Reclaiming MLK, Migrants Meet Cruise Ships, “Primary” Education
KTF Weekly Newsletter
Hey everybody!
Leaving colonized faith is not a process without contention. Yet, it is also one that heralds unparalleled joy and victory. The life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., along with those he inspired, gives we who seek justice reasons to grieve deeply; hope greatly; and long for the Risen Jesus to come quickly, abide with us, and make all things right. May you see, feel, and receive the power of God’s love and may that love carry you through.
And with that, on to our resources for this week!
Jonathan’s recommendations:
It is difficult to be involved in a political process that we don’t understand. And how and why we choose presidential candidates the way that we do must be understood to engage with our electoral process in an effective way. FiveThirtyEight Politics recently re-released its audio documentary series, The Primaries Project, which I believe is very helpful in closing this knowledge gap. The first episode explains how the primary process came to include Iowa as the first caucus, followed by nearly 2,500 events to whittle down the field to two people vying for a seat in the Oval Office. The second episode explores how the primary system shapes our politics, and the third episode dives into what a new system might look like, especially since primaries were not in the Constitution and things could change if we decided we wanted them to. As our friend Andre Henry would say, “it doesn’t have to be this way.” So, let’s seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly after God through learning about and envisioning a new process.
Sonia Guajajara, one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, winner of numerous humanitarian awards, and mother of three will lead the newly created Ministry of Indigenous Affairs in Brazil. In the wake of Bolsonaro’s destructive policies that further devastated the Amazon, the new president has committed to center the voices of indigenous Brazilians and Guajajara is more than up to the task ahead of her. This article lays out her path to this post and some of the urgent challenges that she must face. For we who desire to leave colonized faith, we must learn to leave a colonial mindset that sets certain people permanently aside. And indigenous people have been dismissed by design. For reconciliation and justice to occur, that must change. We pray peace, provision, and progress for the indigenous people of Brazil.
Luxury cruise ships are increasingly running into migrants in makeshift boats crossing dangerous straits in search of a better life. This CNN article captures two such vessels, one headed by the first female captain of an American cruise ship, and the other filled with nineteen people adrift for five days without food. The stark contrast between the haves and have-nots in economic, political, and social power could not be more apparent. Some, like the captain, are compassionate and others, like some passengers, do not desire to be bothered. This is the world that we live in, and if we are to be intimate with the Jesus who says the “poor will always be among you,” then we must allow the Gospel to shape us into agents of His peace and justice whenever those situations arise. I am grateful that this piece shares the story of those doing just that with the power and privilege they possess.
Suzie’s recommendations:
One of the most important, yet often intentionally overlooked, aspects of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is economic justice. Dr. King’s consistent cry for the uplifting of disenfranchised laborers, reparations for marginalized Black communities, and economic equality for impoverished people the world over was highlighted this past MLK Day by two modern-day prophets carrying on his legacy: New Testament scholar Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley and historian Dr. Jemar Tisby. McCaulley’s New York Times op-ed on the subject cuts to the heart of white American hypocrisy in misremembering King by leaving out the parts that hurt our pocketbooks. And Tisby provides in his MLK Day teach-in not only a history lesson on how this day of honoring and remembrance came about, but also how integral initiatives like the Poor People’s Campaign were to King’s vision of beloved community. As Tisby observes, “Slavery was America’s original symptom, and its original sin was greed.” Any robust engagement with the enduring impact of racism in this country must first begin with an acknowledgment of the lust for money that drives and profits from it, and any attempt at reconciliation and repentance must address the evils of economic injustice.
Fuller Magazine recently released it’s Justice issue and it is a treasure-trove of rich theological reflections, inspiring real-life testimonies, and thought-provoking interviews. In its pages you encounter folks like Amber Height, a Fuller graduate battling gentrification by protecting an old mall in South LA; Wendy Hu-Au, a pastor using “cash mobs” to support small businesses in East Harlem; and the perhaps more familiar “artivist” Andre Henry, whose activism through music and writing has impacted and inspired many. As academic dean for Fuller’s Center for Black Church Studies Dwight A. Radcliff Jr. reflects in his introduction, “In this issue, you will find voices of practitioners and scholars who each unpack justice from their perspective… May these contributions deepen your fellowship with others, guide you toward an ethic of love, and strengthen you in your call to do justice.” I can personally attest to the fact that the wisdom and stories offered here will challenge and convict you in your personal and collective walk, wherever you may be.
On January 3 at 3:30pm LAPD arrived at the scene of a vehicle collision at the intersection of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards. They found one of the individuals involved in the crash, a Black man named Keenan Anderson, in distress and asking for help. Less than five hours later, Anderson was dead. He died of cardiac arrest after being held down by police officers, including one officer who placed his elbow on Anderson’s neck, and tased multiple times. At one point in the encounter Anderson cried out, “They’re trying to George Floyd me.” Anderson was a father, a school teacher, and, as this article in The Guardian highlights, the cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors. Black Lives Matter is not an abstract political movement. I believe it is about acknowledging the fact that Anderson was somebody’s father, cousin, and son. He was the teacher that inspired his students to learn and succeed. He was a human being created in the image of God. His life mattered, and he should still be alive today. Knowing Keenan Anderson’s story and saying his name is one small act of lament that can move us towards demanding justice and reimagining a world free from police brutality against Black and Brown bodies.
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The KTF team