Reflections on Lent: Stories of Moving

Stories: Moving from Ignorance to Knowledge to Action

The following is an excerpt from a blog linked to at the bottom of the page. It it the author describes how she came to find out about the sex trade and how that knowledge has changed her life

Where the song ended, determined which woman was selected for the night. The scholar then began to sing it in his heavy accent:

“Eenie Meenie Mini Moe …”

Hearing these words, even in a crowd of 4,000 people, hit me like a machete in my stomach.

How have I missed this? How have I perpetuated this?

While Elmina castle is infamous for the buying and selling of slave souls, somehow I’ve missed this other story happening on the sidelines of the slave horror: The story of prostituted women lined up to serve the slave traders’ sexual whims.

Now I hear these words, thick as rope, woven around the women, tying them to a destiny of diminishment.

But what if I didn’t know before?
I’ve been wondering whether we can we perpetuate the evil, even in our unknowing? Does not knowing and saying the words, carry on the diminishing?

I don’t know, but it makes me sick that I didn’t know. That this story could be so veiled to my seeing and my hearing.
It makes me sick that too many of us still don’t know.

This one thing I do know: Now that I know how these words were formed in the mouths of abusers, these words will not be spoken in my home or in my presence. I will do my utmost to educate and stop the lineage of injustice through these words wherever I can.

http://shelovesmagazine.com/2012/no-eenie-meenie-in-my-mouth/

Reflections on Lent: It's here too

Truth. Identity. Injustice.

"In to many places the opposite of poverty is justice...Ultimately, we won't be judged by our technology. We won't be judged by our design. We won't be judge by our intellect and reason. Ultimately, you judge the character of the society. Not about how they treat the rich and the powerful and the privileged abut how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated. Because it is in that nexus that we begin to understand truly profound things about who we are. "  

- Bryan Stevenson

To listen to the rest of this amazing words on identiy and injustice here in America, go to ted talks at  http://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice.html

Reflections on Lent: One Person, One Action, One Prayer

Why not add something to your day during Lent...

...you may just change the world (or your little part!)

Pastor to end rooftop vigil following donation from Tyler Perry

 

A South Side pastor who has spent more than three months living in a tent on the roof of an Englewood motel said he will end his vigil today, thanks to a promise of $98,000 from movie mogul Tyler Perry that will allow the pastor to buy and demolish the motel to make way for a community center.

For more on the story, go to (click Title above!)

Lord to hear my prayers

"Even in fasting, we have the choice."

Something seems disingenuous to "fast for solidarity" with the poor or against human trafficking -- we can never know their experience and no day or hour or meal without food will have the ability to teach us that. 

Today is my first fast in solidarity to the poor and on the walk to the train, I realized just how silly this felt. Not the act of fasting or the idea of lifting up the poor; but the idea that somehow I am can choose to be in solidarity with the poor by simply overlooking the food in my fridge, in my cubicle, in the grocery story next door, or in my friend's hands. Nothing I do or do not eat or do can every place me in their position, I will never know their experience because I have the ability to choose.

Pray with me today for those who have no choice.