Collective Liberation Means We Belong to Each Other
Every form of oppression is connected - do not allow them to convince you otherwise:
the decimation of Palestine, plunder of Congo, relentless atrocities in Sudan, silencing of dissent, not only in the U.S.,
but worldwide,
persistent anti-blackness,
the stripping of healthcare and voting rights from those who are most vulnerable,
unrepentant hate for our LGBTQ+ siblings,
the banning of books because those in power seek to bury what makes uncomfortable.
the dismissal of disabled bodies,
the weaponization of Christianity, and an array of religions restricting freedom instead of rooting in collective liberation.
The surrender to spiritual bypassing and descent into blind patriotism.
Matthew 20:16 comes to mind again and again > “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” It is the way of our faith tradition to overturn what world systems normalize genocide, profits - always - over people.
Now is not time to retreat into the comfort of pews, but to proclaim, without shame:
For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. Isaiah 61:8
I am currently reading Timothy Synder’s powerful book, On Tyranny, Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, and
he says many things which we must all wrestle with, including these words:
“Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.”
Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of political parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. DO NOT FALL FOR IT.”
As I finish typing these words I hear the singer Paolo Nutini calling us to awaken ~
“Mass confusion spoon fed to the blind serves now to define our cold society from which we'll rise
over love,
over hate from this iron sky
that’s fast becoming our minds
OVER fear and into FREEDOM.
You just got to hold on!
You just got to hold on!”
Ways to Take Action for Collective Liberation and Learning:
Take Action with Jewish Voice for Peace to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, $12 billion on arms sales to Israel (as they just shattered the ceasefire agreement, and more). Donate to grassroots orgs. on the ground in Palestine (thank you Jewish Voice for Peace). Support and learn from Christ at the Checkpoint and Christians for a Free Palestine and check out their upcoming events. Read Mahmoud Khalil’s letter to the world published within In These Times.
Health Care is a Human Right: register for the April Nonviolent Medicaid Army Saturday School of Struggle - the second part of a 2-part series on Medicaid: Political Organizing on Medicaid. You can also invite people via the Facebook event - but they do have to register to receive zoom information.
Keep using the app and website 5 calls to speak up on a range of issues, protection of Medicaid, our LGBTQ+ siblings, voting rights, disability rights, etc., simply enter your zip code and your reps will come up along with a script.
Congolese children and families, who mine the cobalt and coltan which powers our cell phones and other electronic devices, pick through rubble for these precious mineral (you can about it here on @congofriends). “Approximately six million people have been killed since 1996, and more than six million people remain internally displaced in eastern DRC, journalist Shola Lawal, writes in A Guide to the Decades Long Conflict in the DRC. Supporting organizations like Friends of the Congo and IHeartAfrica.org is an act of community care.
Sudanese writer and digital creator, Tysir Salih, raises awareness through her Instagram page and other writing about the ongoing civil war there (which is the largest displacement on earth), along with organizations doing work on the ground to assist children and families like Sudanese American Physicians Association.
Every day, the U.N. tells us, 1 in 10 children in Gaza looses a limb. Heal Palestine is helping these children by providing the support for surgeries and prosthetic limbs. Through their core pillars – Health, Education, Aid, and Leadership – “HEAL Palestine aims not only to meet the basic needs of Palestinian children, but to empower them to meet their full potential.