WRITEON FOR JUNE 17, 2020 sister alies. Lots of THANK YOUS this week…Thank You NAACP for your letter to us last week. Let us know how to give best support. Thank You SANITATION PEOPLE…for our new and wonderful garbage bin (Choctaw Plaza/see pics)…so light to lift on the top, and sliding doors on either side…fantastic! Thank You Tommy, our Alderman. Thank You Bro. Roger & MS Food Network for food boxes. Thank You for all who supported our graduates, who support our good police, who help with needed shopping and cleaning. Thank You for all our pastors and Church folk for beginning both the opening up AND keeping on-line for those who are not able to come. Friday is Juneteenth…the celebration of the end of slavery. Perhaps it is a day to expand our ‘history lessons’ and find out who, why, where, when about it all? In the midst, however, of all these positive thanx, we also have to help each other through both ‘19virus’ (we are better but still need masks, testing, and checking) and listening/opening conversations that will lead to a de-escalation of racism in our County. Neither of these is finished. In a friendly County like ours folks call it ‘casual racism’. Really? I guess that means ‘it’ happens now and then but that also might mean we don’t all understand ‘systemic racism’. Not systematic. Two different things. Systemic means it’s built into the very fiber of our thinking/expectations of and about others, our reactions/policy to it are found in jobs, housing, fresh water, education etc. Systematic means the on and off ‘thing’ that happens, even though they are usually rooted in systemic racism. The conversations that we have avoided for least 100 years, if not 400, might bring out into the light the hopeful possibilities of change. I think what repeatedly happened to people is a first place to begin to understand. I was told if “you talk about all that slavery stuff it jus’ gets people mad”…well, maybe? Why would ‘they’ be mad? And why would others be mad if it was them instead? In any case I believe that I want to be open to learning and to reflecting both in action and in prayer to what needs doin’. You? BLESSINGS.
