Social Justice Saturday: What About Reparations?

There has long been talk about reparations our country needs to make to “re-pair” the inhumanity and damage done to black people, beginning with over two centuries of enslavement and continual racist policies. What exactly are reparations? Why are reparations controversial?

Here are two contemporary voices that address these questions.

Anthony Bogues, from the Choices Program, Brown University

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, speaking at the Brookings Institute

Social Justice Saturday: Reflections on Mother's Day

St. John’s sponsored an enthusiastic team of walkers for the Louis D. Brown Walk for Peace, and raised over the pledged amount for this important local organization. In doing so, they reflected the original vision for Mother’s Day. 

Walk for Peace 1.jpg

 Julia Ward Howe, who wrote "Battle Hymn of the Republic," first imagined a “Mothers Day.”  Her call, in 1870, after witnessing the brutality and pain of the Civil War, was to urge women to act for peace. She wanted women to come together across national lines, to recognize what women hold in common above what divides them, and commit to finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts.  As she wrote:

 Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn

All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.

We, the women of one country,

Will be too tender of those of another country

To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

If we want to truly celebrate and honor women, we would do well to draw on the sentiments that led to the establishment of such a day—that all women are valuable, that women on various sides of political issues or on various sides of a border have more in common than they hold in differences. Such sentiments are core to the success of the annual Walk for Peace.

 

Social Justice Saturday - Join us for the 2021 Mother's Day Walk for Peace

Learn more about the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute:

Darin Howell's Peace

Institute Story

How does the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute impact people's lives? Here the story of Darin Howell and why he walked to support the Peace Institute in 2018.

Darin Howell Shares his story

JOIN US FOR THE MOTHER’S DAY WALK FOR PEACE!

Mother’s Day is a week from this Sunday! It’s also the day for the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace. The St John’s walk team will be walking locally in small groups of family or friends. (Walking is encouraged, but not required.) You can follow this link to register (or make a donation to the walk as a part of the St John’s walk team):

http://tinyurl.com/MDwalkreg

When you register select St John’s Church Jamaica Plain from the “credit this event to a fundraiser” drop down menu at the bottom of the online registration form.

pic.jpg

St John’s has set a goal of raising $1500 and we are about halfway to reaching our goal.

Those who register will receive information on activities they can do every day between now and Mother’s Day to support their mental health and to build support for the Walk and the Peace Institute.

We look forward to walking with you (virtually) and appreciate your continued support for the work of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute.

Signed,

Members of the St John’s Social Justice Team

Social Justice Saturday: What Racism Costs Everyone

AN OPEN INVITATION TO A BOOK DISCUSSION FROM ST JOHN’S SOCIAL JUSTICE GROUP

The Social Justice Group is sponsoring a Book Discussion focusing on Heather McGhee’s book entitled The Sum of Us:  What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.  Below are the details for the book group meetings, and following that, we’ve offered some links to more about the book, the author, and a link to the Reader’s Guide. 

From the author’s website:  “Racism…is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy and constitutive of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all.  How did this happen? And is there a way out?”  “…tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others.”

How to join the discussion

If you are not already on the book group mailing list from last time, and are interested in participating in all or part of this book discussion, contact the Parish Administrator at parish.admin@stjohns-jp.org so you can get the zoom link and further info.

Meeting Info

Meetings will be from noon to 1:30 on the following Sundays:

Apr 25 - Chapters 1 – 4

May 23 - Chapters 5 – 7

June 27 -Chapters 8 – 10

 

Getting the Book

There is a long wait list for the library book, so we encourage interested buyers to purchase it from:  Frugal Bookstore, 57 Warren St, Roxbury, 617-541-1722; or Papercuts, 60 South Street, JP, 617-522-3404.

