Hey everybody,
We at KTF look to 2023 with hope and joy, not because things are getting better or worse but because God does not shift or change. So regardless of our personal and political turmoil, He called His creation GOOD and desires all things to be reconciled to Him. And with that in our minds and hearts, we will continue to seek to leave colonized faith for His Kingdom.
Now, on to our resources for this week!
Jonathan’s recommendations:
The cost of fast fashion’s impact on the world is massive yet indeterminable. This podcast episode of Al Jazeera’s The Take attempts to illuminate the invisible pipelines that bring goods from China to my closet and yours. The Shein App surpassed Amazon as the most downloaded shopping app in the iOS store in 2022. They offer more than 1.3 million styles per year when H&M and Zara clock in at around 20,000-25,000 and boast giving a shopper one year’s worth of clothing for $280. The reality of Shein’s impact on the environment, including every piece delivered in an individual plastic bag all over the world, as well as exploited labor at every spot on the supply chain from extraction (picking cotton) to disposal, is hard to comprehend. Whatever the quantifiable consequences, followers of Jesus must wrestle with the reality that to steward our resources well we must include the minimization of harm in our capitalized world. Understanding that harm and our complicity is the best first step.
When I was a child, New Year’s Eve meant being at an altar for prayer at something called a “Watch Night Service.” Then New Year's Day meant food and celebration that we were all together. There is history behind both of these things. First, as noted in this article from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, December 31, 1862 marked the last day of enslavement and the eve of freedom for many enslaved around the United States. And second, as Time magazine notes here, January 1 was “Heartbreak Day” because many enslaved families would be separated as contracts ended, debts were collected, and property changed hands. Husbands were sold away from wives, children stripped away from mothers, siblings separated never to be seen again. When we know our history and how tragic it is, our praise for Jesus, the liberation He brings, and His enduring promises becomes that much more powerful.
In late 2021, we highlighted the landmark decision by California to return Bruce Beach to the Bruce family after they were systematically terrorized and ultimately had their land stripped from them by the local government. Now, the Bruce family is selling the beach back to LA County for almost $20 million. Per this LA Times article by Rebecca Ellis, this is reparations at work as the process has included all parties and rights a historic wrong for a family that never deserved such horrific treatment. No amount of money can restore the well-being of generations of the Bruce family that did not get to enjoy the land they owned prior to it being stolen or erase the memories of the Klan’s night rides. But this is one step in righting institutional injustice. Praise God a little justice has rolled down for this family. We pray for much more.
Suzie’s recommendations:
In our podcast episode, “Reimagining Foster Care,” Sy shared about the lack of due process afforded to parents in child welfare cases in the United States. This article by ProPublica further highlights such gross violations of constitutional rights endemic to child protection services (CPS), including regular home searches without warrants and questioning without Miranda rights. The piece additionally illuminates that this is part of why activists insist on a relabeling of “child welfare” as “family policing,” not only to accurately represent what the system actually does, but also to ensure that parents subjected to its procedures are afforded the same, not fewer rights, than those caught up in any other part of the legal system. After all, as any parent could attest, the stakes of losing one’s child could not be higher.
Clint Smith’s December cover story for The Atlantic, “Monuments to the Unthinkable,” is a must-read. The piece chronicles Smith’s journey to Germany to study Holocaust memorials and how they relate to America’s own reckoning (or lack thereof) with past atrocities. Not only is Smith a vivid writer and meticulous researcher, but he also brings a remarkable level of empathy and nuance to these painful, vital conversations. In the article Smith attempts to grapple with the horrifying scale of the Third Reich’s Final Solution, while also recalling how the Nazis drew part of their inspiration from Jim Crow America and Germany’s predating genocidal acts in Namibia. Smith’s overall conclusion is that while it is impossible to ever adequately mourn such evils or pay homage to the victims, it is a work that every citizen must take part in, even and especially when their government is resistant to such acts of memorialization and memory. As followers of Christ, we must further acknowledge that the Bible teaches us that the work of both repentance and remembrance is essential and sacred.
Between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022, the Office for Civil Rights in the US Department of Education registered nearly 19,000 complaints — a record high. This New York Times article highlights how this is directly linked to heightened debates about race, gender, and sexual orientation. Journalist Erica L. Green writes that, “Officials say the complaints — most alleging discrimination based on disability, race or sex — reflect grievances that amassed during the worst public health crisis in a century and the most divisive civil rights climate in decades.” Moreover, as Assistant Education Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon mournfully states, “The scope and volume of harm that we’re asking our babies to navigate is astronomical.” Lord have mercy on the atmosphere of hatred and violence that we allow to fester in our children’s schools. Leaving colonized faith requires learning how to stand with those on the margins whether it is children being bullied in the classroom or teachers facing repercussions for defending them.
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to forward to a friend and tell them to get a free month right here!
The KTF team