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My father was a Marine before I was born and served as a reservist until I was around 5 years old. I loved the dress uniform decorating my father’s trim frame and his handsome dark skin and dark eyes peering from underneath his cap. What I did not like were the room inspections and summer workouts he subjected his daughters to, but that’s a story for another time. Though I’m the daughter of a Marine and great-great-granddaughter of once-enslaved people, I still get chills when I see photos of Black men in Union uniforms from the Civil War, the way I imagine my ancestors did in the 1860s. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news,” the Apostle Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah after asking, “How can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15). If you’ve been taught about Juneteenth at all, the common telling is that President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation pronounced freedom for all enslaved people in states that had seceded from the Union, but that Black Texans weren’t informed until June 19, 1865 — two and a half years later. The delay is sometimes blamed on distance and limited communication or the idea that enslavers weren't inclined to comply with the law. While these may have been contributing factors, these explanations obscure why the Black residents of Galveston, Texas, actually celebrated the first Juneteenth — and obscures how that celebration still speaks to us today.
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Our Latest When a Pipeline Is a Threat to Earth, Water, and Sacred Spaces (by Gina Ciliberto) Why Ojibwe people and their allies, including faith leaders, are protesting plans for Line 3 pipeline. Navigating a White Evangelical World In This Brown, Indian Body (by Amar D. Peterman) How Asian American Christians are rejecting oversimplified narratives and crafting new ones through arts, culture, and politics. How Solomon’s Garden Became a Weapon in the Fight for East Jerusalem (by Joshua Eaton) In a Palestinian neighborhood near the Temple Mount, some want to dig up the past — and control the future. Dear Ethiopian Christians, Our Faith Does Not Condone Genocide (by Temesgen Kahsay) The Jesus many Ethiopian leaders follow apparently never said “blessed are the peacemakers,” or “love thy enemies.” |
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From the Magazine How To Give Away Your Church—and Fight Gentrification at the Same Time (by Amanda Huron) The process of giving away La Casa was both highly logical and deeply mystical. |
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White People Talking to White People About Racism Join The Invitation podcast’s summer series, a reading of Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance & Repair. Buy the book from a Black-owned bookstore. Gather friends. Read, listen, discuss, pray, and discern action with pastors, activists, and scholars! El Camino: Sermons on the way to a robust understanding of immigration We invite you to read or listen to our collection of sermons and reflections from faith leaders who are shaping the way we think about immigration, accompany our communities, and advocate for just immigration policies. |
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