SINGING FOR CHANGE

Christian recording artist TOBYMAC sees his role differently than do his peers in pop and rock music. He considers his prestigious career as a chance to connect with everyday people from all walks of life, so others can become aware of the injustices in this world and the causes. His commitment to breaking down racial barriers has become a passion with him.

The ERACE Foundation (Eliminating Racism and Creating Equality) was the product of nearly four years of heart-felt brainstorming by dc talk members tobyMac, Michael Tait and Kevin Max. In 1997, after dc Talk participated in the Racial Reconciliation Rally celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Integration of Little Rock High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, they hit the road in 1998 on the ERACE Tour, which was the national kickoff for their non-profit organization.

Years later, while embarking on his solo career, rapper-singer tobyMac met gospel artist Kirk Franklin at a Billy Graham Crusade. They found that they shared the vision of encouraging communities across the country toward racial harmony. They also agreed that they were both very uncomfortable with the color barrier that exists between Christians. They longed for the "Beautiful Community" that Martin Luther King, Jr. had once envisioned.

With the words of MLK's speech "I Have a Dream" resonating in their hearts, Franklin and tobyMac teamed up to break down the walls of discrimination and racism. The two artists, hoping to educate young people in the principles of King's dream during concerts, embarked on "I Have a Dream—the Tour," which visited 15 cities in 2002.

"It has been an awesome experience for me to travel around the country on a tour bus rich in diversity," tobyMac says. "We have rich, poor, black, white, Republican and Democrat on the bus, and we have learned so much from each other. We have come to realize that we have so much more in common than we do differences. It takes getting out of our comfort zones and getting into relationships with people who are different than us to achieve King"s dream of a "Beloved Community.'"

Since the tour, tobyMac has been involved in the Board of ERACE and actively involved in many ERACE events like the MLK Unity Breakfast, MLK March, and ERACE All-Star Night. Recent and upcoming events with ERACE include diversity seminars at colleges and at high schools during Black History Month, a Community Workshop on Diversity in the Franklin, Tennessee, and the Fourth Annual Cinco De Mayo Festival: "A Celebration of Cultures," which was a combined effort of ERACE, the City of Franklin, and La Casa De Mi Padre Church.

"In the 1960s, legal segregation was ended but the separation between the races did not end," tobyMac points out. "Sociologists are saying by the year 2020 there will no longer be a white majority among those 18 and younger — but there are not many places today where we can dialogue about race in a diverse setting. Nearly all churches are made up of the same race. 90% of us live in neighborhoods made up of people just like us. It is also very rare to have someone of a different race over to our house for dinner."

This is one of the reasons why the ERACE Foundation was formed. "There's plenty of monologue going on," tobyMac explains, "but an ERACE event helps to create a dialogue. People are finding that we have a great need for each other and we can learn so much from each other. Rather than dividing over our differences, we should be learning from them and celebrating them."

ERACE has three primary objectives: to increase awareness of racial issues, to find solutions, and to call people to action. "Knowledge without action is empty," says tobyMac. "We must take action to truly bring about unity. Social issues will not begin to take care of themselves. Christians must act affirmatively."

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