 Links

·       Reader’s Guide:  https://heathermcghee.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/McGHEE_TheSumOfUs_HC_DiscussionGuide_Final.pdf

·       Interview with Heather McGhee on Fresh Air:  https://www.npr.org/2021/02/17/968638759/sum-of-us-examines-the-hidden-cost-of-racism-for-everyone

·       Explore videos and presentations on Heather McGhee’s website:  https://heathermcghee.com/

·       Bookshop.org  https://bookshop.org/books/the-sum-of-us-what-racism-costs-everyone-and-how-we-can-prosper-together/9780525509561

Social Justice Saturday: Asian-Asian Violence Resources

ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE RESOURCES

images.jpeg

At the this link, you’ll find resources that have been gathered to help individuals educate others, take action, donate, and more.

”Anti-Asian racism and violent attacks on Asian elderly have only increased in recent months. Since COVID-19 became news in the United States, hate speech and violence against the AAPI community has run rampant. In February 2021, attacks, particularly on elderly Asian Americans, have spiked. Unfortunately, many of these incidents are not being reported and are invisible to major media outlets. We hope to change this by offering the following resources with our community. Please join us in taking action whether it's by
educating yourself and others around you or donating to non-profit organizations.”

Social Justice Saturday: Supporting the Dorchester Food Co-op


Here’s a local anti-racist action you might consider!

The Dorchester Food Co-op is a grassroots initiative to build a community & worker-owned grocery store. The website explains: The Co-op envisions a diverse inclusive community with opportunities for employment, ownership, and access to healthy food.  As a food co-op, we will serve and reflect the wide variety of cultural, racial, and socio-economic groups that make up the neighborhoods of Boston.

Ellen Davis has been a member of the co-op for a couple of years and says, “They have made incredible progress in that time, moving from an idea to a relationship with a developer who is creating a building that has the store on the ground floor and affordable housing above. It is in Dorchester, which has historically been a food desert, and is accessible by public transit.”

Ellen continues, “Memberships is a one-time payment of $100 which can be paid in increments of $25 or $50. Members don’t have to volunteer (or even shop there). I see it as an easy way to support better food options and community development and support in Dorchester. They have about 946 members and the goal is 955 members by the end of March. They are also working on a community fund where you can purchase a membership for someone who cannot afford the membership.”

For those who want to do more than just joining the Co-op there are a number of volunteer opportunities.

https://dorchesterfoodcoop.com/


 Dorchester Food Coop in the news:

https://www.dotnews.com/2020/food-co-op-urban-farms-seeding-sustainable-food-economy

https://www.edibleboston.com/blog/2020/6/24/the-past-and-future-of-boston-food-co-ops

Social Justice Saturday: A Poem for Lent

I often turn to Howard Thurman, educator, philosopher, and poet, for inspiration and challenge. This poem seems especially appropriate for this season of Lent.

I Confess

 The concern which I lay bare before God today is

My concern for the life of the world in these troubled times.

I confess my own inner confusion as I look out upon the world.

There is food for all - many are hungry.

There are clothes enough for all - many are in rags.

There is room enough for all - many are crowded.

There are none who want war - preparations for conflict abound.

I confess my own share in the ills of the times.

I have shirked my own responsibilities as a citizen.

I have not been wise in casting my ballot.

I have left to others a real interest in making

a public opinion worthy of democracy.

I have been concerned about my own little job,

my own little security, my own shelter, my own bread. 

I have not really cared about jobs for others,

security for others, shelter for others, bread for others.

I have not worked for peace; I want peace,

but I have voted and worked for war.

I have silenced my own voice that it may not

be heard on the side of any cause, however, right,

if it meant running risks or damaging my own little reputation.

Let Thy light burn in me that I may, from this moment on,

take effective steps within my own powers,

to live up to the light and courageously to pay for

the kind of world I so deeply desire.

