Advertisement
Reborn to serve abundant life for all
Adam Dyer discusses the removal of historical monuments.
These monuments are celebrations of the success of white supremacy. Of course we want them torn down.
The one statue that could remain is the one depicting the person who succeeded in making sure that the Constitution didn’t protect slavery; along with the one of the person that guaranteed votes for all people in the US from the start regardless of race or gender; as well, the statue of the person who prevented the violent removal of Native people from their land . . .
Oh right, there are no such sculptures, because those people didn’t exist. (spirituwellness, June 22)
Joanna Fontaine Crawford notices the parallels between current practices in the Texas legislature, and that of white Texans after the Emancipation became official.
It was 900 days between the Emancipation Proclamation becoming official, and the news getting to Texas. . . .
How much evil can be done in 900 days? How much injustice?
The answer to “How long?” has often been answered by Texas with “Just a little longer.”
Justice delayed is justice denied. May Juneteenth be for white Texans a day of shame and repentance. (Boots and Blessings, June 19)
Dan Harper reminds us that many important battles are fought in local politics.
If you’re healthy enough to go to protests, by all means go. But anyone who cares about anti-racism and unjust policing also has to commit to being involved in local politics. And, based on my experience, joining your local branch of the NAACP is a good place to start influencing local politics. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, June 23)
Gretchen Haley thinks about all the cops she knows—and discovered uncomfortable parallels between them and her own role as a minister.
Especially in these days of pandemic—where everything we’ve ever known about what church means requires re-thinking—I live aware that it is possible that the whole thing needs to die in order to be reborn in a form that could truly serve abundant life for ALL. . . .
We have to remember that the Church is what we thought up as a way to God. But it’s not God. Just like policing is a way to protect and serve a community. Not protecting and serving itself. (Facebook, June 25)
Karen Hering invites us to notice the ground beneath our feet as we begin this journey to a radically changed world.
In the uncertainties of this time of both pandemic and uprising, we are all asked to join a journey on unfamiliar paths toward unknown destinations. Not only is it a journey that can only be taken a day at a time. It is also a journey that cannot be taken alone. Day by day, we are asked to begin from the sacred ground beneath our feet, recognizing that the wellbeing of each one of us is, and always has been, intricately interwoven with the wellbeing of all of us. (Karen Hering, June 22)
Liz James, while leading music for a Pride service, found herself wondering if Pride’s wide welcome included her.
And then, suddenly, the question wasn’t about whether the timing is right for poly people yet. The question wasn’t about who the world is ready to make room for. Because the thing I’ve learned from every fight for acceptance is that people can’t learn to accept what they can’t see. So waiting to come out of the shadows until there’s a place set for you at the table is never going to work.
Suddenly, I wasn’t powerlessly waiting. Suddenly, it felt like it was about my choices, and what room I carve for myself. What room I carve for the people I love.
That’s a much easier question. (Facebook, June 22)
Endings and beginnings
Nine years ago, I began writing this column. I lived in Alaska, and blog-reading was my way to learn about Unitarian Universalism. In the years since then, I’ve had two children, moved twice, served in parish ministry, and discovered a new sense of call.
This fall, I will begin a master’s program in clinical mental health counseling at Western Washington University, here in Bellingham. At the same time, UU World is adjusting to a new publishing schedule. As Gretchen Haley said, sometimes one thing has to die in order for a new thing to be born.
These are strange times we are living in—an entire globe in limbo, waiting for what’s next. Power rests in the hands of the few, and it will take all of us working together to turn the world away from tyranny. I’m in. Are you?
Editors’ Note: We are immensely grateful to Heather for her work on the Interdependent Web. Over the years she has expanded the voices we hear, seeking out those who are quiet or less prolific. Week in and week out, she combed through hundreds of blog posts, Facebook posts, and the occasional YouTube video to select a handful of excerpts to challenge, comfort, and delight readers. We wish her the very best in her new endeavors.