Ethnic Cleansing in the DR, Surviving Helene in Prison, Leguizamo on Latine History
Plus, Kristof on Biden's genocide, and more
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Our highlights this week include:
- Ethnic Cleansing in the Dominican Republic
- Hurricane Helene’s effect on prisoners
- Nicholas Kristof on Biden facilitating a genocide
- John Leguizamo’s new documentary series on Latine-American history
- Sy keeps us grounded with thoughts on rest
- And a preview of tomorrow’s Shake the Dust
Sy’s Recommendations
Ethnic Cleansing in the DR
Last week, with no warning, the Dominican Republic announced that it would begin deporting 10,000 Haitian immigrants per week. Even as other countries offer protections from deportation for Haitians because Haiti is in the midst of a political crisis with extremely high levels of violence and instability. The Dominican government says this is a response to the number of undocumented Haitian immigrants using limited resources for social services. But it is consistent with the DR’s incredibly long and cruel history of attempts at ethnic cleansing. The nearly 11,000 deportations last week were accompanied by reports of a dragnet sweeping up undocumented and documented Haitian immigrants, as well as Dominican citizens of Haitian dissent. Further reports accused officials of using threats of deportation to extort random people of Haitian dissent on the street. As if to underline its contempt, the government announced the deportations on October 2, the anniversary of the 1937 Parsley Massacre during which the American-backed dictator Rafael Trujillo had somewhere between 15 and 40 thousand Haitians slaughtered. Please pray for the people being expelled from their homes into a country in which many of them have never lived, and for the Haitian aid workers using what little they have to receive and care for them. Moreover, pray that the international community would expose what the DR is doing and force it to change direction. I will probably have a petition to sign or a place to donate in next week’s newsletter, so stay tuned for that.
The Prisoners Who Suffered through Helene
As with all natural disasters, Hurricane Helene put our most vulnerable populations in truly dire circumstances while highlighting how much disdain our system of government has for people at the bottom of our social hierarchies. Prisoners in western North Carolina, where Helene hit hardest, spent several days unable to leave their partially-flooded cells without working toilets. Food provisions were minimal, potable water was scarce, and guards were extremely harsh, according to prisoners and the loved ones with whom they were eventually able to communicate. One man said he would need therapy because of the things he saw during those days, which he refused to describe. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction attempted to spin the situation by noting that the prisons did not “run out of food or water,” and had “some power” in all areas of the prisons. He actually called the prisoners “lucky” because they were eventually moved to safety, which not everyone in North Carolina could say. Americans’ disregard for prisoners is one of the chief indicators that our society does not follow Jesus. But it also provides us with clear ways to pray and advocate, along with many cautionary tales of what happens when we allow callousness and self-interest to dominate our hearts.
Jonathan’s Recommendations
Nicholas Kristof on Biden Facilitating a Genocide
In a recent column, Nicholas Kristof argues rightly that President Joe Biden is facilitating the genocide of Palestinians by refusing to exercise his power over a repressive, murderous regime and its tyrannical leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel would not be able to occupy, oppress, and obliterate the Palestinian population without the wholesale support of the United States. Biden has been consistent for decades in his support for Israel. And in the past year this commitment has led to over 10,000 children dying and more than 2,000 losing limbs. Biden has provided a ceaseless stream of missiles, weapons, artillery, and rhetorical cover. The stream is not slowing. One year after October 7, 2023, we would be remiss if we did not remember the thousands of lives lost and the millions who are suffering. But we would also be in error if we did not hold power to account. We pray for peace and long for change so that Lebanon does not become Gaza and children can go home.
John Leguizamo’s New Documentary on Latine-American History
As I reflected on Latine-American History Month, I was moved by John Leguizamo’s new documentary series, American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos. He discusses the series at length in this PBS interview. I was moved by his reminder that winners write history and define the present for those under the boot of empire. Yet he was able to do the hard work of uncovering his people’s roots in, and vast contributions to, this country. Whiteness, colonization, and oppression have obscured The stories we tell ourselves and the ones we are told. So let’s tell new, whole, and truthful stories. Like how Dolores Huerta fought for civil rights, or how Latine countries funded the Continental Army, which was itself about one-eighth Latino. Let’s understand the genocidal, extractive campaign of Christopher Columbus so we give him no further celebration. Let’s honor the image of God in all people. Let’s participate in the prophetic tradition of truth-telling and loving our neighbors through listening.
Staying Grounded with Sy
I love sleep. And I used to be very good at it. Meaning, I went to bed at reasonable hours and got a lot of sleep as a teenager. But at some point in college, everything got screwed up. I started staying up late to watch or listen to meaningless entertainment, telling myself I was unwinding when I was really avoiding stress I felt about what I had to do when I woke up. And then I would struggle through the day. I’ve also developed some sleep apnea, which doesn’t help anything. Recently, I came across a post on a Substack we’ve mentioned before,
. It was a guest post by Candice Gormley, who is also a reader and occasional thought partner of KTF. She writes about the balance between too little and too much rest. Her advice draws on personal experience and scripture. She asks readers to make sure they don’t under sleep because of an endless need to work and earn. Avoiding the false rest offered to us by entertainment and social media corporations will help in this regard as well. But oversleep can also be damaging because of all the many opportunities we will mis to work with God toward his kingdom. This is some excellent advice on a topic we don’t often discuss because God’s commandment to rest runs counter to our greed and lust for achievement. So give this one a read, and then maybe go take a nap!Shake the Dust Preview
Tomorrow, we discuss the ways our faith has changed as we’ve grown in discipleship and justice work. Our spiritual practices, as well as our relationships with church, God, and the non-Christian world have all transformed over time, sometimes in surprising ways that would have made us uncomfortable in our earlier years as followers of Jesus. It’s a personal and instructive conversation on how to grow up with Jesus that we know will be helpful for a lot of people. Plus, in Which Tab Is Still Open, we get into the war in Sudan and why it’s an important topic for us to learn about and engage with. Don’t miss it!
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Jonathan and Sy