Hi everyone. This newsletter is for Swedenborgians (and friends) who want to learn how to support anti-racism. But we are not going to pretend that we are experts here; we are learning alongside you. There are lots of activists and educators who have been working in the anti-racism field for a long time. Our plan (in the words of Meera Mohan-Graham) is to Absorb and Amplify those voices, and follow their lead.
As we all strive to learn, change, and act together, we invite you join the Manifold Angels Facebook group for connection throughout the journey. The work is just beginning. If you would like to be added to the email list, please contact revshada@gmail.com
This is an (approximately) bi-weekly newsletter, though the schedule may change occasionally. One issue per month will be a deep dive into a particular issue (you can find links to these at the end of the newsletter). The alternating issues (like this one) will be more personal/devotional, aiming to help build stamina and commitment for the ongoing work for racial justice. Thanks for joining us!
The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was a white supremacist terrorist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963.[1][2][3] Four members of a local Ku Klux Klan chapter planted 19 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located on the east side of the church.[4]
Described by Martin Luther King Jr. as "one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity",[5] the explosion at the church killed four girls and injured between 14 and 22 other people.
The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing marked a turning point in the United States during the civil rights movement and contributed to support for passage by Congress of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"...In Wales, over four thousand miles away across the Atlantic Ocean, in the small coastal village of Llansteffan, John Petts, an artist known for his engravings and stained glass, read about the tragedy in his morning newspaper. He quickly offered his services to create and install a replacement window for the 16th Street Baptist Church from the people of Wales.
Sharing his idea with David Cole, editor of The Western Mail, a front-page appeal was made to raise funds for a replacement window. Rather than have one or two wealthy individuals providing the funding, Cole called for donations to be capped to a maximum of half a crown (around 15 U.S. cents in today’s money), so that the window would be given by the people of Wales...Within a short time, the money had been raised and the Wales Window was installed and dedicated in 1965.
Petts’ depiction of a black Christ is recognized throughout the world as one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most iconic pieces of art and stands at the front of the rebuilt 16th Street Baptist Church. The right hand pushing away hatred and injustice, the left offering forgiveness. An overarching rainbow, representing diversity. Petts accompanied the image with the words “You do it to me”, based on a verse from Mathew 25:40 that spelt out the Christian message of brotherly love: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”"
FOR REFLECTION
In reading the above, also holding space and reflection for the following...
"There is a fine line between helping and being performative, but nevertheless there is a line.
Being an ally means being able to recognise this. To me, an ally is a person who advocates and works alongside the Black community, who uplifts communities for a shared common goal driven solely by the cause – not so that they can look good.
It is a person who wants to learn how to recognise what everyday racism looks like – from pay inequity to social persecution – and address it. A person who learns to hold the tension between being asked to speak up while, at the same time, also being asked not to speak up on behalf of Black folk and people of colour and just listen. To hold the fear of saying the wrong thing, while having a strong desire to say and do something.
It is a person who learns to actively listen – to respond rather than react – and take considered and thoughtful actions and welcome feedback on inherent racism without spiralling out of control.
It is a person who accepts that there is no certificate or completion date. To accept they will get it wrong and do it anyway. But it is mostly a person who accepts that there is no magic formula, or a one-size-fits-all approach to this work. The only way to be truly anti-racist is go on a journey to unlearn your own inherent racism, because it is on that journey that you will find your unique path to becoming actively anti-racist."
Join us for our next thought-provoking SAAR movie watch party series. The movies will be shown at 7:30 pm Eastern time on three Fridays. The titles are: Get Out (speculative horror), R (Oct 29); Miss Evers' Boys (based on the true story of the U.S. Government's 1932 Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment), PG (Nov 12); and The Long Walk Home (inspired by actual events surrounding the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott), PG (Dec 10). After each movie watch party, we will have a time of discussion with question prompts to get things going. Hope to see you there!
We can be regenerated only gradually. Each and every thing that exists in the physical world serves as an illustration of this fact. A seedling does not grow up into a mature tree in a single day. First there is a seed, then a root, then a shoot, which develops into a trunk; then branches come out of that and develop leaves and finally flowers and fruit. Wheat and barley do not spring up ready for harvest in a single day. A home is not built in a single day. We do not become full grown in a single day; reaching wisdom takes us even longer. The church is not established - let alone perfected - in a single day. We will make no progress toward a goal unless we first make a start.
People who have a different conception than this of regeneration know nothing about goodwill or faith, or how each of these qualities grows as we cooperate with the Lord. All this makes clear that regeneration progresses analogously to the way we are conceived, carried in the womb, born, and brought up.
A PRAYER OFFERING
A FRANCISCAN BLESSING
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationship
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done,
to bring justice and kindness to all...
Just a note: the various viewpoints included in these newsletters (either by authors of content or the organizations they represent) do not necessarily represent the viewpoint or position of the Swedenborgian Church of North America (SCNA). The editors present them in the spirit of learning and reflection.
