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Yesterday morning, I was preparing for the upcoming season of Lent and came across Jesus’ words in John 12, “Now my soul is troubled, and what should I say?” I carried these words with me as the events of the day transpired and domestic terrorists, far-right extremists, stormed our nation’s Capitol while Congress was voting to affirm our next President. Oh, how our souls are troubled, dear Highland family. And what should we say?
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Today news coverage has kept me captivated. Far-right protestors and supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress certified electoral votes. A woman was shot and killed. This siege coincided with violent demonstrations at other state capitols throughout the country, including Ohio. That Capitol Police officers escorted the white perpetrators out alive without handcuffs (and even took selfies with them) demonstrates the fatal racial double standards of this nation's law enforcement system.
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What we see taking place in the US Capitol this evening may be shocking, but it is not terribly surprising. We’ve watched the ingredients of white supremacy, Christian nationalism, and conspiracy theories spread through social media eventuate in armed protesters entering the Michigan statehouse, the planned kidnapping of a Governor, and now the disruption of democratic processes. I am grateful to hear so many lawmakers from both parties denouncing these acts, but I am also wary of their messages that say something like, 'This is the type of thing that happens in other countries, not in the U.S.' This does happen here. It is happening here. We’ve watched the recipe taking shape over time. So, yes, shocking to watch, but not terribly surprising to see.
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Gail here on behalf of your Board of Directors of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, Bautistas por la Paz, bringing you Advent greetings, a brief year end reflection and an announcement. I don’t know about you but this whole year has felt like the season of Advent. A waiting in the dark for light to be birthed once again. So from this year-long preparation, what do we want to remember from it?
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Gail aquí en nombre de su Junta Directiva de Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, Bautistas por la Paz, trayendo saludos de Adviento, una breve reflexión de fin de año y un anuncio. No sé ustedes, pero todo este año se ha sentido como la temporada de Adviento. A esperar en la oscuridad a que la luz vuelva a nacer. Entonces, de esta preparación de un año, ¿qué queremos recordar de ella?
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“Brian, you gotta get stoned!” I looked into Monica’s eyes as I tried to stifle the laugh that was catapulting from my gut. The blank look on my face was coupled with my inability to respond. This paralysis was immediately noticed prompting Monica’s response. “You’re a person of faith, aren’t you?” I nodded. “You’ve read the stories, right?” Again, I nodded. “You know the story of Stephen. Stephen lived in a deep truth, and it stood in the face of power. It made those in charge nervous and angry. Stephen shook things up so much that they threw rocks at him, but his truth and faith were so fortified all he could do was see the kingdom on earth. So, Brian, you and I gotta go be like Stephen and get stoned!”
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We have seen with dismay, pain and horror the destructive mark of racism on the soul of the U.S. Throughout our history, racism being the backbone of this nation’s development and unjust enrichment of many has become the choking source of Black communities and people of color affecting every aspect of our collective life. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed these racial inequities that hurt Black and brown communities by hindering their access to health but also their development, freedom, and pursuit of happiness. George Floyd’s words became prophetic for as a nation, we can’t breathe anymore.
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Hemos visto con consternación, dolor y horror la destructiva huella del racismo en el alma de los Estados Unidos. A lo largo de nuestra historia, el racismo ha sido la columna vertebral del desarrollo de esta nación y el enriquecimiento injusto de muchos. Hoy se ha convertido en la fuente asfixiante de comunidades negras y personas de color afectando cada aspecto de nuestra vida colectiva. La pandemia del coronavirus ha expuesto estas desigualdades raciales que perjudican a las comunidades negras y de color al obstaculizar su acceso a la salud; aprisionando su desarrollo, su libertad y la búsqueda de la felicidad. Las palabras de George Floyd se volvieron proféticas como nación, ya no podemos respirar.
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There is no excuse for the murder of George Floyd and each one of the four police officers involved in his death must face justice. The rage and pain is so deep because the recurring assaults on Black people and people of color (POC) continuously unveil again and again that Black lives are not valued in these United States. Floyd’s murder enrages us all for the cruelty and the abuse of power shown. But this murder points – once again – to the deep-seated systemic racism in our society, to the ingrained prejudice in our hearts and to the unconcerned minds justifying hurting other human beings just because of the color of their skin. Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America – Bautistas por la paz (BPFNA-BPLP) denounces this murder and sides with peaceful demonstrations, expecting and demanding justice to be done.
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No hay excusa para el asesinato de George Floyd y cada uno de los cuatro policías involucrados en su muerte debe enfrentar la justicia. La rabia y el dolor son tan profundos porque los ataques recurrentes a las personas negras y de color (POC) revelan continuamente una y otra vez que las vidas negras no se valoran en estos Estados Unidos. El asesinato de Floyd nos enfurece a todos y todas por la crueldad y el abuso de poder que demuestra. Pero este asesinato apunta, una vez más, al racismo sistémico profundamente arraigado en nuestra sociedad, al prejuicio arraigado en nuestros corazones y a las mentes despreocupadas que justifican lastimar a otros seres humanos solo por el color de su piel. Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America - Bautistas por la Paz (BPFNA-BPLP) denuncia este asesinato y se une a las manifestaciones pacíficas, esperando y exigiendo que se haga justicia.
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On Saturday, March 19 at St. John's Baptist Church in Charlotte, BPFNA held its first Conflict Transformation training specifically focused on racial justice and changing the narrative in the midst of racial conflict. Called Do Not Be Afraid, the theme for the training was inspired by a quote from civil rights champion John Lewis, “If we want to build the beloved community, we cannot be afraid.”