                                                                                    -Howard Thurman

Social Justice Saturday: Remembering Bishop Barbara C. Harris

The first anniversary of the death of justice-seeker and beloved Bishop Barbara C. Harris has just passed (March 13, 2 020) and we are reminded of her life and witness, and the times in which she served the Diocese of Massachusetts. She called us to be the church God dreamed of, committed to justice and honoring the dignity of all people.

monkimage.jpeg

As Bishop Michael Curry said at her funeral, “Bishop Harris was not large of physical stature. In fact, the opposite,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said. “But she was larger than life. She was larger than life because she lived it fully with her God and with us. She did it by actually living the love of God that Jesus taught us about. She did it walking the lonesome valley of leadership, paving a way for so many of us whose way had been blocked. She did it lifting her voice for those who had no voice. She did with a joke, a whispered word, a secret joy in spite of anything that got in her way, including death. No wonder she titled her memoir, ‘Hallelujah, Anyhow!’”

Just thirty-two years ago when Bishop Harris was consecrated, the Episcopal Church’s painful and ugly edges were in full display. Prior to the consecration, one diocesan newspaper published her photo on the front page with a black slash through it and she received hate mail and death threats. On the day of her consecration opponents to the ordination protested her election and she sat with a police officer behind her to protect her during the service. In a 2009 interview she spoke about her consecration, “The Boston police department offered me a bulletproof vest to wear that day, which I declined. I thought if some idiot is going to shoot me, what better place to go than at an altar.” 

Despite attacks on her ministry, Bishop Harris remained faithful and hopeful about what the Church could be. Indeed, Christ’s witness of unconditional love was central to her ministry. In a sermon preached on “Women’s Day” at St. Thomas’s Church, she articulated the power found in this love, “that’s what Jesus is all about—making a difference in our lives, helping us to emerge into our full stature as children of God, not only women, but people of legacy, faith, and hope.” Her life and ministry were dedicated to honoring the full stature of all people. 

Social Justice Saturday: What Is Our Real Work?

 

The impeded stream

 There are, it seems two muses: the muse of Inspiration, who gives us inarticulate visions and desires, and the Muse of Realization, who returns again and again to say, “It is more difficult than you thought.”

This is the muse of form. It may be then that form serves us best when it works as an obstruction, to baffle us and deflect our intended course.

It may be that when we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey.



The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.

 - Wendell Berry (Collected Poems)

Social Justice Saturday: George Washington Carver's Environmental Legacy

George Washington Carver is primarily remembered as the man who found hundreds of uses for peanuts, making it an important Southern crop.  That's only one small part of Carver's story.

As he grew up in the years after the Civil War, he became fascinated by gardening, herbal medicines, and collected herbs and flowers. His talents led him to Iowa State Agricultural School, where he earned a master’s in agriculture in 1896. Booker T. Washington invited Carver to help start the agricultural school at the new Tuskegee Institute, where Carver's his primary goal was to make the farmland more productive, in order to liberate Black farmers from a farming system designed to keep them dependent upon white landowners.

Overproduction of cotton had drained the soil of its nutrients. “When my train left the golden wheat fields and the tall green corn of Iowa for the acres of cotton, nothing but cotton, my heart sank a little,” Carver recalled in a 1941 radio broadcast. “Fields and hillsides cracked and scarred with gullies and deep rut. Everything looked hungry: the land, the cotton, the cattle, and the people.”

Carver 's research showed that rotating nitrogen-rich cover crops of peanuts, cowpeas, and sweet potatoes would reinvigorate the land, increasing yields and diversifying farmers’ food supply. This in turn helped Black farmers grow more food while spending less money, getting them closer to food sovereignty.

Carver became famous — in Black and white communities alike — for his work.  Time named him a “Black Leonardo” in 1941. And in 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved the creation of the George Washington Carver National Monument, the first dedicated to an African American and the first to honor someone other than a president

Carver understood that when land suffers, those who tend it do, too. Emphasizing that link is a key strategy for contemporary organizations like the Sunrise Movement, and you can draw a line between Carver’s beliefs, the Green New Deal, and the recognition that social and economic concerns are inextricable from ecological ones. They’re all part of what Carver saw as an infinite, interconnected web, as he took some of the first steps in the long march toward racial and environmental justice that continues today.

-- "The Land-healing Work of George Washington Carver," by Brianna Baker, at Grist, Feb. 12, 2021.