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As I write this we are approaching the 100th Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the 1 year Anniversary of the death of George Floyd. It will be quite a week in Tulsa with all the commemoration events. My question is, “Have we learned anything in the last 100 years or in the last year?” By the time this is published, will we have gone on with our lives and forgotten these events or will they spur us to action? Will we continue to build bridges or create obstacles? My journey over the recent past has been to learn by reading and studying with others and then moving on to action. I want to do my part in combating racism and becoming a good ally or as one author says, a good ancestor. My favorite quote for this year, and the one I have challenged myself to remember, is from Cornel West and says, “Love is what justice looks like in public.” Jesus showed us the way to love others. He was compassionate and met people where they were. He spoke up on behalf of people that society would have ignored, deemed unworthy or unfit, or even condemned. My challenge for myself is to stand with those who are ignored or whose voice isn't heard and their needs unmet. It is not for us to decide what others need, but to listen and heed what they need and then do what they tell us would be helpful to them. As Bishop Mike, says, we do not need to decide for them what they need, but listen and learn. He related a story about going to Central America, I think, with a mission team on several occasions. At one point a leader from that country asked him if he thought the people there couldn't paint as that was what the mission team did each time. That illustrates how we can decide what someone needs without actually asking them. To me the lesson is that the people affected need to lead and I need to follow. That is hard because I am used to having my privilege. It is perfectly illustrated for me by the quote on the bottom of Greg Robinson's email, “What you do for me without me, you do to me.” May we all love enough to ask and do, get out of the way, and be willing to make mistakes. --Carolyn
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January 2022
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