The arc of the universe bends towards justice.-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Price Recipient
As we continue through this uprising for justice & peace in the midst of a global pandemic, I pray each of you remains well. Please stay resolved in your commitment to safeguarding your loved ones and yourself while the situation with COVID-19 continues.
Ongoing realities of social upheaval and dynamic efforts for reshaping the world we inhabit, have provoked my imagination and mobilized my innermost being to join in the birthing of a more just society. For me, such birthing must begin by naming what is seen before me, then tearing it down either literally or metaphorically; this is my attempt at this…
One of the things that certainly needs to be torn down, is the ongoing reality in our society that we have been collectively taught — both consciously & unconsciously — that we should strive for passivity with as little regard for the world around us as possible. The only exceptions to societal encouragement of passivity being election years or the occasional feel good charity campaigns, which only really produce larger bank accounts for Philanthropists. This is not the way of Jesus, yet we claim to be a “Christian Nation”, nor is this the way of any prophet who has inhabited this realm, including the prophets of our times: Toni Morrison, Dorothy Day, Dan & Philip Berrigan, Fred Hampton, and many others.
Despite this societal promotion of passiveness or docile demeanor, many prophets have risen up with great boldness and a courageous audacity to embody the radical message of the saints of old, who confronted social systems that undermined the inherent worth of each person, and Mother Earth.
