Diversity policy supporters to hold prayer meetng Monday

Supporters of Wake County's old diversity policy are calling for a day of mass prayer on Monday at Raleigh's Pullen Memorial Baptist Church to "promote school excellence, stop resegregation."

In a press release, the Rev. Nancy Petty, Pullen's senior pastor, announced  that the public prayer meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at her church. The meeting will be held after a 3 p.m. clergy summit at Raleigh's Martin Street Baptist Church that will be led by the Rev. Earl Johnson, that church's pastor, and Petty.

Monday was chosen because it's the 39th anniversary of when Raleigh began to aggressively integrate its schools.

Under threat from federal education officials, the Raleigh City School System took multiple steps in 1971 to bring more black students into white schools. For instance, Ligon High School, which was largely serving black students, was turned into a junior high and many of its students were reassigned to what had essentially been white high schools.

"For people of faith, prayer has always been crucial to the work of social justice," according to the press release. "Now, more than ever, we must be faithful in not only working for justice but praying for justice. And so we gather on August 30 to pray that our community and our elected leaders will stand up and speak out for ALL our children."