THE CHURCH, TRANSPORTATION, AND RACE: Education, involvement, and advocacy in the transportation industry by churches for the benefit of Dallas’ Black community

The American transportation industry is an amalgamation of policy, planning, infrastructure, funding, contracting, employment, economic development, legislative enactments, modes [transit, rail air], and roads, highways, and bridges. Each of these components affects the daily lives of ordinary people in multiple ways, including, but not limited to, employment, education, health care, recreation, and finances. Historically, the industry has ignored, jeopardized, and adversely affected Black people, neighborhoods, and communities. Quality of life, as related to transportation, in Black communities has not been and is not now on par with that in white communities. Nevertheless, if one observes the industry, one is hard pressed to find the presence of either the Church as a whole or individual congregations. This dissertation’s purpose is to change that dynamic and encourage Black churches and the Church at large to intervene in and interact with the industry as a powerful advocacy resource for Black people and the Black community. The theory is that the Church should not countenance racial discrimination in the transportation industry in any manner. The theological foundation for this assertion is Micah 6:8 and Matthew 22:37-40; that is, justice, mercy, and love. In Micah’s prophecy, God requires believers to love mercy, do justice, and walk with the Lord. None of those admonitions are lived out, as to transportation, if race is a constantly adverse and discriminatory factor. Moreover, transportation inequity does not show love. Rather, it says that some are less than others and not entitled to the full benefits of a just society.