The state NAACP is lining up more non-Evangelical Christian groups to oppose the Wake County school board majority's elimination of the socioeconomic diversity policy.

As noted in today's Durham News religion column by Flo Johnston, a group calling itself the  Concerned Clergy of Durham plans to release a statement Friday in opposition to the changes being planned in Wake County. They're following up on the actions of the Wake County Clergy Coalition.

“We need to be more active, not sitting around twiddling our thumbs while the potential for re-segregation is coming into play again," said the Rev. Marilyn Hedgpeth, an associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Durham. "I hope we have learned from our past not to go there again."

CORRECTION

Changed to show that Barber's denomination is part of the Disciples of Christ International. Link also changed for denomination website.

The Wake County Clergy Coalition has released the list of clergy who signed the petition calling on the school board to postpone Tuesday's vote on the community schools resolution.

In a press release today, the group said that 21 clergy had signed the petition on Thursday. Another 12 clergy e-mailed their signatures to the coalition.

While some of you guys object to the characterization, you can tell that the vast majority of signatures are not from Evangelical houses of worship.

In addition to Monday night's candlelight vigil, the Wake County Clergy Coalition is calling on the Wake County school board to hold off on Tuesday's vote on the community-based school assignment resolution.

In a press release this morning, the group announced that more than 20 ministers, priests and rabbis had signed a petition Thursday calling on the school board to postpone Tuesday's vote. The group calls on the board not to make a change before conducting a "civil study," but at the end of the day they're saying the study should show that the diversity policy needs to be kept.

"As they lead to re-segregation, we consider the proposed changes to go against the basic principles of our faith, to be contrary to the Bible’s tradition of compassion and care for all our children, and consider them to be opposed to our religion’s teachings on social justice," according to the press release.