Whitewashing Everything, Intimidation through Deportation, Jesus and Absalom Jones
Plus, Trump says climate change is actually good
Hi Everyone!
We were never meant to do life alone. And certainly not in times like these. So much feels precarious and strange. Community is what we need. So if you’re looking for a place to process, please join me tomorrow at 12pm to pray for people the Trump administration is targeting. Click here to RSVP!
And if you weren’t already aware, there are protests directed at the Trump administration across the country this Saturday, April 5. Find your local event here!
Here are five things worth your time, energy, and attention:
- A tool for tracking the local impact of federal policy changes
- MAGA’s whitewashing of America
- Trump says climate change is actually a good thing
- The coordinated intimidation of deportations
- And staying grounded with a sermon honoring Absalom Jones
Tracking the Local Impact of Federal Policy Changes
I want you to click on this map and pray about what you find. It’s called the Impact Map. And it attempts to comprehensively show “how federal policies, funding, and workforce changes affect our communities” at a local level. It’s an exceptionally helpful way to track the real-world impact of Project 2025 and all of Trump’s policies. It is too easy to scroll through the news and allow brutal realities to wash over us like advertisements for products we don’t want to buy. The information we’re taking in can feel too hard to believe. But behind every layoff, rollback, or funding cut is people with families that are part of communities. When we become desensitized to or overwhelmed by that fact, we can miss the image of God in people, the shalom he intends for us, and just how terrified so many impacted by the Trump administration are. Every organization has money and personnel that they could use more efficiently and effectively. Great leaders make that happen. Sadly, what we are witnessing from Trump is not that at all. So, let’s intercede for the people and places subject to this rapidly expanding crisis.
MAGA’s Whitewashing of America
Washington D.C. is demolishing Black Lives Matter Plaza because Republicans said it was that or lose federal funding for public transportation. Arlington National Cemetery scrubbed content highlighting the service of women and minorities from its website, including content about the Tuskegee Airmen , Colin Powell, and various Medal of Honor recipients. The Department of Education is investigating More than 50 colleges and universities for DEI work. And those are just a few on a very long list of intentional, thorough efforts to prioritize the people who wrote the Constitution over those they left out or specifically designated as less than human. Followers of Jesus must commit ourselves to remembering who we are, where we come from, and how we got here. Otherwise, it will be exceptionally difficult to love our neighbors with any sort of care, attention or detail. We won’t know about them, especially if they are in or from the margins.
Trump Says Climate Change Is Actually Good
The Trump Administration wants to convince us that climate change is good for the world. Lord have mercy. Trump has gutted climate initiatives by rolling back regulations, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords, firing workers, and halting funding for renewable energy projects. His policies prioritize fossil fuels, with backing from campaign donors in the industry. Now, Trump is taking this approach further by using the resources of the federal government to promote the idea that climate change could be advantageous, despite the scientific evidence to the contrary. Earth Day is coming up later this month, so in response to these changes, here are some ways to advocate and celebrate.
The Coordinated Intimidation of Deportations
The Trump Administration has adopted policies that are transforming the landscape for education and immigration. As we’ve written about, at Columbia, ICE took Mahmoud Khalil from his pregnant wife. At Tufts, masked officers took Rumeysa Ozturk on her way to break fast. And the administration revoked Cornell doctoral student Momodou Taal’s visa. All for being critical of Israel and supporting protestors. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims that his department has revoked more than 300 student visas, and they’re finding more to take away every day. Moreover, the administration’s dragnet approach to immigration enforcement recently resulted in a Hmong-American mother of five from Milwaukee being deported to Laos , a country she has never visited, without her family. Additionally, ICE sent a Maryland man to El Salvador despite a 2013 court order barring his deportation because of the risk he would be persecuted if returned. The administration has admitted there was an error, but says there is nothing they can do about it now. He is in the brutal Salvadorian prison Sy talked about two weeks ago. Neither of these people have any path back to their families or homes. These are not isolated incidents but coordinated, intentional instances of punishment and intimidation based on xenophobia, racism, and fear. We pray for justice, kindness, and a principled pluralism to win out on campuses and in affected communities.
Staying Grounded with a Sermon Honoring Absalom Jones
As I said above, in times like these, we need community and words from the Lord. And friends, I am hungry for sermons, scriptures, and songs that keep me oriented to love and justice. Rev. Dr. Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones delivered this powerful sermon at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine to honor Absalom Jones who founded the first Black Episcopal congregation. The sermon reminded me that the good news of Jesus is good news to everyone at all times, especially the oppressed, marginalized, rejected, and suffering. These are the people Jesus prioritized in his initial sermon in Luke 4, the ones who followed Him and heard the Sermon on the Mount live. May we be rooted in the Gospel of Jesus as He preached it.
Thanks for reading, and Sy will see you here in two weeks!
Jonathan