Roman Catholic bishops, the National Council of Churches, the Greek Orthodox archdiocese, Judaism's three major branches, national Muslim organizations and Native American religions.

The participating groups have long voiced their opposition to racial prejudice, but they rarely act jointly on social issues.

The interfaith National Conference for Community and Justice, which organized the effort in response to a call from President Clinton, released a directory of 27 religious programs among the denominations working for racial inclusiveness. The group also issued specific guidelines to help local congregations and religious organizations foster racial justice.

In a press release from the White House, the President stated: "It is only through work such as this that our nation will truly come to know both racial reconciliation-truly be One America."