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El sábado 19 de marzo 2016 en la Iglesia Bautista St. John's en Charlotte, BPFNA realizó su primer entrenamiento de Transformación de Conflictos específicamente enfocado en la justicia racial y el cambio de la narrativa en medio del conflicto racial. El tema de la capacitación fue inspirado por una cita del campeón de derechos civiles John Lewis: "Si queremos construir la amada comunidad, no podemos tener miedo".
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I am still quite a ways from completely processing all that happened during our time in St. Louis and all that it might mean. The question I have for myself is what I will do with this new knowledge I have gained. How can I translate this experience into something that has benefit to my children? To my church and my community? To my country? I am not sure how to answer those questions yet.
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Todavía estoy muy lejos de procesar completamente todo lo que sucedió durante nuestro tiempo en St. Louis y todo lo que podría significar. La pregunta que tengo para mí es lo que voy a hacer con este nuevo conocimiento que he adquirido. ¿Cómo puedo traducir esta experiencia en algo que beneficie a mis hijos? ¿A mi iglesia y a mi comunidad? ¿A mi país? No estoy segura de cómo responder a esas preguntas todavía.
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From August 6-12, 2015, BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz sent a delegation of 10 to St. Louis in response to a national call put forth by Ferguson Action for participation in #UnitedWeFight, a week of training, education, and direct action during the anniversary of Michael Brown’s murder in August 2014.
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Del 6 al 12 de agosto de 2015, BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz envió una delegación de 10 a St. Louis en respuesta a una llamada nacional presentada por Ferguson Action para participar en #UnitedWeFight, una semana de entrenamiento, educación y acción directa durante el aniversario del asesinato de Michael Brown en agosto de 2014.
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I remember being in the living room of the Amen House in St. Louis on August 7 when I heard about 19-year-old Christian Taylor’s murder in Texas. We had come together to resist the systems that enabled these kind of injustices, but became re-traumatized by another report of a young Black man’s death at the hands of an agent of the state. Our wounds are raw. I find myself in a constant state of pain each time I hear of another black person killed by police or white vigilantes; it is scary to realize I am living in a country that doesn’t value black lives.
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Me recuerdo estando en el salón de la casa Amen en St. Louis el 7 de agosto, cuando me enteré del asesinato en Texas de Christian Taylor, de 19 años de edad. Había llegado a San Luis tan sólo dos días antes y ya había asistido a varios entrenamientos de acción directa y no violencia. Nos habíamos reunido para resistir los sistemas que perimitieron este tipo de injusticias, pero volvimos a traumarnos por otro informe acerca la muerte de un joven hombre negro a manos de un agente del estado.
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When people ask about my experience in Ferguson, I tell them it was the holiest experience of my life, and it was. I felt like I was putting feet on my faith, doing what Jesus has long commanded us to do. To fight with and for the oppressed. What I have carried with me every day since are the people that I met in St. Louis and Ferguson.
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Cuando la gente pregunta acerca de mi experiencia en Ferguson, les digo que fue la experiencia más sagrada de mi vida, y fue así. Sentí que estaba poniendo pies en mi fe, haciendo lo que Jesús nos ha mandado hacer. Luchar con y para los oprimidos. Lo que he llevado conmigo todos los días desde entonces son las personas que conocí en St. Louis y Ferguson.
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Read MoreCompiled by BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz Board Member Rev. Kadia Edwards, this discussion guide will help provoke conversation around the issues presented in the newly-released film Selma and how these relate to the current conversation happening on race.
Read MoreNathan Watts, a BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz board member, works in Tucson, AZ, as a program organizer with BorderLinks, a nonprofit that specializes in education, immigration justice and social ethics. Nathan was in St. Louis to support Fellowship of Reconciliation representatives (Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou and Gretchen Honnold) who are organizing and training participant protestors in nonviolent civil disobedience.
Read MoreWhen I received the news that one of my dearest mentors, “Uncle” Dr. Vincent G. Harding had passed away, I had just finished some research he invited me to do for him as he was preparing to dedicate time to a memoir he’d long planned to write. Dr. Harding had asked me to collect some of the essays he wrote in the 1960s. When I heard of his aneurysm, I called his cell phone and left him a message saying that I was thinking of and praying for him, and that I looked forward to hearing what he wanted me to do with the essays I’d collected. As I write these words, I still have those essays on my desk, and I wish so badly that I could call Uncle Vincent and have his voice advise me on what I ought to do with them.
Read MoreThe incidents in Ferguson and New York have not only highlighted longstanding racial tensions, but have also laid bare the disparities facing black citizens throughout our country. While these cases raise questions about the prevalence of racial profiling and police misconduct, they also reach far beyond that, stressing ongoing issues of economic inequality, housing discrimination and unequal access to adequate education. And it rises from the deep fear and despair that clings to walls of inner-city tenements, and reeks from the tar paper shacks that still dot the Old South.
Read MoreA reflection on Ferguson from Reverend Kadia A. Edwards, a BPFNA member and member of the BPFNA Board of Directors, elected to represent the Youth and Young Adults.
Read MorePeace, we know, is rooted in justice. We are beyond grateful for our dear friends and colleagues who work for it. See what some of your fellow peacemakers have been up to - just within the last four days!
Read MoreIf tomorrow is anything like today, we’re in for a hard day’s night, scented with tear gas. It’s hard to blink without missing another beat of voracious and brutal hearts unleashed in the world. It’s a cable news network bonanza, with anchors as breathless as reporters on the Weather Channel during a hurricane.
Read MoreEl legado de Martin L. King, a quien Don Abelardo Díaz Alfaro llamó El Cristo Negro, no se reduce a su destacada y firme oposición al discrimen racial y a las prácticas segregacionistas. Su compromiso fue más allá de la lucha por los derechos civiles insertándose en asuntos como la carrera armamentista, el militarismo y la cultura bélica de los E. U. de N. A.
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