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Adam Russell Taylor I remember the flood of emotions I felt almost a year ago when I heard that the major news networks were calling the 2020 election results: overwhelming relief and renewed hope. Far beyond a victory for then-to-become President Joe Biden, it felt like a victory for our democracy — and an imperative to resuscitate, revitalize, and reinvent that democracy. Fast forward a year: I’m filled with a festering weariness and escalating heartache. My wife has challenged me to share more about my personal story and perspective, which is firmly rooted in my experience as an African American husband, father, and ordained minister. And with that lens, I want to be vulnerable: I am filled with righteous anger by the state of our union. I’m also deeply weary of the gaslighting — of being told that the growing attacks on our democracy are overblown or simply political theater. I am tired because I have seen my Black siblings bear the disproportionate brunt of violence, COVID-19 infections and deaths, poverty, discriminatory laws and practices, inequity in schools, health care, and housing. The list could go on. One year ago, Black voters played a decisive role in voting out a president who didn’t believe that their lives fully mattered and who posed an existential threat to our nation’s democracy. We showed up. With our votes, we called for the end to systemic racism, including in the policing and criminal justice system. We called for real and lasting protections to voting rights and for economic policies that prioritize racial justice and equity. We called for what many have referred to as a third reconstruction. But what have we heard in the year since then?
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Our Latest Libraries Are Tools for Revolution (by Matthew Vega) Libraries can be tools for spreading radical imagination, whether through abolitionist or biblical texts. The lower courts had ruled the California hospital discriminated against a transgender patient. A Hymn for God's People Amid Climate Change (by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette) We see the great heat waves and storms at their worst. ‘It’s Good to be Back,’ Biden Says of Vatican Meeting With Francis (by Madison Muller) Francis and Biden met to discuss climate, ahead of the U.N.'s climate conference. |
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From the Magazine Working Through to the Early Hours (by Sandy Ovalle Martínez) Is this the price we must pay for entrance into delight, rest, or relationships? |
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Job Opening: Full-Time Senior Minister First Parish in Lincoln, Mass. mid-sized congregation with wide range of faith backgrounds from traditional Christian to Humanist, seeks inspiring speaker, caring pastor, and energetic collaborator eager to nurture growth/diversity and take active part in community life. Ordination required. Inquiries/applications due by December 10. Read more on sojo.net: Contemplative Justice: How Turning Inward Helped My Outward Action “In practicing surrender daily, I began experiencing God in a way that infused a stronger sense of justice, mercy, and compassion without feeling overwhelmed by the work. By going inward, I was able to reach further outward. How is that possible? ReWire helped me make contemplation a daily practice.” Salt of the Earth: A Series on African American Spirituality How did Black Catholic women answer the call to serve others in the face of discrimination? Join Cranaleith Spiritual Center on November 13 for the final installment of a three-part exploration of the Christian faith as lived by African Americans. |
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