Banning Native Mascots, AANHPI Civil Rights History, 988 Transparency

KTF Weekly Newsletter

Hi everyone,

We’re taking a moment to remember George Floyd today. Exactly three years ago, he was still alive, and if Jesus reigned in full, he would have seen the next morning. Our grief is still real, and the work continues in earnest. As Tamice writes about Floyd in her book, “We live in the tension of how things are and how they should be. We can join the mourning of Rizpah and . . .  become the heralds of the truth. We have a choice each day to hope even in the midst of travesty.” It is with that grounded hope that we commemorate this day.

And with that reminder, we turn to this week’s recommendations as we seek to leave colonized faith for the kingdom of God.

Sy’s Recommendations

• A land conservancy in North Carolina is in the process of transferring about 50 acres of a former plantation to two Black women who want to cultivate sustainable Black-run farms and gardens. Locally, this effort addresses food insecurity while providing employment and community to many. But as this article on the sisters notes, it’s also part of a wider effort to recognize and do something about the many injustices that led to the current racial disparities in US farmland ownership, as well as the complicated relationship Black Americans have with the land their ancestors worked while enslaved. There are complex legal things going on here to, as land trusts around the country figure out how to restrict the use of real estate so that farmers and organizations can afford to purchase and operate it. This is good and worthwhile work that reflects God’s intent to see people and land flourishing together in the name of justice.