A Letter. . .
I have been thinking about how I
would like to respond to the events of August 11-12, 2017 in
Charlottesville, Virginia.
First of all I want to express my
appreciation for my clergy colleagues who gave up a significant piece of their
busy schedules in order to be a physical witness to the Gospel. They participated in the emergency response
training. They were as prepared as
anyone ever could be for the possibility of violence or arrest. They wore their robes and clergy stoles as clear
identifiers that this was the cost of discipleship and vocation. They stood in silent witness between the two
competing worldviews. Their witness was
powerful.
Secondly I want to say that so many
have spoken eloquent words about how you navigate through such events as we saw
this past weekend. One person reminded
us to recall Fred Rodgers words “Look for the helpers.” Others have initiated candlelight vigils
throughout our country as public witness.
Many have expressed condolences for the loss of life: Heather Heyer, Lieutenant Cullen and
Trooper-Pilot Bates.
As I have reflected over the events
and the responses of this weekend, I think we also need some suggestions to
ourselves about how we move forward – especially how we can speak to our children
and youth. There are a variety of
opportunities being offered and to be offered to continue the dialogue of race
in America. Those are all good ways to
engage in thoughtful reflection and I encourage anyone to do so. The following ideas are some additional things we can do.
LEARN
SOME STORIES
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, a theologian, a writer, and a member of the
resistance movement and he died in a German Concentration Camp. Google his name and you can find a variety of
sources to tell you about his life. His
writings are also in print. This is
only one of many books to introduce this courageous pastor to you.
Wonder of Wonders: Christmas with Dietrich Bonhoeffer written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Anne
Frank was a young German Jew who was sheltered in the attic of a Christian
home. She kept a journal of her life
which has had a profound affect on countless people as they learned through her
the horrors of Nazi rule. She and her
family were eventually found and removed to the Bergen-Belson concentration
camp where she died in 1945.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young
Girl by Anne
Frank has been translated into English and is widely available.
Although I do not know this
book, it does appear to be a resource that is helpful to discuss racism and
that horrific practice once used by such organizations as the KKK. I
included in the “cut and paste” the information of the various awards
this book received.
The Lynching of Louie Sam by Elizabeth Stewart.
Notable
Books for a Global Society White Ravens Collection,
International
Youth Library,
Munich Skipping
Stones Honor Book Best Books for Kids & Teens,
Canadian
Children’s Book Centre
Geoffrey
Bilson Award for Historical Fiction
John
Spray Mystery Award Libbylit Prize (Belgium),
French
edition Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award finalist Snow Willow
Young Reader’s Choice Award nomination Arthur Ellis Award finalist,
Crime
Writers of Canada
Another book that I can not
personally vouch for but which seems to be written so that it is accessible to
a wide variety of readers is the book. Again, I am doing
a “cut and paste” from her website to show the recognition this book has
received.
They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist
Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
Released August 2010:
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
a Junior Library Guild
Selection
a Richie’s Pick “It
is, of course, through reading a book like this — and understanding the “Why?”
— that we gain the insight necessary to help stop the flames of hatred and fear
from spreading in whatever direction they next travel.”
a Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year 2010
a School Library Journal Best Children’s Book of the Year 2010
a Kirkus Best Books for Teens 2010
a Horn Book Magazine 2010 Fanfare List
a Booklist Top of the List Winner for 2010 and Editor’s
Choice for 2010
a Washington Post Best Children’s Book of 2010
a Chicago Public Library Best
of the Best
an ALA Notable title
a CCBC Choices 2011 title
DON’T BE
AFRAID TO TALK
The pictures that appear on our
televisions and social media are disturbing.
Nevertheless it is important to talk with our children in an age
appropriate manner. “We are going to
change the channel (or turn the TV off) because the news right now is showing
people doing hateful things. It’s not OK
to treat one another like that.” By the
time children are elementary and pre-teen those conversations will get longer and
more specific. The books just mentioned
may be helpful to you.
Failing to talk about this subject
though tells our children a message we don’t want to communicate. This evil is to be named not ignored. And why this is evil is to be named so that
our children are equipped when they are confronted by the language of hate.
TELL OUR
OWN STORIES
For people of faith, we have a lot of stories to tell our
children. Let them hear by our words and
see by our actions that we have heard Jesus say: I command you to love one another.
For people of our nation, let our
children and youth hear from us as adults those words and ideas from the
“Pledge of Allegiance”. We pledge
allegiance to the flag of The United
States of America, not a Nazi flag, or a Confederate flag, or a Don’t Tread
on Me flag. Those all represent other
times and other meanings – but our allegiance is to the flag that represents
this great nation. That clarification to
the Pledge was made in 1923 and it seems to me to continue to be
appropriate. The concluding words of the
Pledge have stood since its introduction in 1892 – one nation, with liberty and justice for all.
These are
the values that bind us together as a nation.
These are the values we are to teach our children. These are the values that endure in the midst
of events such as occurred in Charlottesville.
LEARN SOME STORIES
DON’T BE AFRAID TO
TALK
TELL OUR OWN STORIES
Grace
and Peace
Rev.
Clara