ear Members and Friends,
Just as the recent snowstorm wasn’t as bad as predicted, I pray the current political storms won’t be as bad as predicted by many. Fortunately, we the people have a lot more influence on the outcomes of political storms then the weather. However, there are some immediate needs that require urgent attention such as the draconian cuts to USAID.
This evening at 8:00 PM on ZOOM, Jeanette Bailey will share with us how hundreds of thousands children are at risk, including 850 children in acute care and hundreds of thousands that receive emergency nutrition. Jeanette works with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations. However the IRC staff cannot speak out publicly. And so, Jeanette invites us UU’s to brainstorm how we as concerned citizens can garner support for this vital program.
This past Sunday, I should have named the sermon “Keeping Our Hearts in Disheartening Times.” A part of my sharing was about what I have learned from the African American clergy that serve in the westside of Chicago. One of them is Rev. Dr. Marshall Hatch, the lead pastor of New Mt Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church. The Sunday after the massacre at Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Rev. Hatch put out a call to gather for a Vigil for Unity. This was the first time I would meet him. To my surprise, just prior to the vigil’s beginning, Rev. Hatch asked me to be one of the speakers.
Rev. Hatch’s church sanctuary has a stained-glass window that has haunted me. The Maafa Redemption stained-glass window shows Christ’s body as a slave ship, with hundreds of bodies crowded inside. An image of it is below.
As February is Black History Month, it isn’t simply a time to remember and lift up the contributions of Black people. It is a time to recognize the extraordinary faith and courage and unflagging persistence many Black people have exhibited through the ages, including the Civil Rights movement and currently in neighborhoods that have been largely abandoned by the wider society.
Below are the lyrics of two songs written by Ysaye Maria Barnwell and performed by Sweet Honey in the Rock. I’ve been listening to these songs for 30 years now, and they reflect the spirituality and and fortitude of the African American people of faith, a spirituality and fortitude that these times invite us all to cultivate.
Warmly,
Alan
“Spiritual” by Ysaye Maria Barnwell, from Sweet Honey in the Rock’s Still on the Journey: The 20th Anniversary Album (1993)
Cain’t no one know at sunrise
how this day is gonna end.
Cain’t no one know at sunset
if the next day will begin.
In this world of trouble and woe,
a person had better be ready to go.
We look for things to stay the same,
but in the twinkling of an eye, everything can be changed.
The troubles of this world fill our hearts with rage
from Soweto, to Stonewall, Birmingham and LA
We are searching for hope that lies within ourselves
as we fight against misogyny race hatred and AIDS.
Cain’t no one know at sunrise
how this day is gonna end.
Cain’t no one know at sunset
if the next day will begin.
“Wanting Memories” by Ysaye Maria Barnwell, from Sweet Honey in the Rock’s Still on the Journey: The 20th Anniversary Album (1993)
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes
You used to rock me in the cradle of your arms
You said you’d hold me till the pains of life were gone
You said you’d comfort me in times like these and now I need you
Now I need you, and you are gone
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes
Since you’ve gone and left me, there’s been so little beauty
But I know I saw it clearly through your eyes
Now the world outside is such a cold and bitter place
Here inside I have few things that will console
And when I try to hear your voice above the storms of life
Then I remember all the things that I was told
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes
I think on the things that made me feel so wonderful when I was young
I think on the things that made me laugh, made me dance, made me sing
I think on the things that made me grow into a being full of pride
I think on these things, for they are true
